Tonal harmony is the foundation of most Western music, from Bach to jazz standards. At its core, it is a contract between composer and listener: if you follow its rules, the listener will always feel a sense of home—a tonal center called the tonic. This sense of direction comes from how chords function and move within three main... Continue Reading →
If you’re a songwriter or a musician, you may have come across the term “harmony” before. But do you know what it means? Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes, creating chords that give a sense of structure and tonality to a piece of music. In jazz, harmony is the best tool... Continue Reading →
Welcome to this jazz tutorial on Jobim's timeless classic, The Girl From Ipanema. Let's take a closer look at the intricate harmony of this song. https://youtu.be/45YK-YAUBX0 In this video we’ll see how Jobim's use of out-of-the-ordinary dominant chords is simply brilliant. It's no wonder why Jobim is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional harmony,... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/dcjhUI3-n6I We compare and analyze Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro and ChatGPT's abilities in music theory and technology. We demonstrate how each tool can be used to understand harmonic progressions in jazz and compare their accuracy, speed, and ease of use. This video is perfect for musicians, composers, and music educators looking to enhance their understanding... Continue Reading →
Looking for a top-notch backing tracks app to help you master tonal harmony? Look no further than Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro! Our comprehensive app is designed to assist musicians of all levels in understanding and exploring the complex world of tonal harmony, offering a vast library of backing tracks, chord progressions, and exercises, all carefully... Continue Reading →
Today we're going to talk about this chord: Nowadays we see this chord as a subV/V, but in the Classical period this chord was treated using a very different perspective. Composers back then, saw this chord as an augmented sixth chord. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsHK_5iPHKQ Watch the entire lesson here Although these two points of view are very... Continue Reading →
If you're taking a harmony course, you've certainly come across the concept of secondary dominants and endless exercises, where you're given a piece of sheet music in which you have to label all the secondary dominants. Well, today I'm going to give you a simple trick to spot and label secondary dominants. We won't get... Continue Reading →
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