Music theory is the method of analyzing our musical system & describing relationships between tones.
Outcomes of this theoretical system are...
- the naming of everything (tones, relationships, chords, etc.)
- sonic descriptions (how tones relate to one another when sounding - in our hearing).
The accepted traditional music theory found here is but one of many approaches to explain, describe, & name our musical system. And, a good one. It is not a creativity killing area of study, rather, an enhancement to our understanding as musicians.
Faulkner's simple system is this sequence...
12 1 7 5 2 221-2221 EON EON+
And what each of these mean...
- 12 = 12 tones in our musical system.
- Each tone is 1 half step up or down to the next. 1 half step = 1 fret
- 7 + 5 = 7 natural tones = A, B, C, D, E, F, G + 5 sharps/flats.
- 2 = 2 naturally occurring half steps. 2 more naturals than sharps/flats.
- 221-2221 = Major scale pattern. A way to dial up the tones of a Major key.
- EON for Triads = Chords are built every other note, from every tone in the key. Triads are 3 tone chords.
- EON for 7ths = Taking EON one more step until we have 4 tones.
