A chord progression is popularly considered a series of chords played in some temporal order. Chords often relate to each other in some phenomenological, tonally-coherent way—though this may not always be the case, especially when discussing more complex tonal music after 1840. Chord progressions are central to most modern European-influenced music. Generally speaking, a chord progression will invariably share some notes (assuming equal temperament), which provides linear (voice leading) continuity to the passage. In the common practice period, chord progressions Continue
Songwriting thought of the Day
Writing a Melody? – use a starting point
Start with a clear idea or inspiration: Whether it's a feeling, a phrase, or an image, having a starting point can guide your melody creation process. What inspires you? Try letting it influence your melody!
Parallel harmony is harmony that generally follows the melody, going up when the melody goes up and down when the melody goes down. Because parallel harmonies are not independent of the melody, they do not follow the rules of well-written counterpoint and are generally not considered to be as interesting as independent harmony parts. However, parallel harmonies are easier to play for many instruments (keyboard instruments, guitar, dobro guitar, violin, and cello, to name just a few). Parallel harmonies are Continue
Jazz Harmony is a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom that incorporates traditional harmony as well as non-traditional techniques. Similarities between jazz and traditional harmony include, notational techniques, many chord progressions, and many musical scales. Unlike traditional harmony, additional tensions are added to harmonic progressions. In jazz, chord construction is similar to traditional harmony but includes the wider use of seventh chords as well as chords containing compound intervals. Also, the principles of voice leading, the practice of smoothly moving individual notes Continue
In this site there are free resources to learn music theory, harmony, composing, music analysis, improvisation and many other music topics. Music theory is a field of study that involves an investigation of the many diverse elements of a music, including the development and methodology for analyzing, hearing, understanding, and composing music. While musicology may include any statement, belief, or conception of or about music, music theory is limited to discussions concerning synchronic (or diachronic) events of a specific composition Continue
