Let's look at the A theme in Beethoven's first symphony. https://youtu.be/fMTXsD5-e9I We've already talked about his incredible opening, and how he used a secondary dominant in the subdominant region, breaking with all of the norms. https://youtu.be/09Kx9rGpJDM Harmony of Beethoven. Beethoven’s Killer Opening in Symphony No.1 in C Major Tonal harmony & harmony functions The A theme... Continue Reading →
I want to talk about a very interesting video by Victor Wooten called: Music theory is Simple! https://youtu.be/HJCXPUx5_Tw In the video Wooten asks the audience this: "…okay, how many keys are there? I say it's 12. Good answer, but wrong. How many how many keys you're about to say? 12 right? that was my answer.... Continue Reading →
Introduction Drop 2 and 4 voicings are very effective and consistent, and ideal for beginners to start grasping what each chord in a jazz standard is made of. Let's take a look at Afternoon In Paris chord by chord and learn how to play the chord progression using drop 2 and 4 voicings. We actually... Continue Reading →
How did Beethoven write the opening for this first symphony in C major? Learn Beethoven's harmony and how tonality works.
Here's a short list of how to play piano chords in 12 levels, using different techniques from beginner to insane. What are the 12 levels of playing chords at the piano? Root Position | Closed Voicings InversionsOpen Voicings | Drop VoicingsOctave Displacement & DuplicatesExtensionsRootlessFunctional Chord/Chord-scales pairingsUpper Structure TriadsUpper Structure QuartalsHexatonicsStacked StructuresPoly-Structured Clusters https://youtu.be/96jZ14tPWNY Here are... Continue Reading →
Introduction The Circle of Fifths is one of the most powerful tools we half to represent our 12-tone system. By stacking perfect fifths you get all the notes in western music. Using the circle of fifths to show scales allows us to find very interesting properties of that scale, from determining key signatures, to finding... Continue Reading →
How to play upper structure triads on the piano? 1. Find the correct chord/chord-scale pairing for the chord. 2. Classify your notes into inside note and outside notes. 3. Within the inside notes determine which is the root, the guide-tones, and the available tensions 4. Find triads that are all built with inside notes and contain at least one available tension 5. Play that triad on your right hand while playing the root on the two guide tones on your left hand
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