Articles tagged with: "piano"
The Musical Alphabet: A Beginner's Guide to Note Names (A-B-C-D-E-F-G)
Unlock the language of music by learning the musical alphabet. This guide breaks down the simple A-B-C-D-E-F-G note naming system used in Western music. We'll explore how to find notes …
Suspended Chords: A Guide to Creating Tension and Motion in Music
Suspended chords, or "sus" chords, are a vital tool for any songwriter, composer, or musician. By replacing the defining third of a chord with either a more neutral second (sus2) …
Mastering the 6/9 Chord: Theory, Application, and Musical Examples
The 6/9 chord is a beautiful and versatile extended chord that adds color and richness to music across various genres. It combines elements of both the major sixth and major …
Instrument Ranges and Clefs: A Comprehensive Guide for Musicians
Instrument ranges and clefs are fundamental concepts in music theory that help musicians understand the pitch boundaries of instruments and how to notate them. A range refers to the span …
Mastering the 7#11 Chord: The Complete Guide to Lydian Dominant Harmony
The 7#11 chord, also known as the dominant seventh sharp eleven or lydian dominant chord, is a rich and colorful extension of the dominant seventh chord. This sophisticated harmony adds …
The Neapolitan Major Scale: A Comprehensive Guide for Musicians
The Neapolitan Major scale is a fascinating and somewhat exotic scale that offers a unique sound palette for composers and improvisers. This scale, also known as the Lydian Dominant scale, …
The Blues Scale: The Sound of American Soul
The blues scale is a fundamental musical tool that captures the expressive, soulful heart of the blues and has profoundly influenced countless genres, from jazz and soul to rock and …
The Ultimate Guide to the ii-V-I Progression
The ii-V-I progression (pronounced "two-five-one") is more than just a sequence of chords; it's the fundamental grammatical sentence of jazz and tonal music. Found in countless standards, from...
Mastering the Locrian Mode: The Darkest Scale in Music Theory
The Locrian mode is the seventh and final mode of the major scale, known for its dark, unstable, and dissonant sound. Often considered the "darkest" of the seven modes, it …
Sus2 Chord: The Open and Airy Suspended Harmony
The sus2 chord (suspended second) is a triad that replaces the defining third with a major second. This simple substitution removes the major or minor quality, creating a uniquely open, …
Mastering the Natural Minor Scale: The Complete Beginner's Guide
The Natural Minor Scale, also known as the Aeolian mode, is one of the most fundamental scales in music theory. It creates the distinctive sad, melancholic, or introspective sound characteristic …
Mastering the Minor 11th Chord: Theory and Application
The Minor 11th chord is a rich and complex extended chord that adds depth and color to musical compositions. This guide will explore its construction, historical context, and practical applications...
Mastering the Neapolitan Minor Scale: Theory and Practice
The Neapolitan Minor scale is a fascinating and somewhat exotic scale that offers a unique sound palette for composers and improvisers. It is a variation of the harmonic minor scale …
Mastering the Classic Rock I-IV-V Chord Progression
The I-IV-V chord progression is one of the most fundamental and widely used harmonic patterns in music, particularly in classic rock. This progression uses the first (I), fourth (IV), and …
Minor Ninth Chord: Unlocking Dark Sophistication in Your Harmony
The minor ninth chord (m9) is a lush, five-note harmony that infuses the moody quality of a minor seventh chord with the expressive color of a major ninth. This unique …
American Note Names (A-G): The Foundation of Music Theory
Music is a universal language, and like any language, it starts with the basics. In Western music, the foundation is built on the American note names (A-G). These seven letters …
The Minor Pentatonic Scale: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
The minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale that is widely used in various musical genres, especially in blues, rock, and jazz. It is derived from the natural minor scale …
The Major Pentatonic Scale: A Universal Key to Melody
This article is a comprehensive guide to the major pentatonic scale, a fundamental five-note scale that forms the melodic backbone of music across countless genres and cultures. Discover its simple...
The Complete Musician's Guide to Altered Dominant (7alt) Chords
The altered dominant, commonly notated as 7alt, is a sophisticated dominant 7th chord that incorporates one or more altered extensions (b9, #9, b5, #5) to create maximum harmonic tension. This …
Mastering the Mixolydian Mode: From Theory to Practice
The Mixolydian mode is one of the seven musical modes derived from the major scale. It is often described as a major scale with a flattened seventh (♭7), giving it …
Sus4 Chord: The Classic Suspended Harmony
The sus4 chord (suspended fourth) is a triad where the third is replaced by a perfect fourth above the root. This creates a distinctive, open-sounding harmony with a strong tendency …
The Bebop Dominant Scale: Unlocking the Language of Jazz
The Bebop Dominant scale is an eight-note scale that adds a single chromatic passing tone to the standard Mixolydian mode. This addition is the key to creating the smooth, rhythmically …
Mastering the Perfect Eleventh: The Ultimate Interval Guide for Musicians
The Perfect Eleventh is a compound interval that spans an octave plus a perfect fourth. In Western music theory, it's considered one of the most harmonically rich intervals, often used …
The Essential Guide to the vi-IV-I-V Chord Progression in Alternative Rock
The vi-IV-I-V chord progression is one of the most recognizable and widely used progressions in alternative rock and popular music. In the key of C major, this progression would be: …
The Minor Thirteenth: A Comprehensive Guide to This Expressive Interval
A minor thirteenth is a compound interval that spans 20 semitones (or 10 whole steps) above the root note. It is the combination of an octave plus a minor sixth. …
Unlocking the Secrets of the Minor 13th Chord
The minor 13th chord is a lush, sophisticated harmony that often functions as a point of resolution in jazz and contemporary music. This article demystifies its theoretical structure, explains the...