Articles tagged with: "jazz"
The i-VI-ii-V7 Progression: Jazz's Most Essential Minor Key Sequence
Master the i-VI-ii-V7 progression, jazz's most essential minor key sequence. Learn how this sophisticated harmonic journey creates the perfect foundation for ballads and emotional musical expression.
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Understanding the Major Thirteenth Interval
Explore the major thirteenth interval: its definition, classification, examples, historical context, and practical applications in music composition and jazz harmony.
Altered Scale: The Ultimate Jazz Dominant Scale
Master the altered scale, the ultimate jazz dominant scale that contains all possible chord alterations. Learn its construction from melodic minor, applications in bebop and modern jazz, and techniques for …
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Bebop Dominant Scale: The Chromatic Jazz Language
Master the bebop dominant scale, the eight-note scale that defines bebop style. Learn how this chromatic scale creates smooth eighth-note lines with perfect rhythmic alignment for authentic jazz improvisation.
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Unlocking the Sound of Jazz: A Guide to the Bebop Minor Scale
An expert guide to the Bebop Minor scale, a crucial tool for jazz improvisation. Learn its construction, see practical examples, and understand its role in creating authentic bebop lines.
The iii-vi-ii-V Progression: Circle of Fifths in Motion
Master the sophisticated iii-vi-ii-V progression that demonstrates the power of the circle of fifths in creating smooth, flowing harmonic movement. Essential for understanding advanced harmony and voice leading.
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Unlocking the Secrets of the Minor 13th Chord
Explore the fascinating world of the minor 13th chord! This article provides a comprehensive guide to its structure, function, and application in jazz and contemporary music. Learn through practical examples …
Unlocking the Lydian Dominant (Lydian b7): A Comprehensive Guide
Explore the Lydian Dominant (Lydian b7) scale: its definition, application in composition and improvisation, and its unique sonic character. Discover its historical context and unlock new creative possibilities.
Unlocking Symmetrical Sounds: A Deep Dive into the Whole-Half Diminished Scale (Synthetic Scale 1)
A deep dive into the Whole-Half Diminished Scale (Synthetic Scale 1), exploring its unique symmetrical structure, its use in jazz and classical music, and how to apply it in practice.
Unlocking Harmonic Journeys: A Guide to the Extended II-V Progression
Explore the Extended II-V, a powerful jazz harmony tool that chains chord progressions together to create compelling harmonic journeys. Learn its structure, see examples, and discover how jazz legends used …
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Rhythm Changes: The Foundation of Jazz Progression
Learn about Rhythm Changes, the fundamental jazz progression based on "I Got Rhythm" that serves as the harmonic foundation for countless jazz compositions and provides essential training for improvisation and …
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12-Bar Blues Progression: The Foundation of American Popular Music
The 12-bar blues progression is the foundational harmonic structure of American popular music, using I-IV-V chord relationships over 12 measures. This essential framework has shaped blues, jazz, rock, and R&B, …
Unlocking the Bebop Dorian Scale: A Guide for Jazz Improvisers
Discover the Bebop Dorian scale, an essential eight-note scale for jazz improvisation. This article breaks down its structure, shows you how to use it over minor chords, and provides practical …
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Bebop Major Scale: Elegant Chromaticism in Jazz
Master the bebop major scale, an eight-note scale that adds elegant chromaticism to major harmony. Learn how this sophisticated scale creates smooth melodic lines and authentic bebop vocabulary over major …
Minor Major Seventh Chord: The Mysterious Harmony
Explore the mysterious and sophisticated minor major seventh chord (mMaj7), a unique harmony that combines a minor triad with a major seventh interval, creating an intriguing sound used extensively in …
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Minor Ninth Interval: Expanding Beyond the Octave
Explore the minor ninth interval, a compound interval spanning thirteen semitones that adds sophisticated color to extended harmony. Learn its construction, resolution patterns, and essential role in jazz and contemporary …
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The Dominant Eleventh Chord: A Guide to Its Sound, Soul, and Function
Explore the dominant eleventh chord (V11), a complex harmony that adds color and tension to music. This guide covers its theory, common voicings, and role in jazz and funk.
Minor Blues Progression: The Soul of Emotional Expression
Discover the haunting beauty of minor blues progressions that transform traditional blues into sophisticated, emotionally rich harmonic landscapes. Essential for jazz, fusion, and contemporary music expression.
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Unlocking the Secrets of the 7#11 Chord
Explore the 7#11 chord: its definition, function in jazz and beyond, historical context, and practical applications for musicians. Learn to use this powerful alteration to enhance your compositions and improvisations.
Dominant Ninth Chord: Adding Color to Dominant Harmony
Discover the dominant ninth chord (9), an essential extended harmony that adds sophisticated color to dominant function. Learn its construction, applications in jazz and blues, and how it enhances traditional …
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Exploring Modal Jazz: The Genius of "So What"
Explore the revolutionary world of modal jazz through its most iconic example, Miles Davis's "So What." This article breaks down its simple yet profound structure, introduces the key figures behind …
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Half-Diminished Chord: The Sophisticated Minor Seventh Flat Five
Discover the half-diminished chord (m7♭5), the sophisticated balance between tension and stability. Essential for jazz ii-V-i progressions and classical harmony, this chord adds depth without overwhelming complexity.
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Minor Ninth Chord: Dark Sophistication in Extended Harmony
Learn about the minor ninth chord (m9), a sophisticated extended harmony that combines minor seventh chord richness with the bright color of a ninth interval, essential in jazz, R&B, and …
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Tritone (Augmented Fourth): The Devil's Interval
The tritone, spanning six semitones, is Western music's most historically controversial interval. From medieval prohibition to modern acceptance, this "devil's interval" became essential in dominant seventh chords, blues scales, and …
Minor Sixth Interval: The Melancholic Beauty
The minor sixth interval spans eight semitones and creates a distinctive melancholic yet beautiful sound. This emotionally expressive interval appears prominently in romantic music, jazz harmony, and contemporary songwriting, serving …
Diminished Chord: The Mysterious and Unstable Harmony
The diminished chord, built from stacked minor thirds, creates one of music's most unstable and tension-filled harmonies. Used in classical music, jazz, and film scores, these mysterious chords excel at …
Minor Seventh Chord
The minor seventh chord is a versatile four-note harmony with a minor triad plus minor seventh, creating smooth, contemplative sounds essential in jazz and contemporary music.
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ii-V-I Progression
Master the ii-V-I progression - the cornerstone of jazz harmony that creates compelling tension and resolution through its perfect voice leading and harmonic function.
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Major Seventh Chord: The Jazz Standard of Sophistication
The major seventh chord adds sophistication to basic major triads by including the major seventh interval. This elegant harmony is fundamental to jazz, bossa nova, and contemporary music, creating a …
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 …
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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The Blues Scale: The Sound of American Soul
The blues scale, with its characteristic "blue note" added to the minor pentatonic, is a fundamental musical tool that captures the expressive essence of blues and has influenced countless genres …
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 …
Diminished Scales: Symmetrical Patterns in Music
The diminished scale is an eight-note symmetrical scale that alternates between whole and half steps, creating unique harmonic and melodic possibilities. This comprehensive guide explores its structure, historical development from …