64 Answered Questions for the topic harmony

05/24/19

Why does Cdim7 contain an A instead of a Bb?
CM7 - C, E, G, B C7 - C, E, G, Bb Cm7 - C, Eb, G, Bb Caug7 - C, E, G#, Bb But... Cdim7 - C, Eb, Gb, A. Why Does Cdim7 contain an A and not a Bb?
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05/24/19

What key is a piece in if an augmented chord is used as a dominant?
I personally think that augmented chords can be just as consonant as major if used in a certain way. For example, in the first octave of a piano, if I play an augmented chord, yes it will want to... more
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05/24/19

Understanding chord prolongations?
Harmonically oriented neo-Schenkerian analysis and generative theories have in common the concept that a single chord can be "prolonged" over a given span of music, even if not every (or even any)... more
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05/17/19

Is there some trick for counterpoint beyond 2 voices?
I really suck at chord harmony, so whenever I compose, I tend to use counterpoint a lot. Counterpoint is somewhat easy when you just have two voices. Because I just compose for fun, I generally do... more
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05/14/19

Locrian Harmony?
I like utilizing modes in my the pieces I write, but there is one mode I've never been able to fully grasp and utilize and that is the Locrian mode.The chords that naturally occur in the Locrian... more
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05/07/19

How to make the dominant preparation less boring?
This is one thing that I have always noticed when I compose a sonata. Even if I can get through most of the development section in sonata form, the dominant preparation sort of grinds my gears. I'm... more
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05/07/19

How to dramatically change the feeling of a song while keeping the melody largely the same?
How to dramatically change the feeling of a song while keeping the melody largely the same? Let's say we have a happy, upbeat pop song and we want to turn it into a sad song (or vice versa). Is it... more
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05/07/19

Can I have two different instruments play the same melody at the same octave?
I am writing an orchestral track and so far I have written the melody of strings (violins and such) and I want to add trumpets and here are 3 things I consider. 1) Have the trumpets play the same... more
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05/07/19

How to create Chord progressions that make sense?
I've been reading over Walter Piston's Harmony book, and it has been an eye-opener to say the least. I understand concepts like tension and release, voice leading and so forth, but I still don't... more
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05/04/19

Is there some trick for counterpoint beyond 2 voices?
I really suck at chord harmony, so whenever I compose, I tend to use counterpoint a lot.Counterpoint is somewhat easy when you just have two voices. Because I just compose for fun, I generally do... more
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04/21/19

Proper understanding of dissonance?
I have recently had a big eye opener with one of my guitar pieces in how it uses dissonance in a musical way to make interesting music. I have always thought that for music to be dissonant is for... more
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04/19/19

How much are composers aware of the harmony structure they are using?
I am mostly referring to composers writing complex music, for example, classic composers. In particular, I am referring to change of harmony, and change of key. Let's take for example a fugue for... more
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04/18/19

Alternative theories of harmony?
Do you know of any alternative (to functional) descriptive theories of harmony or attempts at creating them? By that I mean attempts to explain both functional and non-functional harmonies in a... more
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04/16/19

What is the Gulf Stream?
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04/15/19

Polyphony vs Monophony?
I am taking a basic music class as an elective and was given a chart to compare monophony and polyphony. The elements within the chart are: Melody, Accompaniment, Harmony, Rhythm of Words, Dynamics... more
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04/14/19

In harmony: key or the flow?
I play ambient music and my approach on creating chord lines is simple, just try to stick on the key and if I want to change the key then make it subtle. But today I tried to create harmony lines... more
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04/13/19

Prokofiev's style?
I have a predilection for music from the first half of the 20th century. I can't pinpoint the exact reason why, I suspect it is from absorbing so much music from movies, tv series and computer... more
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04/12/19

What are some chord substitutions for a I-IV-V blues progression?
I was watching a video of SRV and one of the things that really stood out was the fact that he seemed to have a different iteration of the I-IV-V turnaround - and made it look/sound effortless. Any... more
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04/09/19

Audiation: dealing with key changes when you hear in terms of solfege?
So, I'm a musician who believes very much in the value of audiation: that is, not only hearing pitches in my head, but also hearing them in terms of both the current harmony and the current tonal... more
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04/08/19

What is a secondary dominant chord?
What is a secondary dominant chord? What's the theory behind them? How are they used in composition?
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04/06/19

In harmony: key or the flow?
I play ambient music and my approach on creating chord lines is simple, just try to stick on the key and if I want to change the key then make it subtle. But today I tried to create harmony lines... more
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04/03/19

Books on composition as insightful as Goeschius?
I've been a magpie for books on composition/orchestration, and it seems to me that the books written by Percy Goeschius are the best, most insightful and well-written that I've come across. Hia... more
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03/27/19

Is there a set of closely related keys in modern popular music?
In my knowledge, the closely related keys in classical music are: In C-major: 1. C-major (Tonic, original) `♮` 2. d-minor (Supertonic, relative of subdominant) `♭` 3. e-minor (Mediant, relative... more
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03/27/19

Optimal harmonic audiation techniques?
I am trying to learn to audiate harmonies in order to be able to compose without instruments. I can already audiate melodies, but harmony is a real beast. (*Edit: To be clear, I can recognize... more
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03/26/19

Help with multiple voice harmonization?
I recently started composing using software, before that I only used guitar and memory, so this opened up lots of new possibilities with voices, intervals, ranges, etc. I started composing a... more
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