All Questions
91 questions
11
votes
5
answers
2k
views
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?
- 347
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How to handle songs whose scales are neither major or minor in harmonic mixing?
Harmonic mixing typically relies on the circle of fifths, often renamed as the "Camelot wheel" in the context of harmonic mixing. However, that circle/wheel only contains two scales: major ...
- 1,597
2
votes
3
answers
704
views
Why does Cmaj7 and Emaj7 sound good (or a name to describe this progression)?
I have an extremely limited understanding of theory, and from what I currently understand, chords will sound good together if they share a common key/scale (e.g. for C major scale, the chords that ...
- 131
6
votes
4
answers
1k
views
A minor scale definition: am I missing something?
I've recently had a discussion with a woman, let's call her Jane, who maintained that the A minor scale features G# rather than a natural G. According to her, the scale goes A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A. ...
- 173
3
votes
3
answers
316
views
How many notes does it take to state the key? To Have "Tonality"?
I'm referring to "tonal dominant function" as this gentleman is talking about in this video.
How many notes in a "melody" do you need to state the ...
- 1,018
7
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Do People and/or Robots Speak on Pitch and in Harmony with themselves?
I asked this in Linguistics, but apparently nobody there wants to venture an answer; maybe this is a better place to ask it.
My ear is not good enough to tell via observation whether people speak in ...
23
votes
10
answers
5k
views
Making Sense of Blues Soloing; differentiating major/minor pentatonics
Quarantine has allowed ample time for musical exploration. I'm a classically trained pianist studying music in college, and I'm using this extra time to be immersed in and learn how to play the blues.
...
- 355
20
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What makes the tonic the tonic and when do I know it changed?
What makes a note the tonal center of a scale other than forcing the listener to come from and go back to the selected note as the center? Or is that what makes that note the tonal center?
Also at ...
- 201
1
vote
1
answer
326
views
How to interpret this awkward runs and base chord? La La Land Mia & Sebastian's Theme runs
In the last section of Mia and Sebastian's Theme from La La Land, there were a lot of quick runs. Upon transcription I found the relationship of the scale and the base chord is rather unusual.
First ...
- 183
0
votes
3
answers
220
views
What set of notes does a singer typically do compared to the set of notes instruments play in popular music?
Suppose a song is "in C" and a guitar and bass are playing the notes of C major.
If the singer sings only thirds above the instruments and we isolate the voice, we hear a melody in E ...
- 368
23
votes
9
answers
12k
views
Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
Is the meaning very context dependent, or can it be defined in general terms? Does the meaning change by author or period?
Sometimes it's used to refer to anything that stays within a specific tonal ...
- 16.4k
3
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How to read movable scale chart for A minor pentatonic?
I bought a guitar chart and it has this figure for moveable minor pentatonic scale:
I know the number 1 box pattern of the minor pentatonic scale (Justin guitar course). I play it starting on the 5th ...
- 131
10
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Chord progressions in Harmonic Minor
I'm a noob at music theory, so I want to stick to basics and stay inside the lines (for example, stay diatonic for a given scale) until my knowledge is more advanced.
I've seen a chart all over the ...
- 673
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
harmony with 24 note scales
has anyone tried writing music with 24 notes in the scale? so for each of the usual 12 notes an extra note is inserted between it and the next one 1 semitone above. I don't understand why people stop ...
- 173
6
votes
3
answers
437
views
Is the melodic minor a key as well as a scale?
The title, basically. I always understood that the natural, harmonic and melodic minor scales were 3 different scales deriving from the same "minor" key. I hear people talking about a ...
- 794
0
votes
3
answers
163
views
Term for minor harmony with both major and minor sixths applied
In my bar piano arrangement of the song "Georgia On My Mind" (pub. Schott), in the first measure, half beat, there is an interval of a diminished octave in the left hand: G# and G ...
- 201
2
votes
3
answers
524
views
How to use sus2/sus4/add9 in minor key to stay within the key
I understand how to use sus2/sus4 and add9 inn major to keep all notes within the chosen major scale, but how can I use the same chords in a minor key and still stay in key?
- 123
5
votes
3
answers
712
views
Why is there no fourth minor scale with a natural 6 and a flat 7?
These scales are considered the minor scales:
natural: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
harmonic: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
melodic: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 (ascending)
However, this scale:
4th min: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 ...
- 85
35
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Understanding minor key harmony
A comment discussion under this question from me, clued me in to the fact that I don't really understand how minor keys work very well. So here is what I think I know
The natural minor comes from the ...
- 665
26
votes
8
answers
21k
views
Is F Lydian mode in the "key" of C Major?
In most cases (if not all), a piece of music without sharps or flats in the key signature, would be considered in the key of C major or A minor. This question assumes the context of Western Music ...
- 27.5k
0
votes
4
answers
652
views
D Mixolydian key: is it possible?
About the song linked below, is it right to say that its key is D Mixolidyan?
Verse: D Am C G D
Chorus: D Am D Am C G D
The reason I'm asking this ...
- 571
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What is a Diatonic tendency tone?
"In the four-part writing of diatonic seventh chords the fifth may be omitted, in which case the doubled note in a four-part texture should not be a tendency tone. The most common doubling is the root....
- 624
3
votes
3
answers
2k
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Can I use two minor scales in the same song? [duplicate]
I've been composing a song, using the chord progression Am - G#° - Dm7/A - E (i - VII - iv - V), that is using the Harmonic minor scale.
The song has some melodies, that appear in different parts. The ...
- 105
0
votes
0
answers
168
views
Harmony Lines for Pentatonic Melodies
I found this great video on harmonizing pentatonic melodies. By harmonize in the case I mean creating second lines to go with a melody, rather than finding a suitable chord progression.
...
- 299
2
votes
3
answers
254
views
Relative and absolute tones: does this really make the difference?
Often, in improvisation, you think of the notes of the scale not as the actual notes you are playing but as the notes of the C scale. The concept I'm talking about is that of the movable C, or ...
- 571
8
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?
Beginner here, it seems like a scale just defines a particular set of notes that don't have to be played in any order to me. But if you look at A minor pentatonic scale you have A, C, D, E, G, yet ...
- 1,125
4
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why does A minor scale sound the "best" over Dm and C chord progression?
I created a little loop with the following two intervals:
D A and C G
Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/ybsukagd
In looking at what scale to use to solo over that simple progression, I thought D ...
- 141
2
votes
2
answers
965
views
How to (decently) harmonize the modes of the "darkest scale ever"?
I was hearing this very interesting video by Rick Beato and Nahre Sol about the 7 modes of the "darkest scale ever" (the double harmonic major scale):
The 7 ...
- 91
4
votes
2
answers
295
views
Are there two leading tones?
I always took the leading tone to be the 7th degree (the "subtonic") scale degree. According to author David Neumeyer (The Music of Paul Hindemith), there is another? See the following ...
- 1,406
0
votes
7
answers
344
views
Which minor scale/mode do you use to harmonize the chords, when improvising in minor key?
When improvising in minor key (let's say classical harmony, non-modal), I guess the minor melodic scales (asc. and desc.) are used to play, well, the melody (hence the name melodic?). Or is the ...
- 471
10
votes
2
answers
1k
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Why is the hexatonic scale that can be derived via a chain of perfect fifths so little-known?
When learning about European classical music, it's heptatonic scales. The pentatonic scale is also very well known and widely used in folk music in different parts of the world. However, before I ...
- 641
9
votes
2
answers
493
views
Where is the circle of fifths mentioned for the first time?
How and when was the Circle of Fifths invented, and who is responsible for the discovery of this musical godsend?
- 26.1k
3
votes
2
answers
536
views
Why harmonize non-diatonic notes with major 3rds above, in a "minor key" context?
I just got a TC Quintessence harmony pedal, and I was surprised to learn how it creates third-above harmony notes when set to the natural minor scale. The idea of the effect pedal is to create harmony ...
- 28.7k
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why is the third triad dominant?
I'm working through "Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony" by Tchaikovsky and I had a question about this section on triads (he's working with a C Major scale):
The whole mass of major and minor ...
- 153
1
vote
2
answers
677
views
What is wrong with this homemade modes chart? [closed]
What may you see right or wrong with this homemade modes chart? This chart is supposedly read vertically. There are definitely some parts I don’t understand I’m just wondering about if it’s Accuracy.
- 125
20
votes
6
answers
40k
views
Do all chords in a progression usually fit within a scale
I am wondering if when writing a chord progression, all the notes fit within a single scale.
If not, what is the logic behind chord progressions?
- 323
4
votes
6
answers
393
views
"The" versus "a" diatonic scale
A diatonic scale is defined as an ordered collection of pitches. However, given the many modes of the diatonic scales, what is meant when someone says "the" diatonic scale? Wikipedia says it's an ...
- 51
1
vote
2
answers
643
views
Why is the tonic so important for melodies?
I made a simple melody in FL studio that was in C Major. The melody consisted of two phrases both of which started on D. The only difference between the two is the second phrase ended on C (the tonic ...
- 453
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What are the characteristics of Late Romantic Russian Music?
I've been recently listening to some late Romantic Russian music (Lyapunov, Kalinnikov, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and was wondering how best to mimic this style. So far, I've observed a handful of shared ...
- 437
3
votes
2
answers
326
views
Slonimsky's Harmonization of Pattern 10 with Seven Major Chords
What method of harmonization is Slonimsky using to generate the seven chord progression that belongs to pattern 10? My understanding so far is that the pitches that divide the octave C-F#-C into equal ...
- 135
5
votes
3
answers
594
views
Different harmonic changes implied by a simple descending scale
This is a question that readers may find confusing. It is a bit confusing to me too, but I'll try to explain and illustrate it as best as I can.
What are the harmonic functions (in terms of Roman-...
- 599
20
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Guide-lines for creating a simple chord-progression?
I am working on a computer program that generates a simple melody, based on a simple chord progression of four chords taken from the 7 triads of the C Major scale. The program is also supposed to ...
- 301
0
votes
2
answers
156
views
Can you help me understand what I am doing with these arpeggios?
I have a song with a part that I am wanting to play arpeggios over with the guitar. But just using the actual chord tones sounds boring to me. So I have started with an arpeggio pattern on the first ...
- 103
2
votes
3
answers
148
views
What is this pentatonic scale called?
I have been enjoying a wonderful scale recently, but I am unable to find its ‘proper name’ anywhere.
It’s essentially a minor pentatonic with a major 3rd in place of the 4th
1 - b3 - 3 - 5 - b7
e.g. C ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
92
views
Is it better for the voice to match the music?
I'm 18 and very new to music theory. I was in band and middle school for a year and took Music Appreciation in my senior year of high school.
But one thing I never came to understand was sound keys ...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
630
views
Function of Minor sixth chords
What are the precise harmonic functions of the Minor sixth chord? I remember that I read somewhere that they play often the role of the I degree in a chord progression (like the often used 6/9 chord) ...
- 231
5
votes
1
answer
618
views
How to use “synthetic modes”
Im having trouble understanding a concept in Persichetti’s book 20th century harmony (Page 43) where he introduces new scales he calls synthetic scales.
Just before that he talks about the church ...
- 83
2
votes
6
answers
2k
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How do I manage internalizing foundation for chords, scales, hamonies and voicing
My teacher told me when I'm learning a piece I have to understand the underlying harmony, only then I would be able to learn and play it easily, he also told me to never learn the notes itself (...
- 477
2
votes
5
answers
266
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Russell Lydian chromatic (again) [duplicate]
One more question about Russell Lydian theory.
Russell uses as an example the Lydian C scale: C-D-E-F#-G-A-B-C comparing it with C maj scale, then he starts to explain his theory as if they belong to ...
- 41
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What are the primary (or most common) chords of the minor scale?
I'm trying to figure out what chords appear most often in minor scales, in major scales it's easy: the I IV and V, it's not even a question. You can harmonize almost any major song with just these ...
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