Interlude - Quick Music Class

In my next entry, I will be talking about the beauty of my new adventure, Congolese Sebene music. I felt it would have been really difficult to fully paint the picture without touching on some basic theory. So this is for my non-musician readers that I love oh so dearly and want to try to include them in the emotional ride that is Sebene. In summary:

Lesson 1: Common Band Instruments and Roles

• Lead Guitar - Plays melodic lines and fills in empty spaces. Sometimes may have a solo part to shine.
• Rhythm Guitar - Provides harmony and rhythm in line with the band
• Keyboard - Provides harmony and fills in where the lead guitarist or lead singer doesn't
• Bass Guitar - Works very closely with the drummer to provide rhythm and linking it with the harmony. Basically the bridge between drums and other instruments.
• Drums - Keeps the rhythm and controls the tempo (speed). He holds the time together, and it is said your band is only as good as your drummer.If you have a bad drummer, even if you hired Mariah Carey to be your lead singer, you cannot be helped. Sorry. 

Lesson 2: The Scale

Basically, a scale is an arrangement of notes according to pitch and intervals. Every characteristic of music, from harmony to melody and genre, is based on a scale. One of the most popular scales that we will focus on is a Major Diatonic Scale. That is simply do re mi fa sol la ti do. Everyone at one point or anther has sung the Solfa Ladder (do re mi...), so we are together up until there. This scale can be built from any key, as long as when you sing or play it, it sounds like do re mi..... The key where you start your do is the key of the song, for example if you start from C, you're in the key of C.

Lesson 3: Degrees of the Scale

If you count from the do you start with to the next do, you will find that there are 8 notes. This group of 8 notes is known as an octave. The degrees of the scale are simply the position number given to each note. However, since do is repeated, it is usually counted as 1 again. Assuming we are in the key of C:

Scale notes:           C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C   (*side-note: The musical alphabet only goes to G and starts over)

Degrees in Solfege: Do  Re  Mi  Fa  Sol  La  Ti  Do

Degrees in Numbers: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  1

Therefore: C D E F G A B C = Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

I hope you are still with me here.

Lesson 4: Harmony and Progression

Harmony is basically two or more notes sounding at the same time. Harmony forms what are known as chords. We have what are known as primary chords. These are formed from the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees of the scale. For now, each chord will have 3 notes, while skipping a note in between, for example, C will consist of C-E-G. That will be chord 1(C), as it starts on the 1st degree. As such, chord 4 (F) = F-A-C and chord 5 (G) = G-B-D. A chord is named after the letter on which it starts.

A progression is how a song moves from one chord to the next, for example if you play chord C to chord F, then back to C and to G, then finish with C, that movement is known as a progression. In my experience playing in Kenyan bands, I have discovered that most have learnt to play by ear and improvisation and not had much theory lessons. Also quite commonly, while communicating in a band setup, chords are referred to as the degrees, therefore our above progression would be communicated as 1 - 4 - 1 - 5 -1.

On that note, I believe we are now ready to progress onto the next level.