Questions tagged [harmony]
For questions about the "vertical" aspects of music and how to build and study them.
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Do accidentals have other meanings, or is their usage in this hymn all wrong?
A Setup for This Question: the 99%
I’m pretty sure that a handful of rules covers 99% of the usage of accidentals, especially in notation from the last hundred or more years. Let’s say 95% of their ...
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Thriller by Michael Jackson - "Here tonight!" Progression Question
In Michael Jackson's Thriller, theres a section of the third chorus which adds a few extra bars with a very peculiar chord progression. You can listen to it here -- the iconic "Killer, diller, ...
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Why do advanced piano keyboards use thirds and sixths in their harmonies instead of fourths when using their duet harmony feature?
A long time ago, I got a Yamaha PsR-192 or 292, I forget which, and I discovered that not only could you play chord accompaniments on the left-hand side, such as when improvising or using its built-in ...
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Is there a known neurological/psychological basis for the perception of resolution with descending perfect fifth motion?
Some neurological phenomena in music are relatively well understood, such as rhythmic entrainment and the perception of consonance and dissonance. However, I am not as familiar with any studies or ...
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Middle voices in harmony: dropping middle voice and/or crossing it with the melody
Texts on harmony usually work with four voices (SATB=soprano, alt, tenor, bass) and put particular emphasis on doubling of the bass, which makes dropping one of the voices nearly impossible (except ...
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Adapting piano score for guitar
I am interested in techniques for adapting piano scores for guitar. The very first issue that one often runs into is the restrictions due to the guitar frequency range, which is limited from below by ...
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How to correctly compose an ascending passage in the harmonic minor scale while avoiding the augmented second between the 6th and 7th scale degrees?
In classical harmony, we're often taught to avoid augmented intervals. The problem arises when harmonizing an ascending passage in the harmonic minor scale, where an augmented second appears between ...
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Avoiding parallel fifths in harmonization
Guides on tonal harmony suggest avoiding parallel fifths and octaves (though I am not sure why, since, unlike in counterpoint, losing voice individuality is not an issue.) Here is an example of poor ...
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Starting harmonization with chords or bass?
The traditional texts on harmony typically first teach harmonizing with I-IV-V-I progression, dwelling on many technical details - mostly having to do with voice leading. This leaves one with a fairly ...
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Fugue Structure
I've been wanting to learn to write a fugue for a while. I spent some time learning counterpoint with a teacher starting with species, I think I got a good grasp on counterpoint now.
How do you write ...
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Deviations from IV-V-I progression
As an exercise in harmony I tried harmonizing simple children' tune (Au claire de la lune, see below), and run into the problem that the melody in bars 9-10 imposes the undesired V-IV sequence (...
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Harmonizing a simple melody
I am trying to learn harmonizing simple melodies by triads (I-IV-V progression). One of the very first exercises (exercise #2 actually) in the text that I use puzzles me:
I have to specify that I am ...
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Modal mixture- are ''avoid notes' a thing?
I know that in jazz, we have numerous scale options over any given chord.
If we have a C major 7 and want an alternative to playing C Ionian, we pick a different scale that has the same 3rd and 7th ...
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Harmonizing modes other than major and minor
Everywhere I turn for a lesson on music theory I see a way to harmonize the major scale (Ionian) and the minor scale (Aeolian) but they never harmonize the other modes of the major scale. Any help ...
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Do 'avoid' notes depend on register?
Looking at 'avoid' notes, it seems that the general rule is: do not play a note which is a minor second above a chord note e.g avoid F over a C major chord as this forms a minor 2nd interval with E.
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How does harmonic progression work in modes which aren't Ionian and Aeolian? [duplicate]
I have seen some similar questions to this but nothing that quite cuts close enough.
In major and minor, it is widely considered that harmonic progression works as follows (broadly speaking- don't ...
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How chord functions using minor subdominant
I'm reading this part of arnold shoenbrg harmony book ( minor subdominant )
And i don't know if the chords are supposed to function at all or it's just the matter of voice leading and taste '
For ...
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Humming to Brian Eno's "Needles in the Camel's Eye"
The question I have is prompted by the song "Needles in the Camel's Eye" by Brian Eno, in particular the opening instrumental bars. (Though I think I've noticed the phenomenon I'm going to ...
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Secondary Dominant Harmony vs Diatonic Melody
I am trying to understand the application of secondary dominant harmony by studying its effects on the famous song, Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music.
I have come up with this, which sounds great - but ...
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Tendency tones in writing melody [duplicate]
Ever since my last topic, I have written a few chorals and string quartet pieces.
But something is really questionable for me:
That if I already have (for example a third or seventh) in another voice (...
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Could a 3D sphere of fifths reveal more insights than the 2D circle of fifths?
The circle of fifths is a well-known device for showing relationships between keys, and shows the concept of close vs distant keys.
But is there any way of arranging keys in three dimensions rather ...
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Can compound melodies cause voice leading errors?
"Chordal skips" in my harmony textbook refer to when a voice skips to another note within the same harmony. "Chordal skips" may be used as voice leading correctives with regards to ...
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How to sing a tone and be sure?
For example I want to sing a C and then a D a capella (or for example a F then a G) whatever you want be a tone...
How can I be sure that I sang a tone by ear only ?
I know it's relative pitch but ...
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how to sing in tune when you have to sing a cappella without reference notes? [closed]
I learned that when an instrument plays a note (like pressing the piano keys) to reproduce them by ear at the same time as I play them
but without anything a capella we comment?
like there I don't ...
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The difference between ii°7 and vii°7
Hello my friends,
I cannot understand the difference between these two chords. I have probably misunderstood the whole thing, but I don't know how to function or choose between these two chords, ...
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Are there "safe" inversions for a simple melody?
I've noodled around on a keyboard, and created simple melodies with chords. I don't have the skill to play them well. So, I eventually port them to LilyPond and have it generate a score and a MIDI ...
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Would writing my main vocal part (lyrics) to a drone help me stay in key, and without limiting pitch variation?
By drone typically I mean one note, though from my understanding a drone could be one note, two notes, a chord or even 6 notes usually played on string instruments such as the tanpura or guitar. I’m ...
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Is this a V7sus2/V7 chord in bach?
When i was playing this prelude from bach i came across a new chord that i don't usually see in 18th century pieces
Also another question - in writing counterpoint in bach style it looks like two ...
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can anyone help me in writing a quartet [closed]
hi i've been doing some analyzing and after learning counterpoint and 4 part harmony and studying a little about forms today for the first time i wrote a period to turn in into a ternary or a simple ...
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Analyzing harmony
I'm trying to analyze this simple exercise from schubert but i can't really find the harmonic function here beside the satisfying voice leading that i hear when i play it
I wanna write such a piece ...
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moving into parallel compound intervals counterpoint
in strict counterpoint and i'm talking about fux's book
is having 2 parallel perfect intervals with contrary motion still wrong?
because in fux book only contrary and oblique motion are acceptable for ...
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why does V/iii to IV work?
i was writing chords when I came up with this progression:
IV-V-I-V/vi-IV-V-I
i understand why the V/vi-IV works--because there is only a one note difference between vi (which V/vi usually resolves to)...
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What is the value in analysing chords as if they were made up of stacked triads?
To my ears chords each have their own quality and how they sound (and what feelings they might evoke) depends on the context. In general plain majors are strong/simple while minors are sad, but add2 ...
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The relation between voices in piano pieces
I've been trying to understand how to identify the voices within the harmonic progression they form, after learning counterpoint and SATB harmony.
But when I'm investigating the relation between ...
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Waltz in e minor by Ferdinando Carulli [closed]
I started learning a bit of classical guitar 2 years back. I only learnt and retained this piece, so forgive me for having no music knowledge, and I apologize if my question is ill phrased but are ...
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Is a “minor Seventh Chord” basically just a combination of a “minor Triad” and its Relative “Major Triad”?
Is a minor Seventh Chord basically just a combination of a “minor Triad” and its Relative “Major Triad”, (or a combination of a Major Triad and its Relative minor Triad)?
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What does "prevailing harmony" mean?
While I was reading up on passing tones, I encountered this example:
Example 15–7 presents an expansion of a C-major chord over two beats: the lower voice leaps down from the third of the chord to ...
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Why does this major-key folk song sound sad?
This is an old Scottish folk song. Why does it sound so sad, even though it is in a major key, and doesn't use any of the typical tricks songwriters use to make major keys sound sad (i.e. IV-iv-I)?
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Ballade Pour Adeline: How to understand the dyads?
I am listening to Ballade pour Adeline for piano and specifically to this version on YouTube.
After the quick introductory arpeggio, the main part starts with a dyad of G and E played with the right ...
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What seventh chords belong to the minor mode in actual practice after allowing the conventional alterations?
Fig. 85 on p. 115 of Roger Sessions' Harmonic Practice (1951) illustrates the triads capable of being sounded in the minor mode once one has permitted (1) lowering the second degree in the II chord, (...
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Can anyone give me examples of early uses of the dominant seventh chord?
It is well known (since Fetis) that the first appearance of the unprepared seventh in the dominant seventh chord is in Monteverdi's madrigal "Cruda amarilli". That sets the origin of this ...
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Can a monophonic melody have harmony?
I'm analysing a piece from the Traditional Songs of the Maori by Margaret Orbell and Mervyn McLean.
Can such a piece with a monophonic melody have harmony?
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Alternative to passing chord harmonization in closed position
I'm not entirely satisfied with the way I've harmonized the third beat of these trumpet parts, highlighted in the screenshot, for this big band transcription. (The trumpets are playing on their own ...
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Why chords make melody sound different?
I am learning to harmonize melodies. I put basic triads under the melody notes. Sometimes, they work well. Sometimes, the chords just make the melody sound different. I can’t find solution to it.
For ...
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Do flamenco guitarists use distinctive chords?
Classical guitarist here. Does flamenco guitar use distinctive chords (other than, say, the major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads and seventh chords), or is it just the favored modes, chord ...
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What's it called when harmony moves in the same intervals as the melody?
What's it called when the harmony moves in the exact same intervals as a melody, even if it is chromatic? Here's an example:
My apologies, I would do actual notation but I am not currently able to.
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Why does it sound so weird? (Beethoven quartet)
Why does the first A# of the tetrachord of fugal development in op. 131, no. 7, m. 114 cello sound so weird? Is it because of the false relation with B?
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What is the name of this music instrument? [closed]
I want to know which instrument is it for the music of raymans especially this
at the beggining, this who do the main melody ... a violin ? A midi synth in a computer ...
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Using iv/x to tonicize a key?
Because V/x is so popular and useful, would iv/x have a good function as well? I’ve found that V and iv have very similar effects in terms of tension toward the tonic. Also, would V+/x be ...
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Why is the key typically the first and/or last note (or chord) of a song?
Is there a strategical reason when composing for the key to commonly be the first and/or last note (or chord) of a song?
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