If you want to adapt popular music to jazz, the best approach is to think of the harmonic functions (rather than just the chords) and then use techniques of tonal harmony. In the following video we show how to turn a very basic piano version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" into a jazz... Continue Reading →
I've been asked many times "Why do I need to learn and practice scales?" or "Why do I need to understand chords-scales and tonal harmony?" Some other people complain about the chord-scale theory, saying that they don't want to play scales, meaning they wish to play in the jazz vocabulary, licks, motives, playing rhythmically or... Continue Reading →
Here's a musical concept nobody taught me at school. While analyzing 1000+ jazz tunes for The Jazz Standards Progressions Book, I noticed a great number of songs in major keys tonicize the IV degree at the beginning of the bridge. It's usually preceded by the V/IV, landing on the IV at the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
In the process of writing The Jazz Standards Progressions Book Series I realized the need to express a very common harmonic event with a new symbol. So far we had solid and dotted arrows and brackets to express II-V relationships and their resolutions. However there isn't any symbol to show a Major 7th chord that... Continue Reading →
There are 4 ways you can represent a scale's intervalic formula: Degrees Chord-Tones and Tensions Roman Numerals Melodic Intervals Degrees Here's the major scale (Ionian) as degrees. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (all degrees al major) Chord-Tones and Tensions The major scale as chord tones (1 3 5 7) and tensions (9 11 13)... Continue Reading →
Tessitura Pro Tip of the Day #10: Chord Extensions and Avoid NotesTessitura Pro: The whole world of scales over the Circle of Fifths.#ScalesAndModes #MusicEducation #MusicScales #ChordScales #CircleOfFifthshttps://t.co/C6vnN9cv6C pic.twitter.com/vxB2dwAEOe— mDecks Music (@mDecksMusic) June 13, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Kotska's Workbook Chapter 22 No. 3 in Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro.Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro visually reveals every function in tonal harmony.#tonalharmony #Chords #MusicEducation #TraditionalHarmony #Kostka #harmony #ClassicalMusic https://t.co/6NtgaepthJ pic.twitter.com/17705SAKXt— mDecks Music (@mDecksMusic) June 8, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
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