Questions tagged [analysis]
For questions about studying the intricacies of a piece of music. Questions should also be tagged with a more specific form of analysis if applicable.
177
questions
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Analysing harmony in music [on hold]
I've read books like Theory of Harmony, Tonal Harmony, The Complete Musician, and just started reading structural functions of harmony. But I still find myself confused on those weird out-of-key ...
0
votes
2answers
87 views
Are there objective, unambiguous ways that the level of similarity of two bits of music can be measured?
I am not sure if this kind of question is on-topic or not.
I just heard the soundtrack used in Scott Manley's recent video SpaceX Radarsat Launch Highlights (fairly quiet sound level) with the notes
...
6
votes
1answer
89 views
What is the utility of Schenkerian analysis?
I have seen that Schenkerian analysis is a method of analyzing tonal music distinct from the usual one which employs roman numerals for the degrees, specifies the inversions, the functions, etc.
...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
What is my voice classification from D2-A4 [closed]
I’m 21, been singing since I was around 16 or 17. I use to struggle up to E4 above middle C. As the years went by , I’ve mastered singing from C4-F#4 around 20. Just recently I’ve found it easier to ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
Bar number featuring this tone row by Schoenberg in the sheet music [closed]
Given is an image of the tone row used by Schoenberg in his Variations for Orchestra op. 31. This is what was given in a music theory workbook.
I found the sheet music for the Schoenberg piece. But ...
2
votes
2answers
92 views
Rationalizing this chord progression (I7-iii-IV)
Trying to expand my harmonic palette here, and came across this song.
Chorus of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" (in E♭ minor, but temporary shift to ...
3
votes
2answers
70 views
Are these upper voices in this final passage from Handel a bona fide F7 chord or some kind of non-chord tones?
Handel. Preludes, Air, and Lesson...
http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/e/e8/IMSLP12246-Handel_-_Preludes,Air%26_Lesson.pdf
EDIT
I was complete off the mark with this. The only excuse I can ...
1
vote
6answers
222 views
Analysis of the progression: Dm, G, C, F, Bb, E, Am, A
I've been trying to analyze the progression: Dm, G, C, F, Bb, E, Am, A.
The best I could come up with is ii, V, I, IV, bVII, V/vi, vi, V/ii in C major.
I considered the Bb to be the VII from the ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Is Nirvana's 'Aero Zeppelin' intro in Locrian mode?
The song 'Aero Zeppelin' by Nirvana (see here for Youtube video link) begins with a calmer introduction that has a 'creepy' feeling, due to the occurrence of the tritone. I have tried to analyse the ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
How would this chord from “Rocket Man” be analyzed?
[Chorus:]
Bb Eb
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
Bb
'Till touch down brings me roung again to find
...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
How is this chord from Liebestraum No. 3 analyzed?
I'm trying to analyze the ending chord progressions to Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3. The piece is in Ab-major.
The chord in the second half of measure 73 is a D diminished triad. This would appear to ...
-8
votes
1answer
163 views
Jaws vs. Dvorak [closed]
There is a worldwide-viral debate involving the Jaws theme as if it is a "rip-off" of the finale of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony. Some say if the theme is sampled from Dvorak. Did John Williams really ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
How can this triad from the song “Believe” be analyzed?
I heard this song "Believe" recently, and the Eb major chord stood out to me. The song is in E major, so I'm wondering how that Eb triad can be looked at. Even if it was spelt as a D# major triad, it ...
1
vote
2answers
63 views
How can the intro to the song “If I Fell” be analyzed?
The introduction to this song by The Beatles starts off in the key of Eb minor. I'm trying to figure out how to analyze these chords.
The first chord would be i, the D major chord I'm unsure about, ...
0
votes
1answer
155 views
Why is the vi chord so popular? [closed]
In a major scale, I understand why the I IV V are the most popular chords mainly due to their diatonic functions and they also harmonize the entirety of the scale as they are the primary triads.
I ...
0
votes
1answer
50 views
Chord progression analysis in Blur's 'Sing' from the film Trainspotting [closed]
I like this progression by Blur that was in Trainspotting and I tried to figure out what the relationship between the chords are and what key they are in:
G-B-E-G
A-C#-F#
B-D-F#
I tried a reverse ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
Analysis questions about a transcription I made (Jade's Desert - Mortal Kombat Trilogy OST)
I transcribed this song recently and I wanted some insight for analyzing it. It seems to me that it is a diminished riff, using some tritones and chromatic stuff and major seconds. However, beyond ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
I could use some help analyzing a transcription I made of the disciples 2 menu theme
I've been transcribing some songs recently, however I feel that I am somewhat limited in actually approaching the analysis of the songs after I have transcribed them.
I have attached a photo of my ...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
How can one analyze this chord progression from “Vienna” by Billy Joel?
I'm wondering how to best go about analyzing this chord progression from the Billy Joel classic, "Vienna".
The song is in Bb-Major.
The first chord is an augmented I chord (I+), which seems strange. ...
2
votes
3answers
104 views
Analysis: How to determine what scale/mode a score uses
I'm learning music theory with the hopes of being able to analyze sheet music.
My question is -- What if the piece I am analyzing is in some other mode than major or minor? Or even stranger, like ...
5
votes
4answers
734 views
Can this note be analyzed as a non-chord tone?
I know that post-tonal and popular music can't always be analyzed through the same methods as the Common Practice Period, but I still like to see how people would try analyzing things.
This is a ...
3
votes
1answer
68 views
Questions on the harmonic analysis of Pixar's Up Main Theme
First time doing harmonic analysis.
This is the piece https://musescore.com/user/1596896/scores/715646
The key signature indicates F major, but I feel like the composer plays around with the ...
2
votes
2answers
66 views
What is the music theory behind the ending to this Chopin Etude?
Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 3:
I'm wondering about how to best analyze the final 3 measures.
This piece simply ends on the I chord over the final 3 measures.
Would ...
7
votes
1answer
308 views
Roman Numeral Treatment of Suspensions
My question today stems from me having difficulty assigning a roman numeral to a chord which either has a suspension (please see below)
Or when there is melodic motion in the bass (please see below)
...
6
votes
2answers
800 views
Are there any thematic similarities between Shostakovichs' Symphony 5th and Beethovens' 7th symphony? [closed]
Taking a look at the opening bars of Shostakovichs' Symphony 5th and Beethovens' 7th symphony 4th movement (bar 136 onwards) see below they sound kind of similar.
Somebody suggested (Radio 3 I think)...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Does Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty modulate to the relative minor?
There's a part of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty that I like. And I was wondering if I'm right as far as the theory goes:
Measures 156-159 is in the relative key of G minor, and ends on this key.
...
1
vote
1answer
103 views
Composition of Cowell's “rhythmic key changes”
I'm currently reading Henry Cowell's New Musical Resources and
On page 98, Section 6,(TEMPO) in part 2 (RHYTHM),
is a paragraph of for instances. Directly, I'm grappling with the SECOND FOR INSTANCE ....
0
votes
3answers
130 views
How does 'If I were a rich man' work? [closed]
I was playing 'If I were a rich man'. I noticed how it makes use of alot of notes outside its scale even though it's in C major. and I was wondering what the term is for what is it doing. Is it ...
5
votes
1answer
50 views
Is melodic analysis a thing?
I know that harmonic analysis can be done like this:
i iv V i
Is there a similar standard for melodic analysis? Is melodic analysis a thing?
Thanks, Nathan.
1
vote
2answers
39 views
Analyzing Tchaikovsky's “ Morgengebet ” Pt 2
At the 4th measure from the picture, Starting of the [B] section, there is a question mark.
the notes are G, Eb, C, and F# .
What is this chord? It also appears in the 3rd measure of the [B] section....
2
votes
2answers
45 views
Analyzing Tschaikowsky's “Wintermorgen”
At the beginning of the first measure there is a chord with the notes of Eb, G, C#, and G.
What is this chord?
I suppose that the song is in B minor and I can't find any chords even in Modal ...
-2
votes
3answers
300 views
What type of cadence is this?
What type of cadence is this at the end of Dvorak's 9th symphony (Dvorak's 9th Symphony, 4th movement, Finale - Allegro con fuoco (Meaning: "Fast and Spirited"))? Is it an imperfect authentic cadence ...
3
votes
4answers
185 views
Looking for some advice for note taking to replace sheet music
I can always play from sheet music better than I play by memory for the most part.
I'm learning "kiss the rain" by yiruma which isn't hard at all - very simple but yet it is still pretty hard to ...
0
votes
3answers
256 views
Dvorak Plagiarized Beethoven?
I've just analyzed the beginning and the tempo of the scherzo of Dvorak's 9th symphony. When I did it, I've realized he had "copied" the scherzo of Beethoven's 9th! What is going on here?
0
votes
2answers
104 views
Am I right in that it is a diminished triad without the third?
So I have come across a difficulty in my harmonic analysis having to do with the tritone being by itself. Obviously, this gets across a dissonance that has to resolve but just from the tritone, it isn'...
2
votes
2answers
108 views
Mathematical methods for analysing melodic contour? [closed]
Are there any mathematical methods for identifying melodic shape, identifying motifs and general pattern recognition?
3
votes
1answer
131 views
Should sensible analysis show secondary functions fulfilling the supposed function?
This question started for me with an analysis using IV/IV.
It was analysis in Kostka/Payne for Mozart's K545, mv II, mm. 69-71...
G: I | IV6/IV V6/IV | IV
Instead of...
G: I |C: ...
1
vote
2answers
84 views
Using a constant tone to find the key center
I have a song that I'm trying to figure out the key center. I'll explain the process and you can tell me if I"m on the right track.
I start by analyzing the song using software that finds the chords. ...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
How do I tell which mode this extract uses?
In this exercise, the key signature has two flats but it's marked as C minor. There's a footnote that simply says 'modal key signature'. How do I work out which mode to use in my harmonisation?
0
votes
2answers
72 views
Does this chord function as a 13 chord?
In Debussy's La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin, there is this passage:
(Debussy: Préludes Livre I, No. 8, bar 24)
The piece is in Gb major.
This first chord is probably a I chord. But since it has that ...
9
votes
5answers
878 views
Incorrectly labeled chord. Is this a dominant seventh?
I am trying to analyse this but am confused by the chord marked Am7. Am7 shouldn't have a D in it and doesn't make much sense in the context. Could it possibly be a D7 with the G being a suspension of ...
6
votes
1answer
154 views
What is the rhythm of this Herbie Hancock song, and why is it so weird?
I've always listened to a lot of jazz and heard some weird rhythms, but only this year did my high school offer music theory - and right now, we're learning about rhythm. All we've done so far is ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Is there a term for when a lyric is sung and then an instrument (sound) is played to mimic the lyric?
Is there a term for when a phrase in a song, i.e., "shivers down my spine" as in Bohemian Rhapsody, after that phrase is sung, a tinkling or some kind of sound is made with an instrument, to mimic "...
0
votes
2answers
92 views
Interval analysis, augmented 5th or a 6th?
I am doing interval analysis as I am writing a countersubject(working on the harmony for it right now). But I have a bit of trouble here. I have 3 note choices for any given quarter note. The spot I ...
4
votes
1answer
304 views
Analysing “Dust to Dust”, John Kirkpatrick
I've been trying to analyse the song "Dust to Dust" by John Kirkpatrick to perhaps get some insight into how one writes in Locrian without sounding it sounding ugly. The only thing I've noticed is ...
5
votes
3answers
139 views
What's the correct analysis of this harmonic sequence at the end of the first movement of Dvorak's Fourth Symphony?
I've been puzzling over the best way to analyse the chords that occur at the end of the First Movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 4 in D minor Op. 13. The passage is definitely part of a harmonic ...
3
votes
2answers
200 views
How could the medieval chants be classified before any notation was available?
We all have in mind the image of a medieval mode as a scale with a pattern of tones and semitones with a finalis, a specific range, etc.
However, it seems that medieval chants were classified ...
6
votes
2answers
277 views
Functional analysis of chorale 'Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe' BWV 244/46
I did some analysis of the chorale 'Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe' (from Matthew Passion BWV 244 no.46), see below. But how would I analyse the first chord in measure 2? Obviously, it's an E ...
3
votes
1answer
254 views
Analyzing Ryuichi Sakamoto “Merry Christmas, Mr. Laurence”
The original song is not in C Maj key
but the sheet I Have is in C Maj so let just see as the key is in C maj
(The [B] part starts 1:50)
How does the Gm (Vm) come ...
7
votes
1answer
483 views
Harmonic analysis of arpeggios in Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
I've always liked the arpeggio section in dance of the sugar plum fairy, it sounds so sweet and mysterious. I was trying to figure out the idea behind them. Here's the section in Synthesia.
From ...
