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...

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.

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...

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....

As we continue our Chords series, today we look at the chords that can be made using the major and minor keys - which are called Diatonic Chords.

Always wanted to compose or improvise a professional accompaniment to a melody on the piano? In this music performance lesson we consider not only how to fit chords to a melody but also how to come up with a really effective...

Overview of the Phrygian Mode

The famous Dido’s Lament from ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Henry Purcell. Features of Purcell’s style are unpacked and the word painting & emotional life of the music are explored. A Ground Bass is repeated 11 times, while the melodic line and...

What is the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures? Mathematically it appears that 3/4 and 6/8 are two versions of the same thing. On the face of it, there may appear to be little difference between music in 3/4 time or music in...

So far we have only looked at cadences that end back on the tonic. Today we are going to look at a cadence that goes in a completely DIFFERENT direction - the deceptive cadence. Instead of ending on the tonic, this cadence starts on the...

Since I released the Intro to the Harmonic Series video, I've gotten a lot of questions asking what you can do with it. So, I thought we might look at a practical application of it, Writing and Voicing Chords.

Today we're going to look at voice leading. Voice leading is a way to get from chord to chord in music that makes it sound connected (and can make it easier for musicians to play). First, we will take a chord progression, add a bass line...

How good is your harmony? Are there mistakes that commonly catch you out when writing harmony. This music theory lesson presents a passage of four-part harmony, test your harmony knowledge and try to answer these questions about chords,...

How to find and choose chords to fit a melody. Have you ever written a melody but didn’t really know how to find chords to fit it? If you have a melody and you’re searching for chords to harmonise with it this music composition lesson...

Learn from the master of harmony and find out how Bach uses suspensions to enrich the chords within this chorale. We examine the choice of harmony and modulation, the part writing, the use of inessential notes and suspensions, plus...

How to build augmented and diminished chords

Overview of the Mixolydian Mode

Today we begin looking at Post-Tonal Music Theory (or, fourth semester theory). Atonal music can be super confusing at first. Don't worry, we're starting off slow: we're just looking at Octave Equivalency and Pitch Class today.

Overview of the Dorian Mode

What is harmonic rhythm and what does it tell you about chord changes during a chord progression? Harmonic rhythm is all about when and how often chords change in a piece. Sometimes the harmonic rhythm is slow; at other times it moves...

Dr. Joanne Smith, president and CEO of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, speaks with Stefanie Ilgenfritz, the WSJ's health and science bureau chief, about decoding and rewiring the brain.

What does pandiatonicism mean in music? How did pandiatonicism come about and which composers used it? This music theory lesson explains pandiatonicism, ‘pan’ meaning ‘all’ and ‘diatonic’ meaning inside a key. Examples are explored which...

Hey there! Looking for fun, awesome piano lessons for kids ages 6-10? Check out this video!

In this video, Bill Carmody discusses how cable companies are getting it wrong and are ripe for disruption. He highlights how these companies force customers to pay for services they don't want or need, while failing to adapt to changing...