All Questions
Tagged with harmony composition
98 questions
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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 ...
- 469
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0
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47
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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 (...
- 469
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vote
3
answers
137
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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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2
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141
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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 ...
- 469
3
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1
answer
253
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What is the difference between background, middle ground, and foreground?
Is the idea of structural levels background, middle ground, and foreground only studied in schenkerian analysis?
I’m still viewing the background as the simplest layer of a song, which to me would be ...
- 1,018
3
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0
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76
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Why does Schoenberg think of "'semi-contrapuntal treatment' of the accompaniment" as a way of adapting a motive's melody to changes in its harmony?
Schoenberg says that the melody of a motive may be adapted to changes in the harmony "[b]y transposition," "[b]y addition of passing harmonies," or "[b]y 'semi-contrapuntal' ...
- 277
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35
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Changing the harmony of a motive ''by additions at the end,'' according to Schoenberg
Schoenberg says that the harmony of a motive may be changed ''[b]y additions at the end'' (Fundamentals of musical composition, page 10). He cites examples 25c-i to illustrate what he means (see ...
- 277
3
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1
answer
128
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How can harmony be implied by melody [duplicate]
I'm just curious about allot of compositional techniques, and one of them is the concept of "implying" harmony because it can be useful for determining later harmonic lines for an already ...
- 123
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2
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162
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Beginner at composing - Harmonising a melody in imitation of Mozart's Klavierstück KV 33B
TL, DR :
I don't know how to harmonize this melody (explained below) and need help deblocking (questions at bottom)
I have been learning violin for a few years now and I wanted to learn how to compose ...
- 123
4
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2
answers
523
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Do composers arrange an entire score without parallel perfect intervals or is this only when you have few voices and need them to all be independent?
In harmony class one is taught not to use parallel perfect intervals as it undermines the independence of the voices. I have come to completely understand this and see why it is so important but when ...
user35708
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Harmonic accuracy check [closed]
I would like a harmonic accuracy check for a variation that I composed based on a section of the first movement of Brahms's Violin Concerto. I am concerned with whether or not the notes of Bars 18 - ...
- 11
3
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3
answers
424
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Pieces or parts of pieces containing only harmony?
I am listening to some pieces where the whole composition or some internal parts seem to contain only harmony/chords without producing a discernible melody. Is this some particular technique or we can ...
- 121
1
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6
answers
2k
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Is there a 'best' key for a male/female song duet
This question may be naive or badly formed, as I'm neither a musician or a songwriter. Please be kind.
I gather that there are certain keys that are easier for ordinary male singers, and others that ...
- 173
2
votes
1
answer
203
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Harmonic Voices Alongside Counterpoint
I'm writing a piece for a rather large ensemble:
full string section
SATB choir plus soloists
2 of oboe, bassoon, and trombone
c-g timpani
In one of the sections, the chorus sings a fugato while the ...
- 1,636
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0
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84
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Composing romantic pieces
I am a fan of the organist Wolfgang Seifen. Recently, he played a piece which fascinated me: An arabesque in the style of German romanticism. (Hear it)
Being myself interested in improvisation, I did ...
- 101
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7
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8k
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Why does G# sound right when my melody is in C major?
I composed the following melody using notes from the C major scale. In the third bar a G# (Ab) seemed a natural choice to complete the loop, but I don’t understand why.
G# is not in C major nor its ...
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2
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3
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156
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What do I call this type of transition?
I'm a complete novice to composing and music theory, but part of what I'd like to do is acquire the vocabulary to describe subtle changes in sound, especially ones that evoke a distinct emotion.
For ...
3
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1
answer
211
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Music of the Caribbean
How does the West African heritage in Caribbean music compare with the European influence in Caribbean music?
I did research on this but couldn't really understand the european influence.
- 39
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2
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495
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Is partimento a good way to learn how to write a Baroque trio sonata in the style of Corelli?
Who I am:
I am 16 years old and I play violin. I am a music student and I consider myself to have a very good ear and understanding of music theory. My piano-playing is however not very good. I really ...
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2
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667
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What techniques and methods govern how melody can suggest a certain harmony?
In The Art of Strict Musical Composition, Volume 2 chapter 3, by Johann Philip Kirnberger (student of Bach) he writes “Here it must be stated first that every good melody is based on a proper harmony, ...
- 111
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3
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524
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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?
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4
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132
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Theme seems complete enough, but Variations seem to need that extra harmony, what should I do? [closed]
So, I’m composing a Theme and Variations based off of the La Folia progression and I started really basic for the Theme so that I would have some more wiggle room for Variations. I’ve even considered ...
- 6,654
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1
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How to apply Paul Hindemith's harmonic theory
I have been studying Paul Hindemith's "The Craft of Musical Composition, Book 1: Theory", trying to apply Hindemith's principles to my own harmonies and melodies.
As you may know, Hindemith'...
- 1,406
1
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1
answer
100
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How do I improve my composing skills [closed]
I've been composing for over a year, since the pandemic has started. I've been composing a lot of simple pieces, most of them are SATB. I want to improve my composing skills because when I listen to ...
- 51
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3
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299
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Why Should I always follow the rules of functional harmony? [closed]
I have used functional harmony many times in my compositions to write chord progressions with success, however there are times when using functional harmony doesn't sound good to me and others when I ...
- 372
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4
answers
2k
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How to write a string quartet
I have major problems with writing for the string quartet. I have studied 4-part-writing for some time now, but I still have very little clue about how to expand from the basic chorale texture, where ...
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6
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498
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How is D7 functioning here? Applied chord both kind of does and doesn't fit
I am composing this Adagio piece in E Minor and there’s one chord in the starting chord progression that I can’t seem to figure out the function of, that being D7. It seems on listening to be an ...
- 6,654
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4
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1k
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How to choose chords for chromatic melody?
I've been listening to a lot of impressionistic and avant-garde jazz music lately. When choosing chords in a tonal, diatonic concept, the formula is somewhat clear to me. If it's a note in the scale, ...
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5
answers
1k
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How to compose better chromatic harmony
I've been composing for a couple of years and I have a pretty good understanding of how to choose chords for melody in a diatonic context. However, when I try to introduce some quirky elements to my ...
8
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4
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4k
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How do I use augmented chords in my progressions? [duplicate]
Structurally speaking, an augmented chord is the product of stacked major 3rds. So the chord G Aug (G+) uses the notes G-B-D#. I'm well aware that this chord might occur naturally in a minor (key) ...
- 501
3
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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 ...
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6
answers
2k
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How to make chords and melody work together to sound good?
I write melodies. Now, I am trying to put harmony to them. I learned the chord basics. Today, I have two questions to ask, hoping to get answers by your kindness.
I put a chord under every accented ...
- 119
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2
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144
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Is there a way to recognize the canonic (or generally imitative) potential in a given harmonic progression?
Suppose given a bass melody with either thoroughbass figuring or Roman numeral analysis. Is there a way to quasi-instantly recognize whether this bass melody admits of a canonic (or more generally, ...
- 2,357
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3
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703
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Is there a rational method to find out which minor scale sounds best in a given situation?
By rational I mean a method that doesn't entirely depend on one's subjective aesthetics, but rather one that has some kind of system behind it.
The obvious rule that you should use the ascending ...
- 2,357
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1
answer
174
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is fourth to fifth in parallel motion permittable in satb?
I am currently working out some SATB composition and I am wondering a bit about the alto-tenor part. There is fourth to fifth in parallel motion in the first measure. Is this permitted in strict SATB?...
25
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11
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8k
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Why does Bach sometimes end with flat 7ths?
I've been studying the Bach inventions, and I see a common patterns in the first 3 inventions: They tend to include the flat 7ths in the very end. Examples:
C major:
D major:
E♭ major:
From a ...
- 353
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1
answer
105
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Associating modulations with emotions [closed]
I once read a book (pdf) from imslp or forgottenbooks that was about composition (or harmony), and it had a list of every possible modulation and its emotional association. For example, Up a perfect ...
- 477
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3
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656
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Using an augmented chord to modulate to a distant key, will this work?
So, in the same piece for which I asked about how to notate my 2 layered staccato, I'm halfway through writing the piece and I feel like I want to modulate again. Here are my modulations so far:
E ...
- 6,654
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3
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132
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Is the C chord here C minor or C major?
I’m composing a funeral march and I have noticed that just from looking at the bass, the C chord is ambiguous. The piece is in the key of F minor. That doesn’t really help because both C minor and C ...
- 6,654
2
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1
answer
254
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Substitution of minor chord for major VI chord
I came up with this progression while trying to make a song that involves guitar arpeggios and string sections:
Em Cm Em/B C6
Em C B-B+ Cm6
(Em/B I mean with a chord inversion and B-B+ I mean first ...
- 31
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2
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112
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Is this an acceptable way to resolve a vii° chord?
In a choral-style piece I am writing, someone said that this vii° chord (within a phrase) never resolves properly. I would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice about whether it works or not,...
user51819
4
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2
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3k
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What is the difference between the Romantic and post-romantic periods?
This question came about when I was reading Blair Allen Johnston’s dissertation, ‘Harmony and Climax in the late works of Sergei Rachmanioff’
He loosely groups the post romantic period within 1890-...
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1
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618
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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 ...
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2
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167
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How can I reproduce this harmony?
In Bury Me by Bayside at about 3:09 (the line that starts with "I want your respect..."), they use a strange dissonant-sounding harmony: time stamped youtube link.
It sounds to me like he's using 3 ...
- 141
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2
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2k
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Modulation from D major to D minor, should I go sudden or gradual?
I am composing a Scherzo in the key of D major and I have the first section of my Scherzo already written down. Now I'm into the second section of the Scherzo that precedes the Trio. And in this ...
- 6,654
3
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1
answer
436
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How to figure out a tone center in an ambiguous/chromatic situations?
This question bugs me since I started writing music. I'm asking in general, but I'll show an example so it would be more clear. Keep in mind the notation is arbitrary, as I don't quite know what I'm ...
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6
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Do chord progressions usually move by fifths?
I'm wondering if chords usually move down by fifths. It seems so by the diagram, so iii to vi, vi to ii, ii to V, V to I. etc. Other chords can also be thought of like that, because IV/ii and V/vii ...
user34288
7
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3
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529
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Which notes are skeletal?
I have been told to figure out which notes in Mozart's theme are skeletal and which ones are just embellishments before I develop my Theme and Variations.
But I don't know how to tell if a note is ...
- 6,654
4
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1
answer
972
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How did composers use the technique of "fauxbourdon"?
I've recently learned of a harmonisation technique called fauxbourdon (or faux bourdon, fauxbordon or false drone), used in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, e.g. by Giullaume Dufay; you can ...
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1
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153
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What technique was being used in composing this background music for a film?
At around six minutes and 40 seconds of this Youtube video,
this gentleman talks about using minor and major thirds and how it was supposed to mimic the sound of a ...
