The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

transposition
Translating pitch.
treble clef
A clef, used by higher-pitched voices and instruments, that places
middle C on the first ledger line below the staff.
triad
Three notes, each a third apart from the previous. Most chords are built
on triads.
triplet
A group of three notes performed in the space of two.
tritone
An interval consisting of three whole steps; sometimes called “the
Devil’s interval.”
unison
(1) Two notes of the same pitch. (2) Voices or instruments all singing
or playing the same pitch.
upbeat
The eighth-note “and” after the downbeat.
vivace
Tempo marking for a lively tempo.
voice
Melodic or harmonic lines.
voice leading
The motion of a single voice.
voicing
The way the notes of a chord are arranged.
whole step
An interval equal to two half steps.
woodwind
The family of instruments that produce sound by vibrating a
wooden reed. The woodwind family includes the clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and
bassoon. Also included are the flute and the piccolo, which do not use reeds.
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B
The Complete Idiot’s 
Chord Reference 
Here it is: everything you’ve ever wanted to know about creating chords, but
didn’t know where to ask (or something like that …). In any case, the next few
pages present, for each degree of the scale, the notes and guitar tabs for the fol-
lowing types of chords: major, minor, diminished, augmented, major seventh,
minor seventh, dominant seventh, major ninth, minor ninth, and dominant
ninth. Turn here when you want to write a chord but don’t know how!
Appendix

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Appendix B
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The Complete Idiot’s Chord Reference 
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C
Answers to Chapter Exercises 
Here are the answers to those chapter exercises that weren’t open-ended in nature.
(The open-ended exercises—“write a melody to this chord progression,” and the
like—don’t have a single correct solution.) If you haven’t completed the exercises
yet, don’t cheat—go back and do the exercises before you peek at the answers!
Chapter 1