Articles tagged with: "voice leading"
The Diminished Second: Unraveling Music Theory's Curious Unison
Explore the diminished second, a fascinating music theory interval that sounds like a unison but is crucial for understanding advanced harmony, chord spelling, and enharmonic relationships. This article breaks down …
Diminished Seventh Chord: The Master of Musical Tension
Master the diminished seventh chord, music's most dramatic and versatile harmony. Learn its symmetrical construction, multiple resolutions, and why it's essential for creating tension and smooth voice leading.
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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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Sus4 Chord: The Classic Suspended Harmony
The sus4 chord replaces the third of a major chord with the fourth scale degree, creating a distinctive harmony with a strong pull toward resolution. This chord builds tension through …
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 …
Perfect Fourth Interval: The Foundation of Musical Stability
The perfect fourth interval spans five semitones and represents one of the most stable consonant intervals in Western music. This fundamental interval has historical significance from ancient Greece to modern …
Minor Second Interval: The Tension of Adjacent Notes
The minor second interval spans just one semitone and creates the most dissonant harmonic relationship in Western music. This highly tense interval is fundamental to chromatic movement, leading tone function, …
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 …
Sus2 Chord: The Open and Airy Suspended Harmony
The sus2 chord replaces the third of a major chord with the second scale degree, creating an open, ambiguous harmony that neither sounds major nor minor. This versatile chord adds …
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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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 …