THE MUSIC THEORY ADVANTAGE

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A Memory Aid to Know the Type of 3rd for All Adjacent Note Pairs in the Cycle:

You know that each adjacent note pair in the Cycle of Thirds when you move to the right (AC, CE, EG, GB, BD, DF, FA) has an interval distance of a 3rd. I will now give you a way of easily memorizing what type of third (Major or minor) is between each pair of notes in the Cycle of Thirds. We will use an effective memory technique to help your quickly remember what type of 3rd  describes each adjacent note pair.  I will first assign an image to each note pair in the Cycle of Thirds. When you say or think of a note pair, the sound of the letter names of the notes will remind you of the image.  This memory technique is given to you so you can quickly learn and remember the 3rd types between adjacent notes in the cycle thirds. The advantage of using the images is that they lock the information into longer term storage, long enough for you to work with the data until you do not need the images any more. Although this type of memory technique may seem unusual to you, you will enjoy how very well it works.

Memorize what image goes with each note pair below:

 AC - Whenever you say or think “AC” see an ace.

           Say: “A, C, ace”

BD - Whenever you say or think “BD” see a body.

    Say: “BD, body”

CE - Whenever you say or think “CE” see a caddie. (one who assists a golfer by handling the golf clubs)

Say: “CE, caddie

DF - Whenever you say or think “DF” see “decaf,” This means a
cup of decaffeinated coffee. We will just call it“decaf.”

Say: “DF, decaf

EG - Whenever you say or think “EG” see an egg.

Say: “EG, egg

FA - Whenever you say or think “FA” see a fan.

Say: “FA, fan”

GB - Whenever you say or think “GB” see a globe.

Say: “GB, globe”

Review the above images until you can think of any two adjacent note pairs on the Cycle of Thirds and know what image goes with it. To review, recite each adjacent pair of notes in the Cycle of Thirds (AC, BD, CE, DF, EG, FA, GB) and name the image that goes with it.

To practice, say each pair with its image.  Visualize the image as you say it:

AC, Ace”,    “BD, body”,    “CE, caddie”,    “DF, decaf”,

EG, egg”,     “FA, Fan”,      “GB, globe”
IMPORTANT: Review which images go with which note pairs until you can name them quickly. Use the sounds of the letters to remind you of the image. For example, when you say “BD”, you can hear “B” and “D” in body.

Next, we will visually associate a second image to each of the images you just learned. These new images will lock into your memory the type of 3rd that describes each note pair.

Memorize the following image associations:

 AC

See the ace with a banana coming out of it.

Say:  AC - ace - banana

BD

See the body with a watermelon for a head.

Say:  BD - body - watermelon

CE

See the caddie with a car bursting out of the golf bag.

Say:  CE - caddie - car

DF

  1. See the decaf with a lollipop in it.

Say:  DF - decaf - lollipop

EG

  1. See the egg with an apple inside.

Say:  EG - egg - apple

 

FA

  1. See the fan with light bulbs for blades.

Say:  FA - fan - light bulbs

GB

See the globe with a hammer coming out of it.

Say:  GB - globe - hammer

Review the above associations until you can quickly name any adjacent note pair in the Cycle of Thirds and state the two images associated with each pair.

PRACTICE: recite the following seven items and visualize the images as you recite them. Practice this until you can do it easily.

  1. Say: AC - ace - banana                   5. Say: EG - egg - apple
  2. Say: BD - body - watermelon           6. Say: FA - fan - light bulbs
  3. Say: CE - caddie - car                      7. Say: GB - globe - hammer
  4. Say: DF - decaf - lollipop

How to use the images to know the 3rd  interval types:

For each note pair you have learned to associate two images. For example, for DF you learned to associate decaf (image 1) and lollipop (image 2). It is the second image that will remind you of which type of 3rd (Major or minor) exists between each pair of notes. If the second image is a food, then the 3rd type is minor.  If the second image is not a food, then the 3rd type is Major. For DF, the second image (lollipop) is a food so the 3rd from D to F is a minor 3rd. For CE, the images "Caddie - Car" tell you that since "Car" is not a food then C to E is a Major 3rd.
Final Review for Minor Types.

Recite the chart below, visualizing the images as you recite. As you recite the second image think, “Food or not food?”. Then recite the minor type. Notice that all minor 3rds have second images, which are foods. Major 3rds have second images, which are not foods. The pairs are ordered alphabetically by the first letter of each pair. You just have to remember A through G in the alphabet, then know the next note in the Cycle of Thirds that follows it. (left to right, i.e it is A then C to the right, not A then F to the left)

Note Pair      Images              Type of 3rd
1. AC       ace - banana            minor 3rd
2. BD       body - watermelon    minor 3rd
3. CE       caddie - car              Major 3rd
4. DF       decaf - lollipop         minor 3rd
6. FA       fan - light bulbs        Major 3rd
7. GB      globe - hammer         Major 3rd

Practice with the above chart until you can do it without looking at the chart. Practice in the following manner. Say the note pair, see the images but do not say them. Then say the 3rd type represented by the second image (food or not food).

To Practice:
Say “A to C” - See the ace with the banana (food) coming out of it - Say “minor”
Say "B to D" -
See the body with a watermelon (food) as a head - Say "minor"
Say “C to E” - See the caddie with a car (not food) bursting out of the golf bag - Say “Major”
Say "D to F" - See the decafe with a lollipop (food) sticking out of it - Say "minor"
Say “E to G” - See the egg with an apple (food) inside - Say “minor”
Say “F to A”
- See the fan with light bulbs (not food) for blades - Say “Major”
Say “G to B”
- See the globe with a hammer (not food) coming out of it - Say “Major”

Practice this way with all seven note pairs in the Cycle of Thirds until you can say any note pair and quickly say if it is a Major or minor 3rd.

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