Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre

Christine Riley

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781350001770
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Theory & Appreciation

Musical theatre students and performers are frequently asked to learn musical material in a short space of time; sight-read pieces in auditions; collaborate with accompanists; and communicate musically with peers, directors, music directors and choreographers. Many of these students and performers will have had no formal musical training. This book offers a series of lessons in music fundamentals, including theory, sight-singing and aural tests, giving readers the necessary skills to navigate music and all that is demanded of them, without having had a formal music training. It focuses on the skills required of the musical theatre performer and draws on musical theatre repertoire in order to connect theory with practice. Throughout the book, each musical concept is laid out clearly and simply with helpful hints and reminders. The author takes the reader back to basics to ensure full understanding of each area. As the concepts begin to build on one another, the format and process is kept the same so that readers can see how different aspects interrelate. Through introducing theoretical ideas and putting each systematically into practice with sight-singing and ear-training, the students gain a much deeper and more integrated understanding of the material, and are able to retain it, using it in voice lessons, performance classes and their professional lives. The book is published alongside a companion website, which offers supporting material for the aural skills component and gives readers the opportunity to drill listening exercises individually and at their own pace. Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre allows aspirational performers - and even those who aren't enrolled on a course - to access the key components of music training that will be essential to their careers.

1

The Staff, Treble Clef, Pitches on the Staff, Solfege, and Sight-Singing

Music is written on a staff. The most commonly used staff in Western music is the five-line staff (seen below). Each staff has a clef to determine pitch (the highness or lowness of sound). The treble clef (

), also known as the G clef, is used for higher-pitched instruments and voices. Practice drawing the treble clef on the staff.

Each line and space on the staff represents a different pitch. In music, pitch is designated by letter names (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). When using a treble clef, the pitches of the lines and spaces are as follows:

It is important to remember that ascending pitches are in alphabetical order and descending pitches are in reverse alphabetical order. It is cyclical; once you get to G, start over again on A. If you know the English alphabet, you can figure out what pitch you are on.

Notice that the G is on the second line where the inner circle of the treble clef loops around. That is why the treble clef is also referred to as the G clef.

Notes are drawn on the staff to represent each pitch and its duration. Identify the following notes. The first two are done for you.

Draw the indicated notes. For each example there is more than one correct answer. The first two are done for you

The location of the notes on the staff is directly related to the pitch where they are played or sung. A higher note on the staff sounds higher when played or sung. A lower note on the staff sounds lower.

Circle the higher note.

Circle the lower note.

Go to listening example 1-1 to practice differentiating between high and low pitches.

Ledger lines are used to extend the staff in both directions. Ledger lines should be drawn with the same spacing as the lines on the staff.

Draw two different notes of the same name. You may need to use ledger lines.

Sight-Singing

We are going to start sight-singing by looking at the C major scale. The C major scale starts and ends on C. All major scales have eight pitches. They are numbered 1–8, starting with the first pitch (these are called sc...