The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Exercise 12-1
Play each of the following notes on your instrument, wait for thirty seconds,
and then sing them back.
165
Exercise 12-2
Sing each of the following ascending intervals, starting on any note you like.
◆
Major third
◆
Minor second
◆
Perfect fifth
◆
Minor third
◆
Perfect fourth
◆
Octave
◆
Major second
◆
Tritone
Exercise 12-3
Sing each of the following descending intervals, starting on any note you like.
◆
Minor third
◆
Perfect fourth
◆
Major second
◆
Major seventh
◆
Perfect fifth
◆
Major third
◆
Major sixth
◆
Minor sixth
Exercise 12-4
Sing all the notes of the following chords, one after another. (Start on any root note you like.)
◆
Major chord
◆
Major seventh chord
◆
Minor chord
◆
Minor seventh chord
◆
Diminished chord
◆
Dominant seventh chord
◆
Augmented chord
◆
Major ninth chord
Exercise 12-5
Transcribe the rhythm (only) of “I Got Rhythm.”

---

Part 4:
Accompanying
Exercise 12-6
Transcribe the melody of “This Land Is Your Land.”
166
Exercise 12-7
Transcribe the melody and chords to your favorite popular song.
Exercise 12-8
Listen to and complete all the exercises on 
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition,
Ear Training Course
CD, and check your answers with those in Appendix D of this book.

---

13
Accompanying Melodies
In This Chapter
◆
Working with a lead sheet
◆
Figuring out what to play
◆
Understanding different types of accompaniment
◆
Adding a more interesting bass part
◆
Accompanying on guitar
If you play piano or guitar, at some point in time you will be asked to accom-
pany another musician or group of musicians. Maybe it’s playing behind a
singer at church, or backing up your children’s choir at school, or even vamping
behind a harmonica soloist in a blues band. Whatever the situation, you’ll be
expected to provide at least rudimentary backing to the primary musicians.
If, along with this request, you also are handed a page of detailed sheet music,
you’re set. All you have to do is read your part, play the notes, and take your bows.
However, if there’s no written music accompanying the request, you have your
work cut out for you. Depending on the gig, you might have to transcribe the
melody, figure out the chords, and compose your own part—all of which you
can do, if you have the proper grounding in music theory.
What’s the Score?
When you’re asked to accompany someone on piano (or guitar, for that matter),
you should first figure out how much homework you need to do. This is deter-
mined by the amount of written music you’re given.
The best of all possible situations is that you receive a complete musical score.
If this is the case, you don’t need to read any further in this chapter—you’re set!
However, it’s more likely that you’ll be provided with only sketchy written
information—or none at all. If this is the case, you need to apply the skills
you’ve learned in the previous chapters to figure out just what you need to play.
Chapter

---