Musical theory part 2

Welcome back. If you haven't already done so, check out part 1 of the theory tutorial by clicking here:
Musical Theory tutorial part 1

So far we've covered the absolute basics of theory. Next up: harmonic minors.
Important note: We're talking about the scale, not S Club Juniors. Hohoho.

Anyway...

Part 3 - Harmonic Minor Scale

Right. This one's my favourite. It isn't much different from the natural minor - in fact it's only one note different. However, this one note change completely changes the mood of the scale. The harmonic minor scale has a much darker feel to it, and can sound a bit more... For lack of a better word, let's just say "classicallish." The harmonic minor is my favourite scale, and I think that's the old metal band ways still creeping in there.

To form the harmonic minor, all you have to do is change one note - You augment the 7th note of the natural minor scale. In other words, you move it up one semitone. So with the examples we used earlier...

Key:
T = Whole Tone
S = Semitone
TS = 3 semitones (This interval will be discussed and named later)R = Root

A minor scale              E minor scale                 B minor scale

R-T- S-T-T- S-T-T          R-T-- S- T-T- S-T- T         R-T-- S-T-T-- S-T- T

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A         E- F#-G-A-B- C-D-E        B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A-B

Becomes...

A harmonic minor           E harmonic minor            B harmonic minor 

R-T- S-T-T- S-TS-S         R-T-- S- T-T- S-TS-S         R-T-- S-T-T-- S-TS- S

A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A         E- F#-G-A-B- C-D#-E       B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A#-B

That simple. Try playing about with it, that one note change can completely change the mood of a track.

Part 4 - More intervals

So far we've only looked at the whole tone and semitone. I'll go into chord construction and stuff shortly, but before doing that it's important to appreciate the other musical intervals between notes. For the sake of only covering basic theory, i'm only going to look into the intervals within a single octave, and this way when you accidentally stumble across a BbDim+13 chord or something you can wet yourself with jazzy jazzy joy.

There are 4 main types of interval - Major, Minor, Perfect and Augmented/Diminished. The names used really depend on their application.

1 semitone - Minor 2nd (c-c#)
2 semitones - Major 2nd (c-d)
3 semitones - Minor 3rd (c-d#)
4 semitones - Major 3rd/Diminished 4th (c-e)
5 semitones - Perfect 4th (c-f)
6 semitones - augmented 4th/diminished 5th (dependant on your outlook on life)(c-f#)
7 semitones - Perfect 5th (c-g)
8 semitones - Augmented 5th/Minor 6th (c-g#)
9 semitones - Major 6th (c-a)
10 semitones - Minor 7th (c-a#)
11 semitones - Major 7th (c-b)
12 semitones - Octave

Note: While the movement between these notes upwards results in movement of these intervals, these are also the names for the chords these notes create when combined. This brings us on to chord construction.

Part 5 - Basic Chord Construction

A chord is technically defined as 2 or more notes played at the same time. These combination can sound pleasant or unpleasant, but they're still chords. First off, lets look at how the intervals mentioned above sound.

The Minor 2nd and Major 2nd
These combinations of notes sounds very harsh and unpleasant. In electronic music, you're unlikely to ever use these chords, but for more experimental works I personally love it for its awkwardness if used sparingly. 

The Minor 3rd

This is the base of your minor chord, and has a melancholy tone. Harmonically, it is pleasing to the ear, and is quite often used within metal guitar lines to give a dark feel to the harmony of 2 guitars, playing 1 note each.

The Major 3rd

This is the base of your major chord, and has a brighter cheerier tone. Again, it is harmonically pleasing, and when used next to minor 3rd  chords you have the base for most basic western world music.

The Perfect 4th

The term "perfect" refers to the fact that this combination of notes sounds neutral, it is neither major nor minor. Tonally, it has quite an eastern or oriental quality.

The Perfect 5th

Again, harmonically neutral. This combination of notes is often referred to as a "power chord" on guitar, and a lot of rock music utilizes these chords exclusively.

We will look at the 4th and 5th in more detail later.

The Augmented 4th/Diminished 5th

This chord was at one time referred to as "The Devil's Interval" due to its dark tonality. It is an awkward chord which is often used in jazz and metal music, although when used alongside major and minor chords, its placement in modern mainstream music is not uncommon.

The Major/Minor 6th

This is a chord I don't utilise very often, but when I do it is generally as a variation from the perfect 5th. It is a little more awkward sounding than the major or minor 3rd, but is still harmonically pleasing dependant on placement.

The Major/Minor 7th

The 7th is an interesting beast. Played as only the root plus 7th, the combination can be quite unpleasant. However, when combined with the 3rd and 5th, they become some of the most commonly used chords. These chords should only be used sparingly at first until you really have a grasp on where they should be used.

The Octave
To save another lengthy explanation, I shall simply re-state what was written about the octave in part 1:
The reason these notes share the same name, is because the change in frequency going up an octave is exactly double, and we perceive the 2 notes to have similar harmonic qualities. Very few acoustic instruments (as in not electronically generated signals) will be able to perfectly recreate the interval, which is why octave harmonies on guitar sound very distinct and characteristic. If you play an instrument, listen to the octave next time you play one - It should sound a little... Wobbly.

This is chord construction at its most basic. In the next entry I shall go into more complex chord construction, but I'm gonna give my brain a rest for now. As always, if there's anything you'd like explained in more detail, or if any of this confuses you, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do what I can to help :)

K! x

Email: Kamihamiha@hotmail.co.uk
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/kamihamiha
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kamihamiha/370562867221
Remix me here: http://www.ccmixter.org/people/kamihamiha

A quick plug for a deserving few

I'm not gonna use this blog to plug things non Kamihamiha related unless I feel they are really worthy. However here are 2 links which I feel should be out there.

1 - Scotland Stand-Up
There are few people out there who give to music without the motive of taking something back. Dj Scuba Steve is one of these people. Through the Stand up blog and radio shows, Scuba does nothing but selflessly give to Scottish hip hop, and indeed hip hop music in general. And for that reason alone, this page should be given the recognition it deserves.

2 - The Scottish Hip Hop forum
When i first heard of Scottish hip hop, I have to admit I laughed. Black music performed by the whitest of the white? Aye right... I was wrong, shoulda been Fuck aye! There's a rawness in Scottish hip hop that I don't think you hear anywhere else. It's a small scene, which I am new to, but there are a few select artists on here that I am incredibly glad I discovered.

A little musical theory

Before I even think about posting any production techniques, I'd like to take a moment to shed some light on musical theory. Where it is not completely necessary to have a knowledge in this, if you intend on creating electronic music without a physical instrument in front of you, having to draw the notes in on screen and continuously change through trial and error, it all gets quite frustrating. That's where musical theory comes in handy - if you know what SHOULD work, then you at least have a starting point to work with. Don't get me wrong, I scrap theory all the time, and during my time in metal bands I spent a lot of my time trying to forget musical theory in favour of dischordant madness, but looking back, almost everything I played within that made some sense if you really analysed it.

Don't worry, i'm not gonna go too deep into theory at the moment, and i'll try to make it the version with big type and lots of pictures :). In this post, I am going to focus only on harmonic elements of theory, and not on rhythmic yet.

Part 1: Notes and basic intervals.

Notes of 1 octave of a standard western keyboard.

Pictured above are the notes used within western music. In ascending order we have:

C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - C

The "#" symbol is called a "sharp" and the "b" symbol is called a "flat." Instead of bombarding you with the purpose for these at this stage, it is just easier to just accept that those are the notes' names. It is important to note that C#/Db are THE SAME NOTE, as with the others labeled the same here, and these are simply 2 different names for the same notes. Technically D is also called C##, but that's only ever used by people being arty and complex for the sake of being arty and complex - Dickheads in other words. In simple terms, these symbols are used for these notes to indicate whether a note is augmented (higher) or diminished (lower) when deviating from the white keys. These notes are sometimes referred to as accidentals, and the non augmented/diminished notes are called naturals.

This range from C to C is called an Octave. The reason these notes share the same name, is because the change in frequency going up an octave is exactly double, and we perceive the 2 notes to have similar harmonic qualities. Very few acoustic instruments (as in not electronically generated signals) will be able to perfectly recreate the interval, which is why octave harmonies on guitar sound very distinct and characteristic. If you play an instrument, listen to the octave next time you play one - It should sound a little... Wobbly.

The note interval between each note pictured is called a semitone, or half step; EG: C-C# or C#-D. It is important to note that this refers to the interval between any 2 adjacent notes, and not just between white keys to black keys; IE: B-C and E-F are also semi tones. It is also worth noting that this interval is the same as going up 1 fret on a guitar. If you are a guitarist trying to draw in a melody in music software that you have written on a guitar, you may find counting up the keys as if they were frets useful. For later reference, this interval is also called a minor 2nd.

The note interval of going up or down 2 semitones/half steps is called... You guessed it, a whole tone or a step/whole step, EG: C-D or C#-D#. Again, this can be from white note to white note, or white note to black note, and vice versa - the colours and positioning of the keys only denotes whether they are natural notes (white) or accidentals (black notes). Like the semitone, this interval is the same as going up 2 frets on a guitar. For later reference this interval is also called a major 2nd.

Lets put this knowledge into practice now

Part 2: Basic major and minor scales construction

Now that we know the names of the notes, and these 2 basic intervals, we can begin to look at the way scales are constructed. The 2 most common scales in western music are the major scale and the natural minor scale. The major scale has a more "happy" sound to it, where the minor scale has a darker sound. By knowing which kind of scale we are using, or what key a song is in, this allows us to work within whichever sound is appropriate for the song. Scales can start on any not, and this starting note is called the root note. The root note lends its name to the scale, and as kind of scale has a set pattern for the intervals between each note, it is easy to use a simple formula to work out the notes to be used. 

Let's start with the major scale. Starting from your root note, the following pattern of intervals can be used to construct the scale. I have included the notes of 3 major scales to demonstrate how it works

Key:

T = Whole Tone
S = Semitone
R = Root

C major Scale                   G major scale                     D major scale

R-T- T-S-T-T-T- S          R-T- T-S-T-T-T-- S          R-T-T--S- T-T- T-- S

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C         G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G         D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D

And for the natural minor...

A minor scale                    E minor scale                      B minor scale

R-T- S-T-T- S-T-T          R-T-- S- T-T- S-T- T        R-T-- S-T-T-- S-T- T

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A         E- F#-G-A-B- C-D-E        B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A-B

There's a lot more that can be said for how to figure out scales, but for now I'll leave it at this. If it's all a little confusing for you, just write in C major and A minor and you'll be sorted. Hell, it's what I do, and I know all the bloody theory. No point in making it difficult for yourself eh? :) I'll go into chord construction and stuff some time. If there's anything in particular you'd like help with, just get in contact and i'll see what I can do. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'll pass on whatever I can. If you're looking for chord inversions through the mixolydian mode or something, I'll wet myself too, and this entry probably wasn't much use to you, but otherwise I'll try :)

Part 2 can be found here:
Musical Theory Part 2

K! x

Email: Kamihamiha@hotmail.co.uk
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/kamihamiha
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kamihamiha/370562867221
Remix me here: http://www.ccmixter.org/people/kamihamiha

A brief introduction

Hello there :)

If you're reading this blog, chances are you know who I am, or am familiar with my work in some way. My name is Iain Morris, and I am an audio engineer, producer and electronic musician, otherwise known by the alias Kamihamiha.

The purpose of this blog is mostly as a way to share my knowledge on sound production, particularly within the creation and production of electronic music, although I'll occasionally use it to plug my music and post updates on Kamihamiha projects. It's 1.30 in the fucking morning, so I'm in 2 minds whether to start tonight or whether to do it tomorrow, but either way, here's a little about me.

My involvement in music started at about the age of 12 when I wanted to be an MC. I quickly took an interest in writing rap lyrics and recording my songs. At this time I had no production skills whatsoever, no musical ability in the slightest and the results were nothing short of hilarious - a 12 year old white boy from Scotland attempting to rap into a computer microphone with no backing track whatsoever. Not surprisingly, I think I only sold one copy of that album, and at that i'm not sure if I ever even saw the money for it.

As I got a little older, my ears turned to rock, metal and punk music and I started to play in bands, on vocals at first, and then at about the age of 15 or 16 I started to learn to play guitar. While I never turned out to be much of a great guitarist in the wanky solo sense, I quickly became a bit of a jack of all trades, learning drums and bass guitar as well. By the time I left school I may not have been the greatest performer, but my music theory knowledge was plentiful and I focussed far more on composition than on actual performance.

After school, I attended Perth College to complete an NC in musical performance on the guitar. I learned a lot from the course, mostly that music courses are full of wasters that don't want to go to school or get a job, and their parents won't let them join the army. Having to depend on others to achieve my grade put me off the idea of furthering any academic venture within musical performance, and so on completion of the course, I took a HND in sound production at Adam Smith College in Glenrothes.

During my time on my HND, I started to compose and produce electronic music, as I realised that it was the easiest way to practice my skills required without having to depend on others. I could easily make electronic tracks in my bedroom, and had no need to get a band in. By the end of the first year, I barely played guitar at all anymore, although I was still performing vocals in metal bands.

It was around this time that Kamihamiha was born. I went to see the band Hadouken! play live, simply because some friends were going and I thought the show would have a good atmosphere. I wasn't really that bothered about the band, they just seemed like another Myspace fad. On seeing them I was blown away, but had a gut feeling that I was still right about them being a Myspace fad, and that their music wouldn't be around for long. This is when I started Kamihamiha! I had enjoyed the music, but as a joke aimed at my aforementioned scepticism towards their potential shelf life, I decided to make music in their style, but in a slightly different style. I had decided that if English MCs could rap in their own accent and local dialect, why couldn't I do the same with Fife colloquialisms? The Kamihamiha! name was adopted as a very obvious rip off, and I started work. To my shock, people seemed to respond very well to the songs recorded, and I started to wonder if it could be a possible project to work on.

3 years on, I'm now in my 3rd year of my degree, after taking a year's break, and the Kamihamiha! album is almost finished. Over this time, my musical tastes ventured far more towards serious electronic acts, and as such, so has my musical style.

2011 looks to be a big year for Kamihamiha, with the target date for the album release being late January/early February, a full live band has been assembled, various remixing projects and the prospect of potential DJ work, as well as attempting to bridge into the Scottish hip hop community for some serious MCing and production.

Within this blog, I hope that I can share my experiences and hopefully provide a starting point to any aspiring new audio engineers or electronic musicians. If there's anything you'd particularly like me to cover, feel free to email me or add me on msn. I'll leave the details at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for reading, I hope I can make music as enjoyable for you as it is for me :)
K! x

Email: Kamihamiha@hotmail.co.uk
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/kamihamiha
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kamihamiha/370562867221
Remix me here: http://www.ccmixter.org/people/kamihamiha