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.
Tag: music theory
Articles about the theory behind popular songs, history of theory within genres, etc.
A Harmonic Analysis of Michael Jackson’s Protest Song “They Don’t Care About Us”
Through means of Dancehall rhythms, modal interchange, and ostinato, Michael Jackson gives us glimpses of Black American heritage in his protest song.
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.
How Portishead Uses Chromatic Voice Leading in “Glory Box”
In this lesson plucked from Soundfly’s The Creative Power of Advanced Harmony course, we go over the chromatic device in Portishead’s melodic writing.
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.
Beat Makers, Try Thinking About Chords and Melody First
You might be an expert at programming drum beats, but if you think back on your favorite songs, they all probably have much stronger melodies and chords.
3 Scale Modes That Will Deepen the Emotions of Your Pop Song
If you’re looking to impart a sinister, mysterious, bittersweet, or jazzy quality into your songwriting, do it using scale modes! Here’s how.
5 Free Online Resources for Learning Music Theory (Plus a Bonus)
We’ve scowered the web to find these five great websites where you can improve your knowledge and grasp of music theory concepts entirely for free!
Announcing NYU MusED Lab’s Theory aQWERTYon
NYU MusED Lab’s famed web-based music toy, the aQWERTYon, just got a reboot. Now you can play with it and learn theory and chords. Enjoy!
Scale Mode Cheat Sheet: How to Remember Each and Every Mode
Modes and Key Signatures have a variety of different characteristics and are great for outside-the-box songwriting. Here’s a cheat sheet to remember them!