From Sound to Symbol

Fundamentals of Music

Second Edition

Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka

Designed for a one-semester musical fundamentals course, From Sound to Symbol: Fundamentals of Music, Second Edition, clearly covers all essential topics, but with a unique, sound-to-symbol approach that explores concepts through the sound of music before explaining how symbols are used. Students actively and methodically explore music by listening, performing, thinking critically, and composing, learning the rudiments of music theory in the process.

New to this Edition:

Chapters include helpful overviews and key terms and concepts lists.
Chapters are now divided into two sections: (1) an introduction to basic concepts and (2) written theory exercises.
All chapters include more written exercises, and the in-text Skills CD includes more dictation exercises.
"How to Read a Musical Score" sections ask students to identify newly learned musical elements in more complex musical works.
"How to Practice" sections guide students in developing greater mastery of each chapter's concepts.
The la minor and do minor approaches to pedagogy are now clearly distinguished and separated in Chapters 8 and 9.
All forms of the minor scale are included in one chapter (9) instead of two.
Chapters 10 and 11 on triads and harmony have been reorganized to reflect a traditional sequence.
A new chapter, "Composing a Song" (Chapter 12), provides students with the opportunity to apply their cumulative knowledge to writing compositions.
Pages have been redesigned for clarity, with only two marginal icons--one referencing the in-text Audio CD (with track numbers) and one referencing longer pieces available on iTunes. Pages are also perforated and three-hole-punched for convenience.
A new Glossary of Musical Terms is included at the back of the text.
A Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/houlahan offers both students and faculty extensive additional resources. Students will find supplementary musicianship exercises to develop their singing, memory, audiation, sight singing, and keyboard skills. Instructors will find video clips of the authors teaching, sample lesson plans, and teaching strategies, as well as sample tests and assessment rubrics.

From Sound to Symbol

Fundamentals of Music

Second Edition

Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka

Description

The ONLY text that uses sound first as a more natural and organic way to learn music theory

Designed for a one-semester musical fundamentals course, From Sound to Symbol: Fundamentals of Music, Second Edition, clearly covers all essential topics, but with a unique, sound-to-symbol approach that explores concepts through the sound of music before explaining how symbols are used. Students actively and methodically explore music by listening, performing, thinking critically, and composing, learning the rudiments of music theory in the process.

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
* Examples from folk songs and classical music are simple, memorable, and easy to sing or play.
* Activities use different modes of learning (kinesthetic, aural, and visual) to help students understand the fundamentals and apply them to music-making.
* The in-text Audio CD includes all the essential melodies from the book, examples of chord functions and harmonic progressions, and exercises to develop singing skills.
* The in-text Skills CD provides tutorials for chapter review, theory exercise drills, and dictation exercises.
* A folded, laminated keyboard is included at the back of the text.

Previous publication dates

June 2008

From Sound to Symbol

Fundamentals of Music

Second Edition

Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
Six Basic Elements of Music
The Multiple Dimensions of Musicianship
CHAPTER 1. BASIC RHYTHMS IN SIMPLE METER
1.1: Phrase, Beat, and Tempo
1.2: Introduction to Meter
1.3: Basic Rhythm Patterns in Simple Meter
1.4: Basic Rhythm Patterns that Include Rests in Simple Meter
1.5: Repeat Signs
CHAPTER 2. THE KEYBOARD AND NOTATION OF PITCH
2.1: The Keyboard and Basic Concepts Associated with Pitch
2.2: Whole-Step and Half-Step Intervals at the Keyboard
2.3: Treble Clef and Introduction to the Notation of Pitch
2.4: The Bass Clef, Ledger Lines, and Octave Sign
2.5: Notating Sharps and Flats on the Staff
CHAPTER 3. MORE ADVANCED RHYTHMS IN SIMPLE METER
3.1: Sixteenth Notes
3.2: Notating Melodies in Different Meter
3.3: Eighth and Sixteenth Note Combinations
3.4: Dotted Eighth Note Followed by a Sixteenth Note
3.5: Dotted Notes: A Dotted Quarter Note Followed by an Eighth Note
3.6: Syncopation
CHAPTER 4. ORIENTATION TO MELODIC STRUCTURES
4.1: Major Pentachord Scale and Melodies
4.2: Determining the Intervals between Notes of the Pentachord Scale
4.3: Writing a Major Pentachord Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
4.4: Major Hexachord Scales and Melodies
4.5: Determining the Size and Quality of Intervals Between Notes of the Major Hexachord Scale
4.6: Writing a Major Hexachord Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
4.7: Major Pentatonic Scales and Melodies
4.8: Writing a Major Pentatonic Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
CHAPTER 5. THE MAJOR SCALE
5.1: Major Diatonic Scale and Melodies
5.2: Determining the Intervals Between Notes of the Major Scale
5.3: Writing a Major Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
5.4: Key Signatures
5.5: Writing Major Scales and Melodies Using a Key Signature
5.6: Transposition
5.7: Identifying the Key of a Major Scale or Composition from a Given Key Signature
CHAPTER 6: INTERVALS
6.1: Interval Identification
6.2: Determining Interval Quality: Major, Minor, and Perfect
6.3: Determining Minor, Augmented, and Diminished Interval Relationships
6.4: Determining Harmonic Inversion of Intervals
6.5: Determining Compound Intervals
CHAPTER 7. COMPOUND METER AND ADVANCED RHYTHMIC CONCEPTS
7.1: Rhythms Patterns in Compound Meter
7.2: Subdivision of Rhythm Patterns in Compound Meter
7.3: More Complex Rhythm Patterns in Compound Meter
7.4: Dotted Rhythm Patterns in Compound Meter
7.5: Triplets and Duplets
7.6: Changing Meter and Asymmetric Meter
CHAPTER 8. ORIENTATION TO THE MINOR SCALE
Part A: La Minor
8.1A: Minor Pentachord Scale and Melodies
8.2A: Determining the Size and Quality of Intervals Between Notes of the Minor Pentachord Scale
8.3A: Writing Minor Pentachord Scales and Melodies Using Accidentals
8.4A: Minor Hexachord Scale and Melodies
8.5A: Determining the Intervals Between Notes of the Minor Hexachord Scale
8.6A: Writing Minor Hexachord Scales and Melodies Using Accidentals
8.7A: Minor Pentatonic Scale and Melodies
8.8A: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Pentatonic Scale
8.9A: Writing Minor Pentatonic Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
Part B: Do Minor
8.1B: Minor Pentachord Scales and Melodies
8.2B: Determining the Size and Quality of Intervals Between Notes of the Minor Pentachord Scale
8.3B: Writing Minor Pentachord Scales and Melodies Using Accidentals
8.4B: Minor Hexachord Scales and Melodies
8.5B: Determining the Intervals Between Notes of the Minor Hexachord Scale
8.6B: Writing a Minor Hexachord Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
8.7B: Minor Pentatonic Scale and Melodies
8.8B: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Pentatonic Scale
8.9B: Writing a Minor Pentatonic Scale and Melodies Using Accidentals
CHAPTER 9. THE MINOR SCALE: NATURAL MINOR, HARMONIC MINOR, MELODIC MINOR
Part A: La Minor
9.1A: Natural Minor Scale and Melodies
9.2A: Determining the Intervals Between Notes of the Natural Minor Scale
9.3A: Writing a Natural Minor Scale Using Accidentals
9.4A: Minor Key Signatures
9.5A: Writing Natural Minor Scales and Melodies with a Key Signature
9.6A: Relative and Parallel Key Relationships
9.7A: Harmonic Minor Scale and Melodies
9.8A: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Harmonic Minor Scale
9.9A: Writing Harmonic Minor Scales and Melodies on the Staff
9.10A: Melodic Minor Scale and Melodies
9.11A: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Melodic Minor Scale
9.12A: Writing Melodic Minor Scales and Melodies Using Accidentals
9.13A: Identifying the Key of a Composition
Part B: Do Minor
9.1B: Natural Minor Scale and Melodies
9.2B: Determining the Intervals Between Notes of the Natural Minor Scale
9.3B: Writing Natural Minor Scales Using Accidentals
9.4B: Minor Key Signatures
9.5B: Writing a Natural Minor Scale and Melodies With a Key Signature
9.6B: Relative and Parallel Key Relationships
9.7B: Harmonic Minor Scale and Melodies
9.8B: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Harmonic Minor Scale
9.9B: Writing Harmonic Minor Scales and Melodies on the Staff
9.10B: Melodic Minor Scale and Melodies
9.11B: Determining the Intervals Between the Notes of the Melodic Minor Scale
9.12B: Writing Melodic Minor Scales and Melodies Using Accidentals
9.13B: Identifying the Key of a Composition
CHAPTER 10. CONSTRUCTING AND LABELING TRIADS
10.1: Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented Triads
10.2: Identifying Triads Using Pitch Names and Popular Music Symbols
10.3: Close and Open Positions of a Triad
10.4: Labeling Triads Using Roman Numeral Analysis and Figured Bass
10.5: Inversions of Triads
10.6: The Dominant Seventh Chord
CHAPTER 11. AN INTRODUCTION TO BASIC CHORD PROGRESSIONS
11.1: Tonic and Dominant Functions in a Major Key
11.2: Tonic and Dominant Chord Progressions
11.3: Tonic and Dominant Functions in Minor
11.4: Tonic and Dominant Chord Progressions in Minor
11.5: Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant Functions in Major
11.6: Primary Triads: Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant Chords in Root Position in a Major Key
11.7: Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant Functions in Minor
11.8: Primary Triads: Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant Chords in Root Position in a Minor Key
11.9: Cadences
11.10: An Introduction to Nonharmonic Tones or Nonchord Tones
11.11: Chord Progressions Involving Secondary Triads
11.12: Chord Progressions Involving the Tonic Six-Four Chord as a Cadential Chord
11.13: Twelve-Bar Blues Progression
CHAPTER 12. COMPOSING A SONG
12.1: Choosing the Lyrics
12.2: Creating the Rhythmic Notation for Your Lyrics
12.3: Composing a Melody
12.4: Unifying Your Composition
12.5: Harmonizing Your Composition
12.6: Determining an Appropriate Piano Accompaniment for Your Composition
APPENDIXES
1: Glossary of Musical Terms
2: Focus Melodies for Chapters 1-9
3: Graphic Representations of Focus Melodies for Chapters 1-9
4: Rhythm Syllables for Reading Simple and Compound Meters
5: Focus Melodies in Simple to Complex Order for Practicing Rhythm Syllables
6: Solfège syllables for Reading Scale Patterns
7: Focus Melodies in Simple to Complex Order for Practicing Solfège Syllables
8: Major Scales for Keyboard Practice
9: Minor Scales for Keyboard Practice
10: Major Scales and Their Relative Minors.
11: Modes
12: Other Scales: Whole Tone, Chromatic Blues Scale, and Blues Scale
13: Triads and Chords

From Sound to Symbol

Fundamentals of Music

Second Edition

Micheal Houlahan and Philip Tacka

Author Information

Mícheál Houlahan is Professor of Music Theory and Chair of the Department of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

Philip Tacka is Professor of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.