Articles tagged with: "harmony"
I-IV-V-I Chord Progression: The Foundation of Western Music
Explore the I-IV-V-I chord progression, the foundational harmonic sequence that underpins countless songs across genres. Learn how this progression creates musical movement and resolution, its historical significance, and practical applications …
Major Chords: The Building Blocks of Happy Music
Major chords are fundamental building blocks of music with a bright, happy sound. This article explores their structure (root, major third, perfect fifth), inversions, extensions, and applications across genres, providing …
The Lydian Mode: Bright Colors in Modern Harmony
The Lydian mode, characterized by its distinctive raised fourth degree, creates a bright, optimistic sound that has captivated composers and improvisers throughout musical history. This comprehensive guide explores the theoretical …
Minor Chords: The Emotional Core of Music
Minor chords are essential elements in music, known for their melancholic and emotionally rich qualities. This article explores their structure (root, minor third, perfect fifth), variations, historical significance, and applications …
Major Scales: The Melodic Foundation of Western Music
Major scales constitute one of the fundamental pillars of Western music, providing the basis for melody, harmony, and composition across centuries. This article explores the structure of the major scale, …
Perfect Unison - The Foundation of Musical Intervals
Explore the perfect unison interval - the foundation of all musical intervals. Learn about its importance in tuning, harmony, and ensemble playing, with practical examples and applications.
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Modal Scales: Ancient Paths to Modern Expression
Modal scales have shaped musical expression from ancient to modern times, offering distinctive tonal colors beyond major and minor scales. This article explores the seven traditional Western modes—Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, …
Altered Chords: Adding Color and Tension to Your Music
Altered chords add sophistication and tension to music through chromatic modifications of standard chord tones. This comprehensive guide explores their construction, common uses, and practical applications across genres, providing musicians …
Bossa Nova Chord Progressions - The Brazilian Sound
Discover the harmonic sophistication of bossa nova chord progressions. Learn about their structure, variations, and applications in modern music, with examples from classic Brazilian jazz standards.
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Secondary Dominants: Adding Color and Direction to Chord Progressions
Secondary dominants are powerful harmonic tools that add color, tension, and forward momentum to chord progressions. By temporarily "tonicizing" non-tonic chords, secondary dominants create brief harmonic detours that enrich musical …
Extended Chords: Adding Color and Sophistication to Harmony
Extended chords enrich basic triads by adding intervals beyond the seventh, including ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths. This comprehensive guide explores their construction, voicing, and application across musical styles, providing musicians …
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Common Chord Progressions: The Building Blocks of Musical Harmony
Chord progressions are the harmonic foundations that drive musical compositions across nearly all Western musical styles. This comprehensive guide explores the most common and influential chord progressions, from the classic …
The Harmonic Minor Scale: Mystery and Tension in Music
The harmonic minor scale is characterized by its raised seventh degree, creating a distinctive augmented second interval that produces an exotic, mysterious sound. This comprehensive guide explores the scale's structure, …
Understanding Musical Chords: The Building Blocks of Harmony
Chords are the fundamental building blocks of harmony in Western music. This comprehensive guide explores chord construction, types, functions, and applications across musical genres. From basic triads to complex extended …
The Hendrix Chord - Exploring the Dominant 7#9
Discover the iconic Hendrix chord (dominant 7#9) - its structure, history, and practical applications in rock, blues, and beyond. Learn how this distinctive sound revolutionized guitar-based music.
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The Melodic Minor Scale: A Versatile Tool for Musicians
The melodic minor scale is a versatile musical construct that traditionally features an ascending form with raised sixth and seventh degrees and a descending form identical to the natural minor …