Music Theory & Philosophy Reference Sheet

A seven-note scale following the pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half

A seven-note scale following the pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole

A scale consisting of all twelve half steps within an octave

A five-note scale; the major pentatonic uses scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

One sharp (F#)

The sharps or flats at the beginning of a staff indicating the key of the piece

A minor key sharing the same key signature as a major key, starting on the 6th degree

A natural minor scale with a raised 7th degree

Creates an augmented second between the 6th and 7th

The distance in pitch between two notes

12

A major third (4 half steps)

A perfect fifth (7 half steps)

An interval of three whole steps (6 half steps), also called an augmented fourth or diminished fifth

Medieval musicians called it 'diabolus in musica'

Unison, fourth, fifth, and octave

A three-note chord built by stacking thirds

C, E, G

The third is lowered by a half step (minor third on bottom, major third on top)

A triad with a minor third and a diminished fifth (two minor thirds stacked)

Tonic to subdominant to dominant to tonic — the most fundamental progression in Western music

A major triad with an added minor seventh above the root

In C: C-E-G-Bb

A chord with a note other than the root as the lowest note

V (the chord built on the fifth scale degree)

A two-part structure (AB) where each section presents contrasting musical material

A three-part structure (ABA) where the first section returns after a contrasting middle section

A large-scale structure with exposition, development, and recapitulation

Common in first movements of symphonies

A contrapuntal composition where a subject is introduced and developed through imitative entries in multiple voices

Bach was the supreme master of this form

A harmonic progression that provides a sense of resolution or pause, like musical punctuation

A PAC resolves V to I with the tonic in the soprano; a half cadence ends on V, creating tension

The Socratic method — asking probing questions to lead students to discover truth through dialogue

The idea that abstract, perfect Forms (Ideas) exist in a higher realm and physical things are imperfect copies

Prisoners mistake shadows for reality; philosophy leads the soul from illusion to knowledge of the Good

Prudence (wisdom), justice, fortitude (courage), and temperance (moderation)

Human flourishing or happiness achieved through living virtuously according to reason

Virtue is the mean between two extremes of excess and deficiency

Courage is the mean between cowardice and recklessness

Material cause (what it's made of), formal cause (its form), efficient cause (what made it), final cause (its purpose)

Plato — it asks 'What is justice?' and describes the ideal state ruled by philosopher-kings

Evil is not a substance but a privation (absence) of good — all being, insofar as it exists, is good

The argument from motion: everything in motion must be moved by another, leading to an Unmoved Mover

Moral law discernible by human reason, rooted in God's eternal law and accessible to all people

Faith and reason are complementary — both come from God and cannot ultimately contradict each other

Confessions — an account of his conversion and reflections on sin, grace, memory, and time

A defense of Christianity contrasting the earthly city (self-love) with the City of God (love of God)

An ethical framework focused on developing good character traits (virtues) rather than following rules or calculating outcomes

Deontology judges actions by rules/duties; consequentialism judges by outcomes/results

Faith, hope, and charity (love)

From 1 Corinthians 13

Happiness (eudaimonia) — achieved through the practice of virtue and contemplation

The view that moral principles are grounded in human nature and discoverable by reason

The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge

Justified true belief

A priori knowledge is independent of experience (reason alone); a posteriori depends on experience

True wisdom begins with recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge

The branch of philosophy studying the fundamental nature of reality, being, and existence