MUSIC THEORY - ultimate guide (68 episodes) - It All Starts with Twelve Notes...
LearningI know for certain that there are many talented musicians among you, even though the theoretical side of music has always put you off. Some others might have a classical education, but dropped music …
Synthetic scales from tetrachords of altered modes - Pa… - Harmony Basics - Part 68
LearningIn the previous article you learned that Lydian tetrachords were absent from the modes of the melodic minor scale. But since we really like the oddest combinations, I suggest we wrap up this brief re…
Synthetic scales from tetrachords of altered modes - Pa… - Harmony Basics - Part 67
LearningLast time we started exploring the tetrachords of the altered modes in general and the synthetic scales created from the tetrachords of the melodic minor scale in particular. You saw that apart from …
Synthetic scales from tetrachords of altered modes - Pa… - Harmony Basics - Part 66
LearningAfter having reviewed in our last article the synthetic scales resulting from the taking apart of natural modes and the redistribution of their tetrachords, let's see what you get when you do the sam…
Synthetic scales from natural modes - Harmony Basics - Part 65
LearningIn the previous article I introduced synthetic scales, which made us dig up an element of scales and modes which we had already touched upon before: tetrachords. So before we move on I think it's imp…
Synthetic scales - Harmony Basics - Part 64
LearningLast time I told you we would discover a couple of somewhat particular scales: the harmonic major and double harmonic major scales. But they belong to a larger group called synthetic scales, which I …
Harmony Basics - Part 63 - The modes of the harmonic minor scale - Part 2
LearningToday we'll continue studying the modes of the harmonic minor scale we began last week. I invite you to discover with me...
Harmony Basics - Part 62 - The modes of the harmonic minor scale - Part 1
LearningAfter having studied in the previous article the altered modes of the melodic minor scale, today we'll look into those of the harmonic minor scale.
The modes of the melodic minor system - Harmony Basics - Part 61
LearningAfter the brief deviation in the last installment, it's time to continue with our favorite altered modes.
The return of the return of the pedal - Harmony Basics - Part 60
LearningDear friends, do allow me to open a brief parenthesis in our harmony series with this article.
Altered modes, the specific case of the half-diminished… - Harmony Basics - Part 59
LearningYou might be wondering why I'm writing about these scales as a "particular case" even though I hadn't mentioned them when talking about the altered and Bartok scales. Well, these two scales often lea…
Altered modes, the specific case of the Bartok scale - Harmony Basics - Part 58
LearningIn the previous article we started studying two particular cases among altered modes. Remember that altered modes are those built from a scale that is not major. The two cases in question are the alt…
Altered modes, the specific case of the altered scale - Harmony Basics - Part 57
LearningIn the last article, I introduced you to the modes of harmonic and melodic minor scales. Before we begin to study each of them, I invite you to discover two of them more in detail right now, namely t…
Introducing altered modes - Harmony Basics - Part 56
LearningIn the previous article we made a brief pause in the study of the characteristics of the different modes to introduce two particularly useful forms of writing in the modal system: the pedal and the o…
Pedal and ostinato in the modal system - Harmony Basics - Part 55
LearningIn the last couple of articles we started to see how modes work, especially considering their harmonic characteristics and the cadences which support them.
Modal cadences 2 - Harmony Basics - Part 54
LearningIn this article we'll continue on the same path as last week, reviewing the characteristic cadences of each mode.
Modal cadences 1 - Harmony Basics - Part 53
LearningThere's probably not one single article in the first 45 articles of this series, which dealt essentially with the tonal system, where I didn't mention cadences.
Harmonic rules for the Aeolian and Locrian modes - Harmony Basics - Part 52
LearningIn the previous article you saw the rules for the Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian modes. Today we'll look at the Aeolian and Locrian modes.
Harmonic rules for the Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian … - Harmony Basics – Part 51
LearningIn the previous article we started to discuss the specific rules that apply to the different harmonic modes. Today we'll continue with the Dorian, Lydian and Mixolydian modes. If you just took up rea…
Harmonic rules for the Ionian and Dorian modes - Harmony Basics - Part 50
LearningIn the previous articles we began to study the different means to identify modes. As we continue our way into the depths of modal harmony, today we'll start discovering the harmonic rules that determ…
Harmony Basics - Part 49 - Other methods to identify modes
LearningIn the previous article we started to see how you can differentiate modes from each other. And we'll keep on doing the same today.
Characteristic notes in the modal system - Harmony Basics - Part 48
LearningAfter the very brief historical and philosophical considerations of the previous article, it's time to get back to more concrete aspects.
Historical and philosophical perspectives on modes - Harmony Basics - Part 47
LearningIn the previous article, I introduced you to modal harmony and recovered, with a slight change of perspective, the concepts of mode, scale and key you saw at the beginning of this series. Before cont…
Introduction to modes and modal harmony - Harmony Basics - Part 46
LearningToday I invite you to continue on this harmonic trip with a completely new topic. But it's not just any topic! In fact, it might just shatter some of your most deeply entrenched beliefs and fundament…
Voicings for piano (end) - Harmony Basics - Part 45
LearningAs you already saw, due to orchestration (delegating the root to the instrument carrying the bass line) or simplification (making voicings lighter), you can take away all sort of notes from your voic…
