The music theory content can be found at Music Fundamentals on the Web.
This assignment is all about the three forms of minor scales:
In this assignment you are asked to write out the three forms of the minor in the key of A minor. A minor is the relative minor of C major and the natural minor form will be all natural notes (no sharps or flats). The harmonic form has a raised seventh scale degree (compared to natural minor) and the melodic minor scale has a raised sixth and seventh scale degree (compared to natural minor) This assignment is already completed and shown in the lilypond note entry field (scroll down and click Play). Copy the lilypond note code into your course lilypond file (and save). After (clicking stop then) playing it at least once, copy the lilypond score in the lower text area of this page and paste it into your course lilypond file (and save). Now open lilypond and paste that code into a lilypond window to generate the music notation.
This assignment is to complete all of the minor keys that use sharps in the key signature. Write out the notes for all three forms for each key. A suggested workflow is to write out the notes for the natural minor, then copy and paste them twice (for harmonic and melodic). Go the the first pasted version and change the seventh scale degree by raising it one half step (in this case by adding a sharp ('is') to end of that letter (both on the way up and down). On the second pasted copy make changes on the sixth and seventh scale degrees. Follow this process for each minor key, first create the natural minor form, copy/paste twice then make changes to the copies to create the harmonic and melodic forms. You'll find that on the G# minor and D# minor scales the seventh scale degree is already a sharp note. You can add another 'is' so that the note is written 'Fisis' (F double-sharp, sometimes written as Fx in other software). This assignment is three times longer than the major scale assignment so you might want to save to your course lilypond file before completing the assignment. (click stop then) Play frequently to check to all is working OK. Once you have completed, copy the lilypond note code into your course lilypond file (and save). Now copy the lilypond score in the lower text area of this page and paste it into your course lilypond file (and save). Now open lilypond and paste that code into a lilypond window to generate the music notation.
This assignment is to complete all of the minor keys that use flats in the key signature. Write out the notes for all three forms for each key. A similar workflow is to write out the notes for the natural minor, then copy and paste them twice (for harmonic and melodic). Go the the first pasted version and change the seventh scale degree by raising it one half step (sometimes by adding a sharp ('is') or in many case by removing the flat ('es') at the end of that letter (both on the way up and down). On the second pasted copy make changes on the sixth and seventh scale degrees. Follow this process for each minor key, first create the natural minor form, copy/paste twice then make changes to the copies to create the harmonic and melodic forms. Since the seventh scale degree of all of these scales is either a natural or a flat, raising them doesn't ever result in a double sharp. In most cases the process of raising the note a half step involves removing the flat ('es') from the letter name. (B is a half step above Bb). Notice that D harmonic minor and G harmonic minor are the only minor scales that use both sharps ('is') and flats ('es') in the same scale. As you work through the assignment, (click stop then) Play it frequently to check that everything is working OK. Once you have completed, copy the lilypond note code into your course lilypond file (and save). Now copy the lilypond score in the lower text area of this page and paste it into your course lilypond file (and save). Now open lilypond and paste that code into a lilypond window to generate the music notation.