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Music Theory

Note / Tone
A vibration vibrating at a given frequency perceived as a distinct sound.
Octave
The distance between two notes which are twice the frequency apart.
This distance is normally divided into 8 notes: Your starting note, and the seven succeeding notes.
Scale
The set of eight notes starting at a given note is called a scale.
Chromatic Scale
The chromatic scale or twelve-tone scale divides the distance defined by an octave into twelve distinct pitches instead of eight.
In the chromatic scale, whole notes are divided into half-notes, and the succeeding or preceeding notes are called sharps or flats respectively.
  1. C
  2. C# / D♭
  3. D
  4. D#/ E♭
  5. E
  6. F
  7. F# / G♭
  8. G
  9. G# / A♭
  10. A
  11. A# / B♭
  12. B
Chord
A group of notes played together
Couplet
A chord composed of a note played with the next note seven half-notes up.
Couplet(note) = note + (note + 7);
Major Chord
A chord composed of a couplet plus a note 4 half-notes up.
Usually associated with "happy" emotions
MajChord(note) = Couplet(note) + (note + 4);
Minor Chord
A chord composed of a couplet plus a note 3 half-notes up.
Usually associated with "sad" emotions
MinChord(note) = Couplet(note) + (note + 3);
Suspended Chord
A chord composed of a couplet plus a note either 2 or 5 half-notes up.
Usually associated with being in between happy and sad. Suspended.
SusChord1(note) = Couplet(note) + (note + 2);
SusChord2(note) = Couplet(note) + (note + 5);
Circle of Fifths
Is a graphical representation of the arrangement of the 12-tone scale you get when you move through all the possible couplet (note + 7) pairs.