Music Matters
Writing a Melody Over a Chord Progression - Music Composition
How to compose and develop melody over a set of chords. Are you someone who can come up with a chord progression but you’re not quite sure how to improvise or write a melody to go with it? In this music composition lesson, we take a...
Music Matters
The Interrupted Cadence - Music Theory
Learn all about the interrupted cadence, also known as the deceptive cadence, which chords it uses and how it sounds. Would you like to write an interrupted cadence? Would you like to be able to hear interrupted cadences? Cadences...
Curated Video
Reading Words with R-Controlled Syllables: The OR Sound
In this video, the teacher explains how to read words with the R controlled syllable, specifically focusing on the OR sound like in "fork." The teacher emphasizes the importance of recognizing the OR syllable and blending the sounds...
Music Matters
Reading Extended and Chromatic Chords on a Lead Sheet - Music Performance
How to grasp extended chords and chromatic chords from a Lead Sheet. Using the opening section of the jazz standard “Fly me to the moon” you will learn how to read a rich chord language and how to organise the spacing and texture of...
Music Matters
A Triple Time Rule Breaker - Inside the Mind of Bach
Occasionally you'll find that even Bach doesn't follow the rules of four-part harmony however he often has a good reason to break them. This video takes a look at one of his Chorales in which some rules are broken in order to achieve a...
Music Matters
Extended Chords Made Clear - Music Theory
Always wondered what we mean by the term extended chords? Want to use extended chords but not sure how to? Are you a composer who can use chords but want your chords to be more interesting and more colourful? Want to be able to use...
Two Minute Music Theory
Ionian Mode vs. Major Scale
What is the Difference between the Ionian Mode and the Major Scale
Music Matters
How Edvard Grieg Builds Character - Composer Insights
How Grieg builds musical character in “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen”, number 6 of his op.65 Lyric Pieces written in celebration of his own 25th wedding anniversary. The celebratory character is explored through the tonality, the...
Music Matters
Mozart the Master of Simplicity - Composer Insights
Does it get any better than Mozart? This composer insights lesson explores the first movement of Mozart’s K545 Sonata in C. The simple phrase structure and melodic design are unpacked in the context of the overall Sonata Form. Triadic...
Music Matters
Making Music with 7th Chord Chains - Music Composition
Making music with 7th chord chains and advanced chord progressions in any style, from baroque to cocktail piano. The chain of 7ths has been used by composers since the Baroque period as a means of providing a rich sequence of 7th chords...
Music Matters
How to Build Diminished and Augmented Chords - Music Theory
Learn how to build diminished and augmented chords. This music theory lessons show you how to start with major triad and modify it into an augmented or diminished triad, before showing an alternative method of calculation by counting...
Music Matters
A Beginner's Guide to Four-Part Harmony - Music Theory
Beginner's guide to four-part harmony. This music theory lesson explains the basics of how to write four-part harmony to fit with a given melody. Often people can write a tune they are happy with but they are not sure which chords to use...
Music Matters
What is a Secondary Dominant? - Music Theory
Find out what makes a secondary dominant and how best to use them. A secondary dominant is a way of adding a touch of harmonic colour to a piece of music. It occurs when a V-l progression occurs in a key other than the prevailing key....
Odd Quartet
How Minor Key Chord Progressions Work - Music Theory Crash Course
Last time we talked about chord progressions in a major key. Today we will look at chord progressions in a minor key. In this video we will find the key signature for the minor key, build the diatonic chords of that key, make a chord...
Two Minute Music Theory
What Is The Dorian Mode - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #30
On our tour of the Modes, we come today to the Dorian Mode. We'll look at how to build it, some things we can do with it, and some music that uses the mode. Season 3, Episode 10
Music Matters
What is a Cadential 6-4? - Music Theory
What is a cadential 6-4? What does it sound like? How does it function? What do we mean by “cadential” and 6-4? This music theory lesson explains the cadential 6-4 and answers all those questions. The melodic, as well as the harmonic...
Music Matters
Consecutive Fifths and Consecutive Octaves - Music Theory
Consecutive fifths and consecutive octaves. This music theory lesson presents a short passage of four-part harmony that is filled with consecutive fifths and consecutive octaves (also known as parallel fifths and parallel octaves)....
Odd Quartet
The Most Important Chord Progression - Music Theory Crash Course
There is one chord progression that gets used in almost every style of music from classical, jazz, hip hop, pop music, and EDM. It is the V - I chord progression. Today, we are going to break this down to see why it works and how it...
Two Minute Music Theory
Chords: Augmented and Diminished - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #40
The Second installment in our Building Chords Series. Today we look at the Augmented and Diminished Chords, and how they related to the Major and Minor Chords.
Two Minute Music Theory
Building Seventh Chords - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #41
Season 3, Episode 21 - Two Minute Music Theory The third installment in our Building Chords Series. Today we look at building all types of Seventh Chords, which are extensions of the basic triad.
Two Minute Music Theory
Building Chords: Chord Inversions - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #42
Season 3, Episode 22 - Two Minute Music Theory The third installment in our Building Chords Series. Today we look at what happens when the chord isn't stacked like it normally is. When notes aren't in their normal position, we call that...
Music Matters
Passing Notes (Non-Harmonic Tones) - Music Theory
What are passing notes? Find out how they work and how best to use them. Melodic notes must either belong to the prevailing chord or should be inessential notes. The most common inessential note is the passing note, which moves by step....
Music Matters
How Elgar Evokes a Musical Picture of Love - Composer Insights
This composer insights lesson shows how Elgar creates a picture of innocent and passionate love at this significant moment in his life and explores the opening of Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour”, written as his engagement gift to his intended...
Curated Video
Using Circle Theorems: Focus on the Chord Bisector
This video is a lecture presentation on using circle theorems, with a focus on the chord bisector O. The presenter explains how a circle can be split into two segments by a chord, and how the perpendicular from the center to the chord...