Harmony Explained: Progress Towards A Scientific Theory of Music The Major Scale, The Standard Chord Dictionary, and The Difference of Feeling Between The Major and Minor Triads Explained from the First Principles of Physics and Computation; The Theory of Helmholtz Shown To Be Incomplete and The Theory of Terhardt and Some Others Considered Daniel Shawcross Wilkerson Begun 23 September 2006; this version 19 February 2012. Abstract and Introduction Most music theory books are like medieval medical textbooks: they contain unjustified superstition, non-reasoning, and funny symbols glorified by Latin phrases. How does music, in particular harmony, actually work, presented as a real, scientific theory of music? In particular we derive from first principles of Physics and Computation the following three fundamental phenomena of music: the Major Scale, the Standard Chord Dictionary, and the difference in feeling between the Major and Minor Triads. Table of Contents People push different keys on a piano; some combinations and patterns sound good; others do not.
Musical Form There are several ways to approach a composition. Start with overall planning then start sketching. Sketch first then develop an overall plan that fits your ideas. Note: Overall Planning is always in the equation. Sketching without thought of structure leads to aimless stream-of-conscious lack of cohesion. 100+ Gifted Guitarists You Should Know: Part 4 Nominated and selected by the TrueFire community, the following ten players join TrueFire’s 100+ Gifted Guitarists You Should Know list in recognition of their extraordinary talent and musical prowess. They are listed in no particular order. Click here to see the full list and learn more about this series. Norman Brown You really have to hear this musician to fully appreciate his diverse styles. Official Website: Norman Brown on Concord Music Group Performance Video: Tomo Fujita Tomo Fujita possesses all the elements of great musicianship: astounding technical ability, flawless rhythm skills, and a total command of his instrument. Tomo earned a degree at Berklee College of Music and has been a faculty member at Berklee since 1993. Official Website: www.TomoFujita.com Pete Huttlinger Guitar Player Magazine said, “In Pete Huttlinger’s hands, a fingerpicked flat-top becomes a mini-orchestra. Official Website: www.PeteHuttlinger.com Duke Robillard Adam Rafferty Adam Levy
Scales and emotions See also a post about making chords from scales. So maybe you want to write a song or an instrumental in a particular mood or style, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the scales. Here’s a handy guide to the commonly used scales in Western pop, rock, jazz, blues and so on. These scales have a major third (E in the key of C), which makes them feel happy or bright. Major scale Happy; can be majestic or sentimental when slow. Mixolydian mode Bluesy, rock; can also be exotic/modal. Lydian mode Ethereal, dreamy, futuristic. Lydian dominant mode Also known as the overtone scale or acoustic scale, because it is close to the first seven pitches in the natural overtone series. Phrygian dominant mode Exotic, Middle Eastern, Jewish. Harmonic major scale Majestic, mysterious. These scales have a flat third (E-flat in the key of C), which gives them a darker and more tragic feel. Natural minor scale (Aeolian mode) Sentimental, tragic. Dorian mode Hip, sophisticated, jazzy. Harmonic minor scale Phrygian mode
The Chord Guide: Pt I – Chord Progressions Chord progressions are the canvas on which musicians paint their masterpieces, and it’s a canvas which is a piece of art in itself. A chord progression can be subtle and in the background or it can be blatant and up front; it can be simple and catchy, or it can be technical and complex, it can stay in one key or it can change like the seasons. In any of these cases a chord progression is what drives the song as it literally shapes the music that accompanies it. Chord progressions are like a cozy home where melody and rhythm can kick their feet up. All the songwriting giants, like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, have/had a tremendous knowledge of the art of the chord progression. This guide is meant to inject an interest in songwriting in new and old guitarists alike, I hope that at some point after reading this you will pick up your old guitar, blow off the dust, and join me in playing music. Chord Progression Guide Major Chord Chart Like this:
Good Ear - Online Ear Training Site Top 50 Youtube Guitar Channels The Top 50 Youtube Guitar Channels covers lessons, magazines, manufacturers, guitar stores, reviews, guitarists, and pretty much everything guitar centric. All of the channels below had reached at least 2 million total views by March of 2012. Our focus was on channels producing high quality guitar videos at regular intervals. 1. 6. Guitar Chords 11. 16. 21. 26. 31. 36. 41. 46. Guitar/Guitar Chords Song Library The following is a list of notable easy to learn guitar songs from the 1950s to the present. It also contains links to external websites containing different informal chords to songs which represent many different authors' own interpretations of the original songs. Most of the chords on the list are relatively easy to learn, and would be a great start for novice guitar players who are interested in improving their playing abilities. The technical difficulty and skill level required to play each of the songs is defined with a star rating system: - Easy Song - Intermediate Song - Difficult Song Basic Guitar Chord Patterns You will find 5 simple major chord styles on your guitar. also minor chord variation of those 5 basic patterns. You’ll discover that you will find chords that be seemingly missing such as for instance F chords and B chords in addition to chords with sharps or flats. for instance) you've to utilize a barre chord. site. The 5 Essential Major Chord Patterns basic guitar chords g
Outline of basic music theory - www.oscarvandillen.com Professional music theory: an outline of basic music theory. Preface and Chapter 1 of the Outline of basic music theory – by Oscar van Dillen ©2011-2014 The beginner’s learning book can be found at Basic elements of music theory. Overview of chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Sound and hearing Chapter 3: Musical notation Chapter 4: Basic building blocks of melody and harmony Chapter 5: Consonance and dissonance Chapter 6: Circle of fifths and transposition Chapter 7: Concerning rhythm, melody, harmony and form Chapter 8: Further study Preface This outline offers a concise and complete overview of basic music theory. In order to speed up consulting this online book, its chapters can as of now be found on separate pages; unfortunately the original one-page version exceeded acceptable download times, because of the length of the total materials presented. © Oscar van Dillen 2011-2014 Chapter 1: Introduction integrating hearing-reading-singing-writing
Sight Reading Practice - Piano Music Sight-Reading Practice Piano Music Sight-Reading Practice IntroductionThis free online electronic flashcard (flash card) trains you to instantly read notes written in standard musical notation on a grand staff and play the corresponding keys on a piano (or other musical keyboard) correctly, the first time, without practice or rehearsal. This skill is known as "sight reading ." Unlike other sight-reading practice programs, you don't need to purchase, download, or install software. You can use our online sight-reading practice software for free without registering or disclosing any personal information. Since our sight-reading practice program runs on our server instead of your computer, you can practice any time from any browser with internet access. A few minutes a day with this training exercise will greatly improve your piano music sight reading skills. Use this drill as a daily exercise to improve your sight reading. See our help page for more information about sight reading and how to use this site.
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