344 Answered Questions for the topic Theory

05/24/19

Polyphony vs Homophony in Hymns?
I understand that polyphony is multiple melodies, while homophony is a single melody with chordal accompaniment (in my own words). I've read that hymns are generally homophonic, yet I find that... more
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05/24/19

The shortest path between two integers by adding or subtracting?
You are given two integers a and b. You want to find the shortest sequence of operations necessary to transform a into b, where at each step you are allowed to add or subtract 5, 7, or 12. For... more
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05/24/19

What are some effective ways to use a key change during a song?
In my own songwriting, I might change keys to reinforce a change in the direction of the lyrics. For example if the first two verses are first person but the last verse is 3rd person, I might... more
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05/24/19

The recognizing power of "modern" regexes?
What class of languages do real modern regexes actually recognise?Whenever there is an unbounded length capturing group with a back-reference (e.g. `(.*)_\\1`) a regex is now matching a non-regular... more
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05/24/19

Why is (a | b ) equivalent to a - (a & b) + b?
I was looking for a way to do a BITOR() with an Oracle database and came across a suggestion to just use BITAND() instead, replacing BITOR(a,b) with a + b - BITAND(a,b).I tested it by hand a few... more
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05/24/19

Where do musicians draw their melodies from?
It has been in my head for so long. I am a visual artist, animator, I do motion graphics, 3D artwork and most of my work is done visually. I am puzzled by this question. Visual artists, they draw... more
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05/23/19

Where do musicians draw their melodies from?
It has been in my head for so long. I am a visual artist, animator, I do motion graphics, 3D artwork and most of my work is done visually.I am puzzled by this question.Visual artists, they draw... more
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05/21/19

Uses for augmented chords in composition?
I've been studying for music theory for many years and I enjoy just writing little chord progressions and melodies to see what certain progressions sound like and how interesting I can make them.... more
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05/21/19

Are doubly augmented and doubly diminished intervals practical?
In music theory when naming intervals, a lowered diminished interval is a doubly diminished interval (dd) and a raised augmented interval is a doubly augmented interval (AA). One example is a... more
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05/20/19

Uses for augmented chords in composition?
I've been studying for music theory for many years and I enjoy just writing little chord progressions and melodies to see what certain progressions sound like and how interesting I can make them.... more
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05/17/19

Is there any way to improve composing?
Beside playing drums I'm toying with software to create music. The problem is when I need to advance further. I may have some good, let's say "riffs" (or pieces, or melodies, or ideas), and I'm... more
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05/17/19

If A minor doesn't have any accidentals, is it still minor?
As part of a music course, we have to compose a 3 minute long piece based on a river's journey. Having finished the composition, we now have to write a set of sleeve notes - basically an analysis... more
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05/15/19

Want to learn composing and producing music with a DAW. Where do I start?
I am a computer engineer and a passionate music listener. I have been listening to movie scores and soundtracks for many years now and it has really inspired me to want to learn more about music... more
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05/14/19

Does it really make difference to play a song in a different key?
I hear sometimes players and composers say that this song won't sound good in F Major for example, and you should play it or write it in G Major (this was just an example). In other words, it seems... 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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05/12/19

What is the relationship between the melody line and the rhythm chords?
Let's say I've written a song with the chord progression I-IV-V in the key of A (just as an example). So, the chords I'm playing are A-D-E. When playing a lead over this rhythm, what notes do I... more
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05/10/19

(Post)-minimalist compositional techniques?
I was wondering if anyone out there knew of any techniques associated with the minimalist tradition. I've been really interested in the philosophical notion of minimalism over the last few months... more
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05/09/19

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
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05/09/19

Is it possible to create a completely new genre of music?
This question might appear really weird, but still I ended up asking me this.Every genre of music as we know today comes from some previous genre (as an evolution, a combination of two different... more
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05/07/19

How to determine what key changes are appropriate?
In the month or so until my band get back together I've been working on writing some new material, and want to try and expand how complex my songs are. I apologise if there are a lot of questions -... more
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05/07/19

Why do some arrangements of notes make a good melody and some don't?
A note by itself is not always particularly pleasant to hear. Why do some specific combinations of notes make a good, pleasant melody? Why are some people good at coming up with such pleasing... more
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05/07/19

Is there any way to improve composing?
Beside playing drums I'm toying with software to create music. The problem is when I need to advance further. I may have some good, let's say "riffs" (or pieces, or melodies, or ideas), and I'm... more
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Expert Answers •1

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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05/05/19

chord progressions - Fm to Bb, sounds different to Cm to F?
I recently started trying my hand at composition and could not figure out why the two chords progressions sounds different:1. F minor followed by B flat major, which is an interval of a 4th2. C... more
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05/01/19

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
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