Chapter+3

Chromatic: A group that contains all 12 pitch classes.

Circle of fifths: A pattern in which for every sharp that is added or for every flat that is removed, the key will be 5 steps higher. For every sharp that is removed or for every flat that is added, the key will be 5 steps lower.

Chromatic half step: A semitone using the same letter name for both pitches.

Collection: A group of pitch classes with no duplications in any specific order.

Diatonic: A collection of 7 pitches that make up a major scale.

Diatonic half step: A semitone using different letter names for each pitch.

Dominant: The fifth degree of a scale.

Key signature: A set of sharps or flats on the staff at the beginning of each line to show which notes in the piece are to be consistently flatted or sharped.

Leading tone: The seventh degree of a scale.

Major pentatonic: A collection of 7 notes with the 4th and 7th tones of the major scale missing.

Mediant: The third degree of a scale.

Scale: A collection that has a beginning tone and goes in order through the remaining notes alphabetically.

Major Scale: A scale with a half step on the 3rd and 7th step.

Scale degree: Each pitch of a scale.

1. How do the whole-and half-step patterns differ in the diatonic and chromatic scales? A diatonic scale has 2 half steps at the third and 7th step with the rest of the scale steps being whole steps. A chromatic scale has every pitch class, so every scale step is a half step.

2. How can we identify the key of a work from its key signature for flat keys? For sharp keys? The key for sharps is a half step up from the last sharp in the signature. The key for flats is simply the second to last flat in the signature.

3. What notation rules are important for writing the key signatures? What is the order of the sharps? of the flats? The signature goes in between the clef and the meter signature, and does not use ledgers. For sharps the order is F, C, G, D, A, E, B. For flats, the order is B, E, A, D, G, C, F.

4. Name three systems for identifying scale degrees. Why do we name scale degrees? Scale degrees can be identified on the staff, by a number with a caret above it, or with the solfège.