344 Answered Questions for the topic Theory

04/13/19

Notating Augmented Chords?
When writing an Augmented chord, which inversion of the chord should I use? The problem came up while I was composing (piano). I came to an augmented chord and couldn't think of which version to... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

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
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •1

04/12/19

Is it acceptable to change tempo in the middle of a song or is this a bad idea?
I wrote a song that could be classified as Pop or Country that starts out at a medium slow tempo in the first two verses and bridge.Then there is a section after the bridge that can best be... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/12/19

Looking for a high level Music Programming language?
I'm looking for a high-level programming language. I did some googling and found a number of examples (some summarized here http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~sasha/proj/musicpaper.pdf) but haven't found... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •1

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
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2
Theory Music Theory

04/11/19

Is the Benny Hill Theme inherently comedic?
The question is in the title. I have tried to answer it for myself, using my knowledge of music theory, and have come up with nothing. I thought it might be the V & I bass pattern, the... more
Follows • 2
Expert Answers •1

04/11/19

How did Rameau's Treatise on Harmony (1722) influence the mass production of musical instruments?
Rameau's Treatise on Harmony (1722) initiated a revolution in music theory but in what ways did that translate into popularizing music ... particularly the mass production of musical instruments?... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/11/19

what are the hand-signs in solfege?
I've searched in SE for solfege and names of altered notes or tones. This point seems to be cleared. But I couldn't find any about hand-signs for solfege. **What are the solfege hand-signs?** In... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/11/19

What gives a piece of music its personality and feeling?
What makes a piece of music sound angry, dark, sad, happy, or otherwise? "La Chute" by Yann Tiersen sounds so angry to me and "A Dark Knight" from "The Dark Knight" movie sounds so dark and... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/11/19

Who did introduce the mediant keys in to music harmony progression?
Which composer(s) introduced as the first time mediant chords and mediant keys in their compositions - or in which period the use of this kind of modulation was coming up?
Follows • 2
Expert Answers •1

04/09/19

What are the elementary skills of composition?
I'm interested in learning music composition, but in spite of music being as old as time itself the majority of resources I've come across so far seem to suggest that a beginner learn sections of... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/08/19

Dominant Chord in minor key?
In a minor key, e.g. E minor, if you take the dominant triad, it contains the leading note. Is the leading note of the **natural minor** or the major for the dominant triad? So for E minor... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

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?
Follows • 2
Expert Answers •3

04/07/19

Classification of 9th, 11th, and 13th intervals by consonance and dissonance?
An interval is classified by its consonance or dissonance: as an open consonance (unison, perfect fifth, octave), a soft consonance (major and minor third and sixth), mild dissonance (major second... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/07/19

Is there a name for the progression ♭VI–♭VII–I?
The so-called Andalusian cadence occurs when one harmonizes the descending tetrachord from tonic down to dominant with I–♭VII–♭VI–V. Yet the progression ♭VI–♭VII–I seems just as common. It's... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •3

04/06/19

How do you properly define diminished 9th, 11th and 13th chords?
I understand that a diminished 7th chord is defined by the intervals 1-b3-b5-bb7 and a half-diminished 7th chord is 1-b3-b5-b7, but how do you determine what intervals diminished (and... more
Follows • 3
Expert Answers •2

04/06/19

Fundamental and In-Depth Music Theory for an Absolute Beginner?
I know nothing about music theory, but I have been playing the guitar for over 5 years and have been only working with tabs. I want to learn music theory **from scratch, fundamentally and... more
Follows • 2
Expert Answers •2

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
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/04/19

How many people does it take to establish a theory?
There are often theories published by scientists in both the hard sciences and social sciences based on new understanding of fundamental science and better data collecting mechanisms that runs in... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •1

04/04/19

Is it acceptable to change tempo in the middle of a song or is this a bad idea?
I wrote a song that could be classified as Pop or Country that starts out at a medium slow tempo in the first two verses and bridge. Then there is a section after the bridge that can best be... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/04/19

When did the half-step/whole-step modulation in the middle of a song become popular?
Many pop songs in modern times will use a half step or a whole step modulation in the middle of a song in order to increase excitement. I would like to know when this strategy started, and if it is... more
Follows • 2
Expert Answers •2

04/04/19

How to self-teach music theory on guitar?
So I've tried a lot of resources out there( the free ones) on the internet, from YouTube to PDFs. But my progress is not much. The basic stuff like major scale is clear to me only in theory, but I... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •3

04/04/19

Is it possible to write a melody which can't be notated?
Is it possible to have a piece which can't be notated using the musical notes we currently have?
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/03/19

What exactly should I have to learn to understand why certain combination of chords are harmonic when played in a sequence?
I am an intuitive music composer trying to move to a technical music composer. As a dummy, I see music as a composition of 'pieces' (my word). Each piece is a set of notes that are melodical when... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •2

04/03/19

tips for writing the drum notes to a song in a band?
I play the drums in a band, and the song has already been written and everything that the vocalist, guitarist and bassist will play. The drums were left out and I have to write them to fit the... more
Follows • 1
Expert Answers •4

Still looking for help? Get the right answer, fast.

Ask a question for free

Get a free answer to a quick problem.
Most questions answered within 4 hours.

OR

Find an Online Tutor Now

Choose an expert and meet online. No packages or subscriptions, pay only for the time you need.