Contents at a Glance
Part 1: Tones 1
1 Pitches and Clefs 3
Sing high, sing low—and learn how to describe all those different
pitches you can sing.
2 Intervals 17
What’s the shortest distance between two tones? It’s called an interval!
3 Scales 27
Do, a deer, a female deer ... which happens to be as good a way as
any to describe a scale.
4 Major and Minor Keys 45
We’re not talking car keys here; nope, this chapter is all about
major and minor keys, as well as some seven-note modes that date
all the way back to the ancient Greeks.Part 2: Rhythms 55
5 Note Values and Basic Notation 57
If you can count to four, you can figure out most rhythms—and
write them down, on paper.
6 Time Signatures 67
It looks like a fraction, but it’s not a fraction—it’s a time signature!7 Tempo, Dynamics, and Navigation 77
How do you describe how fast and how loud a song should be
played? Read here to find out!Part 3: Tunes 89
8 Melodies 91
When you put tones together with rhythms, what do you get?
(Hint: You can sing it!)
9 Chords 111
Major, minor, diminished, augmented—whatever you call ’em,
chords are just three notes played together.
10 Chord Progressions 127
Did you know that most folk, rock, and country music can be played
with just three chords? Now that’s a popular chord progression!
11 Phrases and Form 145
ABAC isn’t an acronym—it’s a way to describe in what order you
play all the different sections of a song.Part 4: Accompanying 153
12 Transcribing What You Hear 155
The music goes in one ear, bounces around your brain, and ends up
written down on paper—if you do it right.