WELCOME TO UCL ONLINE
Thanks for choosing An Introduction To Music Theory for Ukulele Players course. Enjoy!
This course contains a range of media content to help you learn the content including embedded text, illustrations, video tutorials and audio tracks with audio descriptions of all content at the bottom of each page.
Media and training materials contained within this online course are produced by Ukulele Club Liverpool for UCL Online services only and should not be shared, copied or redistributed without consent. Before you begin, check out the information below.
This course contains a range of media content to help you learn the content including embedded text, illustrations, video tutorials and audio tracks with audio descriptions of all content at the bottom of each page.
Media and training materials contained within this online course are produced by Ukulele Club Liverpool for UCL Online services only and should not be shared, copied or redistributed without consent. Before you begin, check out the information below.
HOW IT WORKS:
This online course contains 10 modules designed to guide you step by step through the process of developing a good understanding of how music works and basic music theory.
You will have access for 12 months from the date of purchase, so plenty of time to get to grips with all of the content. Go at your own pace and try not to skip any parts as they all lead to making you a better musician and unravelling the mysteries, physics and particles of music.
If you run into any technical issues along the way please contact us immediately at [email protected] so that we can sort them out.
You will have access for 12 months from the date of purchase, so plenty of time to get to grips with all of the content. Go at your own pace and try not to skip any parts as they all lead to making you a better musician and unravelling the mysteries, physics and particles of music.
If you run into any technical issues along the way please contact us immediately at [email protected] so that we can sort them out.
COURSE OUTLINE:
You can click on the module titles below to access selected modules. At the bottom of each page you will have the option to proceed to the next module or go back to the previous module.
INTRODUCTION
Find out about your host and her journey into music.
MODULE 1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC THEORY
Find out when the western music system as we know it was developed and by whom and how.
MODULE 2: MUSIC NOTATION
You don't need to be able to read music notation but it's a good idea to recognise the notes to help you understand the rhythm of notation.
MODULE 3: MUSIC NOTES
Can you believe there are only 12 notes in the whole music system and they are so easy to find on your ukulele. Watch out for those accidentals, some notes are enharmonic, which means they have two different names but sound exactly the same.
MODULE 4: MAJOR & MINOR SCALES
Find out the formulas behind each scale and how to play them in any key.
MODULE 5: PENTATONIC SCALES
Knowing the pentatonic scale is a great way to come up with riffs, solos and even melody lines for songs. There is a song exercise with this module that you will be familiar with that uses the pentatonic scale for the melody.
MODULE 6: MAJOR SCALE PRACTICE
This module will have you playing those major scales all over the fretboard, along with an exercise to help you build speed and dexterity that makes scale training a bit more fun and an amazing song that will have you playing with grace.
MODULE 7: CHORD STRUCTURES
Chords are made up of 3 or more notes played at once. This module will help you discover how to find major, minor, sevenths, major sevenths and minor sevenths in any key.
MODULE 8: CHORD FAMILIES
There is a special formula for working out how various chords fit together in harmony to for musicians to use to come up with chord progressions for songs.
MODULE 9: CHORD FAMILY EXAMPLES
Once you explore this module and some of these chord family progressions, I bet you will be able to recognise a load more songs with the same chords.
MODULE 10: TRANSPOSING KEYS
Now you know what chords to put together to make up songs, you may need to change the key to suit your voice and this final module will help you do just that.
Please complete the survey at the end of the course to help us continue to improve our online services.
Find out about your host and her journey into music.
MODULE 1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC THEORY
Find out when the western music system as we know it was developed and by whom and how.
MODULE 2: MUSIC NOTATION
You don't need to be able to read music notation but it's a good idea to recognise the notes to help you understand the rhythm of notation.
MODULE 3: MUSIC NOTES
Can you believe there are only 12 notes in the whole music system and they are so easy to find on your ukulele. Watch out for those accidentals, some notes are enharmonic, which means they have two different names but sound exactly the same.
MODULE 4: MAJOR & MINOR SCALES
Find out the formulas behind each scale and how to play them in any key.
MODULE 5: PENTATONIC SCALES
Knowing the pentatonic scale is a great way to come up with riffs, solos and even melody lines for songs. There is a song exercise with this module that you will be familiar with that uses the pentatonic scale for the melody.
MODULE 6: MAJOR SCALE PRACTICE
This module will have you playing those major scales all over the fretboard, along with an exercise to help you build speed and dexterity that makes scale training a bit more fun and an amazing song that will have you playing with grace.
MODULE 7: CHORD STRUCTURES
Chords are made up of 3 or more notes played at once. This module will help you discover how to find major, minor, sevenths, major sevenths and minor sevenths in any key.
MODULE 8: CHORD FAMILIES
There is a special formula for working out how various chords fit together in harmony to for musicians to use to come up with chord progressions for songs.
MODULE 9: CHORD FAMILY EXAMPLES
Once you explore this module and some of these chord family progressions, I bet you will be able to recognise a load more songs with the same chords.
MODULE 10: TRANSPOSING KEYS
Now you know what chords to put together to make up songs, you may need to change the key to suit your voice and this final module will help you do just that.
Please complete the survey at the end of the course to help us continue to improve our online services.
MUSIC ELEMENTS:
Here are a few key music theory elements that you should familiarise yourself with before you begin. Click on the blue titles of each section for a detailed explanation on each music element via Wikipedia:
Sound is created from vibrations in the air. These vibrations create alternating zones of high and low air pressure that travel outward, similar to an expanding circular ripple made by a stone thrown into a lake.
SOUND INTENSITY: The intensity of sound is measured in decibels (dB). Intensity, or 'loudness' depends on the distance that a vibrating object moves each time it vibrates. We hear greater intensity as increased loudness.
The quietest sound that the average human can detect is defined as 0dB. Ordinary conversation corresponds to about 60dB, and sounds above 140dB are painful to the human ear. Sounds don't have to be painful to be harmful. Continued exposure to sounds of 90dB (e.g. a vacuum cleaner) can eventually cause hearing loss.
The decibel scale is logarithmic, which makes for some trickiness. A sound source of 40dB isn't twice as intense as a sound at 20 dB, it is in fact, 100 times more intense. Another example is if one alarm clock rings at 70dB then two together would not equal 140dB as you would imagine, but just 73dB. Here are some examples of sound intensity measured in decibels:
PITCH: The frequency of a sound wave is the equivalent to its rate of vibration and is also known as the 'pitch'. The faster an object vibrates, the higher the pitch of the resulting sound. The pitch of sound is measured in hertz (Hz). The western music system conforms to a standardised tuning of 440Hz which is the same pitch as when you pluck the A string on your ukulele. All sounds can be described in terms of frequency and intensity. Humans can hear sounds in the range of 20Hz to 20,00Hz (20Khz). Hear are some examples of pitch frequencies:
SOUND INTENSITY: The intensity of sound is measured in decibels (dB). Intensity, or 'loudness' depends on the distance that a vibrating object moves each time it vibrates. We hear greater intensity as increased loudness.
The quietest sound that the average human can detect is defined as 0dB. Ordinary conversation corresponds to about 60dB, and sounds above 140dB are painful to the human ear. Sounds don't have to be painful to be harmful. Continued exposure to sounds of 90dB (e.g. a vacuum cleaner) can eventually cause hearing loss.
The decibel scale is logarithmic, which makes for some trickiness. A sound source of 40dB isn't twice as intense as a sound at 20 dB, it is in fact, 100 times more intense. Another example is if one alarm clock rings at 70dB then two together would not equal 140dB as you would imagine, but just 73dB. Here are some examples of sound intensity measured in decibels:
- 10dB = rustling leaves
- 20dB = whispering at 5 feet
- 30dB = soft whisper
- 50dB = rainfall
- 60dB = normal conversation
- 90dB = blender or vacuum cleaner
- 110dB = shouting in ear
- 120dB = thunder
- 130dB = jackhammer
- 140dB = airplane taking off
PITCH: The frequency of a sound wave is the equivalent to its rate of vibration and is also known as the 'pitch'. The faster an object vibrates, the higher the pitch of the resulting sound. The pitch of sound is measured in hertz (Hz). The western music system conforms to a standardised tuning of 440Hz which is the same pitch as when you pluck the A string on your ukulele. All sounds can be described in terms of frequency and intensity. Humans can hear sounds in the range of 20Hz to 20,00Hz (20Khz). Hear are some examples of pitch frequencies:
TIME SIGNATURE:
The song in this course is in 4/4 time, also known as Common Time and can be represented with either a 4/4 or a 'C' symbol.
The song in this course is in 4/4 time, also known as Common Time and can be represented with either a 4/4 or a 'C' symbol.
BAR: A bar, also known as a measure, works in association with the time signature. At 4/4 time, there is the equivalent to 4 quarter notes per bar. They are literally the boxed sections. Bar lines separate each bar.
TEMPO: The tempo represents the speed songs are to be played at. Throughout this course, all training materials will have embedded click tracks to help you solidify and master your speed and timing.
RHYTHM: Strumming patterns with arrows marking 'down' and 'up' strums are used to acknowledge rhythm patterns within this course. Down beats generally fall on the beat and up beats in between. The '+' symbol represents the mid beat section.
TAB: Also known as tablature, is used for various exercises throughout this course. The lines of tab represent the strings of the ukulele, and the numbers represent the frets that you should play. Don't worry if you are not familiar with tab as all exercises will be explained within the video tutorials.