DulciTheory #5
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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DulciTheory Newsletter -- Issue #5: Back To Basics 2
publisher: Jerry Rockwell
email: jerry@jcrmusic.com
Intro to issue #5
Now we have almost 100 subscribers -- WOW!!! Who wudda thunk it? Anyway,
thanks to everyone who took the time to subscribe, and especially to those
of you who subscribed recently and have been waiting patiently for your
first issue.
Feedback
I'm still way behind on the form/questionnaire I talked about last time, but
I'm learning slowly to grapple with the server-side scripting issues, and
also getting a much clearer picture of what the questions will actually look
like. This turned out to be a much bigger project than I thought, but it
will lead to some more cool interactive stuff once I get it nailed down.
Meanwhile, anyone with MySQL and PHP experience who would like to share some
of their expertise?
About This Issue -- Back to Basics 2
I. Continuation of discussion on reasons to learn theory | INSPIRATION -
ENCOURAGEMENT - CHALLENGE | Re-inventing the wheel? | Tech hurdles with
posting music notation files and bandwidth issues with downloading mp3 files
| THREE SUGGESTIONS FOR THEORY STUDY
II. Resources: Two GREAT interactive theory and ear-training sites on the
web AND two GREAT software companies that specialize in self-teaching theory
and ear-training software
III. Plans for DulciTheory -- A Moving Target!
For Recent Subscribers
Those of you who just signed up for DulciTheory in the last month or so, you
should definitely check out all the introductory material on my web site:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dulcitheory.html
Also, you may want to look over the first four issues which are archived on
my site now:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt1.html
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt2.html
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt3.html
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt4.html
As always, questions are welcome, and I should be able to respond to your
email very quickly:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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BACK TO BASICS 2
Why Learn Theory?
Last time I gave you a boat-load of reasons why I love to use theory as a
kind of toolbox for composing and improvising. This time I'd like to shift
the focus totally to YOUR needs and desires -- keeping in mind that many of
you subscribing to this newsletter have had very little formal training in
music, and are probably near ground-zero when considering where to start
with a theory and ear-training program.
The Ear-Training Component of Learning Music Theory
In the Theory curriculum of any university-level Music program, there is a
VITAL component called Ear Training and it is comprised of many activities
that help your ear to identify all the things you are looking at on paper.
Some of these activities include:
* Melodic Dictation
* Harmonic Dictation
* Interval, Chord, and Scale Recognition
* Sight-Singing using solfege: do, re, mi, etc.
Now.....I know we are not embarking on a college-level study of theory, but
I bring Ear Training up here because I'm convinced it will REALLY, REALLY
help you. It will help you immeasurably to HEAR everything you are trying to
understand in theory. I cannot imagine learning theory any other way, but
then I didn't really have a choice in my 4 years of undergraduate study at
the Ohio State University's School of Music -- Sight-Singing and Ear
Training were mandatory and concurrent with Theory class (though not
directly integrated as in some programs).
In earlier editions of DulciTheory, and in the introductory material on my
web site, I have promised repeatedly to keep the focus on REAL-LIFE,
everyday, USEFUL theory -- the kind that you can apply directly to your
dulcimer. This is a great goal, and indeed I hope many of the "morsels" or
"tidbits" of theory I throw out in this newsletter end up helping you
directly with your dulcimer playing.
INSPIRATION and ENCOURAGEMENT
In a larger sense, though, I'm here on this planet to INSPIRE and ENCOURAGE
you: I would like nothing more than to have you get REALLY CONNECTED to
music in a fundamental, life-changing way!!!! (yes, I've been accused of
being an idealist many times.) I would like to challenge you to "go for the
gold" with your study of music -- YOU can do it!
A Few Things To Keep In Mind
--only YOU can do it, with ACTIVE involvement
--I can help guide you, but only if you TRUST me
--most of what I suggest is FREE, with the exception of a few EXCELLENT
software programs
--musicianship is 99% PERSPIRATION and BLOOD-SWEAT-and-TEARS and 1% "talent"
--you can learn at your own pace: most of my suggestions point towards
self-teaching methods: you can progress through these programs at a rate
that suits your lifestyle
--theory is a BLAST when it is integrated TOTALLY into your life and music:
it won't be like "taking your cod-liver oil"!
TRUST
The second item in the list above is crucial, simply because embarking upon
a glorious new journey requires some degree of FAITH: you really need to
throw caution to the wind, and TRUST me on these suggestions.
Re-inventing the Wheel?
Q: Why don't I offer a comprehensive music theory course through this
newsletter and my web site?
A: There are many reasons -- here are some of the important ones:
1.) Tech hurdles -- problems with music notation file formats and the web;
low bandwidth causing mp3 files to take too long to download; insufficient
time and budget to put toward tackling these problems, and other related
issues such as streaming audio
2.) Many other fine web sites have beat me to it a long time ago
3.) I intend to remain dulcimer-focused for some time to come --
jcrmusic.com may branch out at some point in the future, but it won't be any
time soon.
4.) I BARELY have enough time to crank this little newsletter out as it is!
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THREE SUGGESTIONS
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ONE: GET A MIDI KEYBOARD, and get it hooked up to your computer.
If you need suggestions send me some email:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
I'm quite a hound on sniffing out deals on the web, and I have a pretty good
grip on the current offerings of Yamaha, Roland, Alesis, Korg, etc., AND: I
LOVE these products dearly.
TWO: GO TO ONE OF THE WEB SITES THAT OFFERS FREE THEORY AND EAR-TRAINING
INSTRUCTION ONLINE (see RESOURCES in the next section)
THREE: INVEST IN ONE OF THE FABULOUS SOFTWARE PROGRAMS LISTED BELOW
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RESOURCES
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Here are two GREAT sites for learning the basics of music. They are
carefully graduated and offer quizzes and other interactive features:
http://www.musictheory.net/
http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/
Here is some SOFTWARE for learning theory and ear-training:
Practica Musica 4 from Ars Nova -- I have used version 3 of this software,
and I can tell you that it is fantastic stuff! You get to identify
intervals, scales, and chords; match pitches; transcribe melodies and chord
progressions, and MUCH more. The user interface is superb, and I can't think
of a better way to make steady progress with the ear-training component of
your theory study.
http://www.practicamusica.com/
MiBAC -- this is also a great software company that makes a wide variety of
music learning and ear-training programs, including one for Jazz which is
superb:
http://www.mibac.com/
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THE FUTURE OF DulciTheory -- A MOVING TARGET!
If you decide NOT to take me up on my challenge, there's really no harm
done: I hope to keep publishing DulciTheory with useful TIDBITS and MORSELS
of theory as it works on the dulcimer. I will probably get more frequent
issues out if I hear from you about topics you'd like to see, or questions
you have.
If you DO decide to embark on the enchanting MIDI KEYBOARD/EAR-TRAINING
journey, I congratulate you and wish you a wonderful and inspiring learning
adventure: I'M ROOTING FOR YOUR ULTIMATE SUCCESS, and I'd love to hear about
your progress! Also, as I stated earlier, please ask me about any problems
you encounter, or tech questions you might have (nothing like free tech
support, eh?)
NEW CLASSES!
If you haven't been to my web site for a while, you will notice some new
upcoming classes I'll be teaching:
http://www.jcrmusic.com
THANKS!
Jerry
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