Harmony & Analysis
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What Is the Overtone Series? Harmonics, Timbre & the “Sasquatch Chord”
Learn what the overtone series is, how harmonics create timbre and sympathetic resonance, and how a bizarre Bigfoot experiment led us to invent the “Sasquatch chord.” Read article →
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What Is a Line Cliché? Jazz Harmony Explained with My Funny Valentine
Learn what a line cliché is, how the classic minor line works in My Funny Valentine, and how to use chromatic voice leading and bass lines to reharmonize jazz standards. Read article →
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What Is Modal Music? Modal Harmony & Modes Explained
Learn what modal music is, how modal harmony differs from tonal harmony, and how modal tonic, characteristic tones, lateral movement, and chord function create the Aeolian sound. Read article →
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What Is a Deceptive Cadence? V–vi Explained with Song Examples
Learn what a deceptive cadence is, why V–vi sounds resolved without feeling final, and hear how it works in songs by The Police, The Beatles, and Leonard Cohen. Read article →
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What is Tonal Harmony?
Learn what tonal harmony is, how tonic, predominant, and dominant functions create musical direction, and how harmonic function helps explain chord progressions. Read article →
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How to Play a Piano Montuno on Any Song: Build It from Any Chord Progression
Playing piano montunos can transform any song, giving it that infectious Latin groove that makes everyone want to move. Today, we’ll take a jazz standard like “Satin Doll” and turn it into a piano montuno. By the end of this… Read article →
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Musical IQ Test: Test Your Musical Ability & Music IQ
Take the mDecks Musical IQ Test and measure your listening skills in rhythm, pitch, timing, melody, tempo, tuning, and harmony. No music theory knowledge required. Read article →
