Analyzing Tonal Music I

MUSIC 51A Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Course description: In Music 51a, we will explore topics in tonal harmony, rhythm and meter, acoustics, form, and melodic structure in popular music, Western art music, and gagaku. Students will work with a variety of notational systems, including Western staff notation, the Nashville number system, lead sheet notation, and others. In addition, the class features a series of workshops on digital audio workstation GarageBand to develop skills for manipulating and analyzing recorded material. 

Who should take this class? Students with a strong interest in the “nuts and bolts” of music who are looking to learn about the stylistic conventions of popular music and European tonal music, and to understand how musical pieces in these genres are put together.  

What will I take away from this class? This course will help students develop a solid foundation for critical listening, aural and notation-based analysis, and musical interpretation. Students will gain basic fluency in recording and manipulating audio files. These skills can be applicable to a variety of musical contexts: performance, composition, songwriting, music criticism, and listening. 

Course Notes

Department of Music courses in music theory will no longer require students to complete a placement exam. Instead, students are instructed to self-place into music theory course(s) that match their abilities and experience levels at the time of course registration. Students should follow the instructions here for more information: https://music.fas.harvard.edu/music-theory-course-placement/

Recommended Prep

Competency with material from Music 2 is required. Students are expected to be able to read Western staff notation fluently (treble and bass clef) and be familiar with the following concepts: major and minor scales, time signatures, key signatures, triads, and chord structure including seventh chords.