Music Matters
Improving a Bass Line - Music Composition
How to take a plain bass line and turn it into something much more interesting. By using quavers and eighth notes this music composition lesson works through how to use extra chord tones, harmony notes and non-chord tones, inessential...
Music Matters
Writing a Rising Sequence - Music Composition
Learn how to evolve a rising sequence above a bass line employing a series of 4-3 suspensions alternating in the upper parts. We explore a Baroque technique that has broader application for harmonic writing, giving ideas for developing...
Music Matters
Using Alberti Bass as a Compositional Technique - Music Composition
Discover how Alberti Bass works and how useful it is in breathing energy into accompaniments. Often composers write a successful melody but the accompaniment is limited to block chords. Using Alberti Bass is one way of liberating the...
Music Matters
Classical Melody Writing Tricks - Music Composition
Classical melody writing tricks and music composition techniques. We begin with an exploration of how melody notes must either belong to the harmony or be identified as inessential notes. We then move on to consider how conjunct and...
KnowMo
Circle Theorems Extension: Intersecting Chords and Beyond
This video is a comprehensive lesson on circle theorems, including an extension on the topic. The presenter covers the key four circle theorems that students should know, including the arrow shape, bow shape, quadrilateral, and...
Music Matters
Extreme Modulation Using Chromatic Harmony - Music Theory
Harmonizing a melody using chromatic chords and advanced harmonic techniques to effect modulation to extreme keys. The melody to be harmonized includes an extreme modulation from Eb to B major before travelling back to Eb major. This...
Let's Tute
Some Stupid Math Mistakes #16
This video gives us an quick revision on 'Circle' from our interesting series 'Some Stupid Math Mistakes'
Music Matters
Minor Key Harmony - Music Theory
Minor key harmony can be very complicated. Many people are reasonably happy about choosing chords to harmonize a melody in a major key but minor keys present particular challenges, especially when trying to figure out your way around the...
Music Matters
How to Recognize Written Chords in Sheet Music - Music Theory
How to recognize written chords in sheet music. This music theory lesson will help you understand how to look at a chord and know what chord is written. By the end of this lesson, you will have a good understanding of how to identify...
Two Minute Music Theory
How To Use The Circle of Fifths - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #19
Now that we've built the circle, how do we use it? What all can we do with the Circle of Fifths?
Music Matters
The Best Chords to Follow Chord III (in Minor Keys) - Music Composition
Are you struggling to get started in writing a chord progression? If you want to use chord III what are the best options for chords to follow? This music composition lesson gives you plenty of options for chords that progress well from...
Music Matters
Choosing the Right Chords in Minor Keys - Music Composition
How do we go about choosing chords and how can you be sure if you've got the right for a given situation? A lot of people are happier doing this in major keys than they are in minor keys so in this music composition lesson we're going to...
Music Matters
Roman Numeral Chord Notation - Music Theory
Learn about the two systems for labelling chords in the Roman Numeral system, namely Basic Roman and Extended Roman. In this music theory lesson the construction of diatonic chords is explained, followed by the labelling of those chords....
Music Matters
Writing & Developing a Melody Line - Music Composition
How to develop a melodic idea and write more interesting music. You may have some good melodic ideas but you’re not sure how to develop them or you may be preparing for a music theory exam in which you need to extend a given opening into...
Music Matters
Modulating to Closely Related Keys (Minor Key Modulation Chart) - Music Composition
Each key has five closely related keys to which we can modulate. This music composition lesson explains how to find those neighbouring keys and the purpose and use of pivot chords, before showing all the options for using pivot chords in...
Music Matters
The Best Chords to Follow Chord VI (in Minor Keys) - Music Composition
Are you struggling to get started in writing a chord progression? If you want to use chord VI what are the best options for chords to follow? This music composition lesson gives you plenty of options for chords that progress well from...
Music Matters
Understanding Chord Inversions - Music Composition
What are chord inversions? How do we write them? How do we identify chord inversions and why do we need them? Refresh your knowledge of the diatonic chords and 7ths within any key and understand how chords can be presented in their...
Music Matters
How Bach Elaborately Decorates a Simple Chord Scheme - Composer Insights
How Bach elaborately decorates a simple chord scheme to transform the impact of the opening bars of his Sarabande from the English Suite no 2 in A minor. This composer insights lesson unpacks how Bach combines conventional ornaments like...
Music Matters
Schumanns Simple Musical Structures Composer Insights
Music analysis and exploration of the simple structure of the first movement of Schumann’s kinderszenen. Having explained how the external structure works, the internal phrase structure is unpacked. We then go on to examine how the...
Music Matters
The Best Chords to Follow Chord V (in Minor Keys) - Music Composition
Are you struggling to get started in writing a chord progression? If you want to use chord V what are the best options for chords to follow? This music composition lesson gives you plenty of options for chords that progress well from...
Music Matters
Modulating to Closely Related Keys (Major Key Modulation Chart) - Music Composition
Each key has five closely related keys to which we can modulate. This music composition lesson explains how to find those neighbouring keys and the purpose and use of pivot chords, before showing all the options for using pivot chords in...
Music Matters
Composing from a Chord Progression - Music Composition
Composing music in different styles using the same chord progression. Have you ever experienced the frustration of finding a sequence of chords you really like the sound of but have been unsure about how to compose a melody to fit those...
Music Matters
Double Modulation - Inside the Mind of Bach
A masterclass in modulation achieved by studying one of Bach's Chorales. We examine the choice of harmony and modulation, the part writing, the use of accented and unaccented passing notes, plus other features of the Bach Chorale style....
Music Matters
What is a Tritone Substitution? - Music Theory
What is a Tritone Substitution? How do you work out a tritone substitution? How do you use one?The tritone is defined and it’s use within a Dominant 7th chord is explored. The inversion of the tritone is demonstrated as a means of...