Thinking about how chords relate to the notes in your melody is an important aspect of voice leading with intention — here’s a quick guide.
Tag: beginner theory
Articles with entry-level theory. Use for courses on guitar, piano, reading music.
Hidden In Plain Sight: The Greatest Musical Easter Egg Ever
Discover the hidden music theory gem holding together one of the greatest TV theme songs of all time, and who gets the last laugh about it.
A Beginner’s Guide to Chords and Modal Interchange
Making chords from the scale you’re in is fine, but borrowing notes and bringing them in from other scales and modes, now that’s fun!
How to Create Tensions With Your Chords
In this edition of Soundfly Basics, we run down the usefulness and potential applications of utilizing tension in your chord progressions.
The Hidden Grammar of Music
What a music theory book at age 13 taught me about how to look at chords, chord progressions and the emotions they’re capable of manifesting.
How to Use Borrowed Chords
A handy guide for using borrowed chords in parallel scales and modes, to make your chord progressions more refreshing and unpredictable.
How Secondary Dominants Can Make Your Chord Progressions Less Boring
It’s not hard to break out of predictable chord patterns with a new mindset on harmony, and a bit of easy help from secondary dominants, too.
How to Make Chords From Scales
Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick guide to making chords within the various scales and modes you might encounter in music theory.
How Do Key Signatures Work?
Learning to read or write music? Here’s a quick-yet-deep primer on how key signatures work across major, minor, modal, blues and other tonalities.
Why Leon Bridges’ Powerful New Song “Sweeter” Works on Every… Single… Level
We break down the devices that help Leon Bridges and Terrace Martin’s song, “Sweeter,” function on every level, musically, poetically, and emotionally.