Questions tagged [theory]
For questions about how music works, seeking to identify structures and patterns in music. Used to indicate questions about musical concepts and structures, as opposed to techniques and execution.
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Why must the final bar complete the anacrusis?
The Wikipedia page for anacrusis states that
Western standards for musical notation often include the recommendation that when a piece of written music begins with an anacrusis, the composer, ...
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What is the internal harmony of this Liszt melody?
This is an exercise taken out of Walter Piston’s Harmony (4th ed). Let me know how you would change my progression.
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i need help me harmonize this barline [closed]
this is a soprano line needing to be harmonized.
Im not sure how to harmonize it though.
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What are the modes derived from the C major scale?
I'd like for someone to explain the 7 modes derived from the C major scale.
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Anyone know what key this cadence from the SimCity 3000 theme is in? [closed]
I'm currently analyzing the SimCity 3000 theme (
). I've noticed that the chords for the intro (by figuring out the notes for each chord and then looking the note ...
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Is it possible to approach hidden 5ths & 8ves by contrary motion?
is it possible to approach hidden 5ths & 8ves by contrary or oblique motion?
In another meaning every time there is contrary or oblique
motion between voices, are direct 5ths & 8ves allowed ...
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Why do composers use fermatas?
I am taking part in a music theory course on Coursera, and I could not understand the difference between a tie and a fermata. Could someone please explain it to me?
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What do you call it when a song constantly adds prominent rests? (like the example given)
Check out the first 25 seconds of
(Romance in the Night Sky [Touhou]). As is immediately obvious, it keeps hitting you with rests in a weird rhythm that completely ...
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What makes a note "high" or "low"?
I've heard people talk about "high C" and "low C". What classifies a note as a "high" or "low" note? Also, what's above the high notes?
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Why does F# minor chord fit A minor key
Playing the guitar I noticed a really cool sounding, kind of mysterious progression, which looks like this
A minor -> C major -> F# minor -> F major
The F# minor creates some tension which ...
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How to Identify & Complete Sequences
I'd like help understanding the concept of sequences. I know it is considered a form of repitition, but not much else.
Below is an excerpt from Bach's Invention in Dm.
I am told this excerpt includes ...
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"approved ultra-nationalist style" of soviet symphonies during Stalin time
In a "keeping score" video about 5th Symphony by Shostakovich a director Michael Tilson Thomas says the following:
Instead of writing in the approved ultra-nationalist style, Shostakovich ...
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Creative Ideas for Teaching Musical Ornaments to Kids [closed]
I am a music teacher planning to introduce the concept of musical ornaments to a group of young children. I want to make this educational experience engaging and fun for them, and I'm seeking creative ...
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Call and response
What makes some songs good on call and response like autumn leaves. But other such as days of wine and roses not work so good?
Just to be clear, with call and response I mean playing melody and chords ...
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Why aren't clefs aligned with octaves? [duplicate]
It looks like my questions is largely answered by Why not use only octave clefs?. I'm going to leave this here anyways in case it's useful for others.
Hello!
I've got a genuine question, although I'm ...
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What chord do we get by raising the fifth of a minor triad?
Raising the fifth of a major triad gives an augmented triad. For example, you can get from C (C-E-G) to C+ (C-E-G♯) by raising the fifth.
However, what happens if this is done to a minor triad? Doing ...
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How do you recognize open-position chords by ear?
So, in my ear training class, we're seeing open-position triads. Major, minor, and diminished in all inversions.
I can't for the life of me identify these chords by ear. I just hear a random string of ...
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What are the differences between natural major, harmonic major and melodic major scales?
The natural major scale on C has the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. What is the difference between natural major, harmonic major, and melodic major scales. What notes of the natural major are changed in ...
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How to use modes to create chords
OK I know major and minor modes will produce different chords but what about other modes? How to derive chords from dorian, phrygian? Lydian? Mixolydian? Locrian?
Edit: The chord order in A minor is i ...
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What's going on in measures 11 - 16 of Beethoven's Sonata Appasionata?
I'm studying the Neapolitan Chord and the textbook includes the following excerpt to analyze. Up until measure 10 I understand what's happening, but I have no clue how to interpret measure 11 and ...
Dom♦
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How to finish the bar with rests
Can you help me check these two bars?
Did I finish these bars with rests correctly? Or haven't I handled these dotted eighth notes correctly?
Dom♦
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What are the guidelines/rules for notating rests?
I know there are rest notation rules in theory, and I’m curious to know what they are, as I’ve never learned them. I read somewhere, for example, with ‘cut time’ there’s not supposed to be dotted ...
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Is 5/4 simple or compound?
I have seen 3 major ways of subdividing the quarter notes in 5/4. 1 is treating it as a simple meter and 2 others treat it as an irregular compound(or technically speaking, complex) meter. I have seen ...
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Ways to use quartal chords
By stacking 4ths in C major, the following quadads result:
C, F, B, E
D, G, C, F
E, A, D, G
F, B, E, A
G, C, F, B
A, D, G, C
B, E, A, D
(I used C major for simplicity, but this can obviously be ...
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(re)Harmonising simple tunes
(don't delete this post, this question phrased like this hasn't been asked before) I know about music theory, chord functions and chord substitutions. But more in general terms. When I ask different ...
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ii-ii6-I progression
I've heard this progression many times and in many ways over the course of my life, but I can't seem to assign a name to it or find out any further information about it or its history. It goes as ...
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What's going on functionally/structurally in these four bars of Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto?
From Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto 1st movement 2nd subject:
I've been trying to understand what's going on structurally in this passage but I'm having trouble figuring out what's going on. In ...
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What would using only one Solmization(Solfège) syllable to sing the lyrics to a song be called?
For example, if one were to sing la or al (or other 1 consonant and 1 syllable combinations) to replace every morpheme of the words in a song. Is there a name for that idea, or is the closest thing ...
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What should this chord be called?
In a piece that I'm composing, I use a very weird chord (arpeggiated) in bar 3 of the below excerpt:
The chord progression is G - C♯7 - ??? - A.
How should this chord be named, and does it include the ...
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Does changing the music's key change the feeling? [duplicate]
If I write a major scale in the key of A, is there any difference if I write that major scale but change the key to F or G or B or F♯? In other words, are there any differences between different keys ...
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Are the discrete hexachords of a tone row always either the same set class or z-related?
In a traditional 12-note tone row, it seems to me that the first six notes will always either be in the same set class as the last six notes, or will be z-related, but I'm having trouble confirming ...
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Proper way to notate a half measure rest in between sections
I'm working on a score in 4/4 and would like to insert a half-measure rest in between sections. What would be the most appropriate/readable way to do this?
Switch to 2/4 and back, like this:
Or just ...
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The Newton Brothers "I'm the candy Man" chord progression analysis
I've been listening to "I'm the candy man" from The Fall of the House of Usher this morning and am hitting a little roadblock trying to think of the theory behind the chord progression.
It ...
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Rests in 10/16 time
I am confused about a solution to a question in my music theory exercise book. The answer is shown in an image below (the one in 10/16 time). From what I understand, the rests should fit into the ...
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Triads with diminished or augmented thirds
I don't even know why I'm asking this question, but here we go:
The four common triads are built with different combinations of a major and/or a minor third:
A major third on the bottom with a minor ...
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How do you explain this Db7 (functional harmony) in "There will never be another you"?
I'm analysing this Jazz Standard. And it's quite straightforward with some major and minor II-V cadences here and there yet there is a chord I don't know how to explain, and it is that Db7 indicated ...
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Confused about the natural symbol (♮) and the omnipresence of the C major scale in music theory
Something is confusing me in our use of accidentals in modern music theory, and more particularly about the use of the natural symbol ♮.
It is not always easy to formulate accurately a mess of ...
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What is the name of this musical scale: E, F, G, G#, B, C#, D?
What is the name of this scale? As far as a root note goes, I think these three arrangements of it sound like they have a root.
E, F, G, G#, B, C#, D...
D, E, F, G, G#, B, C#...
B, C#, D, E, F, G, G#....
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3part counterpoint 4th species fusion resolving note appearing in other parts
This is 16th century 3 part 3rd and 4th species fusion counterpoint.
At the second measure, there's C, The first note on the soprano.
In the bass, there's sustained D, which will resolve to C.
The ...
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Why are triads considered perfect chords and the basis which all extensions are built off of?
Why are triads considered perfect chords and the basis which all extensions are built off of?
I'm sort of posting the question from an ignorant standpoint but I do already have some prior knowledge. I ...
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Why do the chords of one song work with the melody of the other perfectly
Specifically, these 2 songs:
Redbone:
(Chords are B, C#, D#m in original key)
Snooze:
(Chords are G#m7, A#m7, Bmaj7 transposed + 6 ...
CommunityBot
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Emulating a 415 Hz tuner?
Is it possible to use a standard 440 Hz digital tuner to emulate a 415 Hz tuner, even if it doesn't explicitly support setting the A4 frequency?
I'm learning to play the viol, and I can't find a good ...
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How can I find the more comfortable key to sing?
Given that I have the melody of a song, how can I find the more comfortable key to sing?
I want to transpose the melody to be comfortable for the greatest number of people - with all voices (soprano, ...
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How does swapping parts affect an arrangement
So, thinking about a typical arrangement structure, from what I know, is built from bass parts to effectively soprano ones. So within a group of instruments, let's say trumpets, you could have 4th ...
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Why does a guitar scale shape have more than 7 notes?
As the title suggests, I wonder the number of notes in a scale shape on guitar.
Let's take the G major scale in 2 octaves: G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G, there are 15 notes. I found that in many ...
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Does melody come from root progressions?
I’ve noticed that in a melody certain notes stand out and it’s always the root of the current chord or arpeggio. (also, are arpeggios only descending/ascending or can they be in a random order?)
In ...
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Adding missing rests to 9/8 meter
I am trying to figure out the missing rests in a couple of bars with the time signature 9/8.
I think for the first bar there will be a dotted quarter rest. I am not too sure about the next one. Any ...
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Why was "A" called "a good country key"?
Background
I'm a novice. I'm currently learning to play and sing a "country"-style song on guitar.
I'm playing it in G major.
The melody is just over one octave, from E3 though G4.
That's ...
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Why are these two songs nearly identical for 20 whole seconds? Could there be a theoretical explanation?
Disclaimer: this question is not about copyright. I am trying to understand why the voice melodies of the two songs are so similar. I thought the chord progression could be classical, and that there ...
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Purpose of ascending and descending scales?
I understand that ascending scales go from a lower pitch class up to the next pitch class with the same letter name. For example, C to C'. For descending scales it is the reverse.
What I don't get is ...
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