Theory Question?

Question

For my theory packet, I have to create a 4-part choral in the minor key signature of G major. I don't have any idea what this means lol. Can someone please explain?

oh and yes, it is music theory.

Answer 1

4-part choral sounds like:
soprano, alto tenor, bass (2 upper or female voices usually written on the treble clef above, 2 lower or male voices usually written on the bass clef below)

For every key, such as G, there is a major and minor scale.

So you are being asked to write some lines, in 4 part harmony, in that given key.

The difference in major/minor keys is the steps between notes, either whole steps or half steps, that are in a different sequence for major than for minor. By looking at the key of C on the piano, there is a "half step" between the 3rd and 4th (and between 7th and 1st note C of the next octave) with "whole steps" between the other positions. So all major keys follow this same pattern, but starting with a different note depending on the key.

Note: Can you go to a church and borrow a hymnal, and find a song that is written in that key, or a simpler one. You can technically take those lines and "translate" them into the key you are asked to use.
Instead of copying the lines straight, you can vary the order or length of the notes to make it different. If you need help, I would ask the choral or music director or another music student who could walk you through this exercise if you are not sure.

Answer 2

G major is the relative major to E minor. The key signature has one sharp: F#.

A "chorale" is generally a slow or stately Protestant (especially Lutheran) hymn.

Want specific advice for writing a chorale in E minor / G major?
Get out your guitar and slowly strum E minor to establish a somber mood.

Play around with these chords to create "stately" progressions:
Em... Am.. Em..
G.. D.. G
Em... Am.. Em.
C.. D.. Em

To write an effective chorale, no voice should be redundant. That is, no two voices should share the same note at the same time. If you are writing a four-part piece using only three-note triads, that's going to be a challenge!

I suggest playing the chords untill you find a tempo and progression you like. Then find a melody that fits the progression. Once you have written the melody, find chord-tones that support the melody but are never the same note as the melody. Have the bass part sing roots only. That will simplify the job. Good luck!

Answer 3

The way a theory is formed and is universally accepted takes time. The video is very informative but I will explain how a hypothesis becomes a theory. 1st Facts are gathered up. Those facts are irrefutable but they do not explain a process or a type of incidence. Ex. The sky is blue. Fact. But it does not explain how the sky became blue. 2nd Step is to gather more facts to form an alternative hypothesis. There are two types of hypothesis null and alternative. To simplify the null hypothesis says the alternative hypothesis is false. Ex. The sky is blue because God made it that way. This is the alternative hypothesis. Since God is not a fact nor can be proven the alternative hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is accepted that "God did not make the sky blue". 3rd Step is if an alternative hypothesis is true then it is tested over and over. Ex. Erik Erikson psychosocial developmental theory. The hypothesis to Erik Erikson's theory is then tested over and over. It appears the theory is accurate. 4th Once theories are tested over and over it become accepted by the scientific community. But it does not mean a theory is always 100% correct. If some scientists discover some flaws the theory slowly becomes modified. Ex. Freud theory of penis envy in little girls. This theory may have been accepted a long time ago in the infant stages of psychology but in today's world it seems ridiculous. Theory is tested over and over. It can be modified slowly and gives a good explanation of things. Just because something is unknown does not mean it is an act of God. It is a hypothesis yet to be proposed, tested, and become theory. Science is always evolving.