Time to receive an explanation of just what is music. Day 5 gives definitions of what music is and isn't. Organized sound that can be replicated through imitation or notation, that is music. The sounds of a creaking door or fingernails on a blackboard - these sounds are not only incredibly irritating, they are irregular and disorganized therefore, not music.
With regard to what is music, here are basic ways to analyze sound:
Pitch: Your ear hears high sounds and low sounds. Those sounds are described as "Pitch". Pitch is measured by sound wave frequency, or the repetition of sound waves. Western Music has twelve unique pitches; C, C-sharp or D-Flat, D, D-sharp or E-flat, E, F. F-sharp or G-flat, G, G-sharp or A-flat, A, A-sharp or B-flat, and B. You know the black keys on a piano? They are sharps and flats.
Scale: An arrangement of pitches. The major scale has an upbeat sound due to its arrangement of pitches. The minor scale, as its opposite, sounds sad. Using a piano as an example, the major scale notes are, from left to right, C,D,E,F,G,A,B and C.
Key: The guiding force of a melody. This system of pitches is usually based in one of the major or minor scales.
It's funny. Reading descriptions about something you hear doesn't really help me understand music. When it comes to understanding the part that "key" plays in music I need to not only have a written description I need to have an auditory one as well. I'm a visual learner and there are times when all the descriptive words in the world won't help me understand a subject or topic.
I'll keep researching Key in music terms and see if I can better understand this guiding force of melody. The next lesson in the Music category is Melody. I'm looking forward to that!
So, what tone's of music are you drawn to? Do you like the major scale? More upbeat? Or, are you more comfortable with the "sad", minor scale? Personally, it depends on my mood. What about you?