Tag: music theory concepts

A Melody Is A Journey

This post is one of a growing series of holistic investigations into various aspects of music theory. The full list can be found in the Posts page under the category Music Theory De-Mystified.

All comments are welcome. If you enjoy my post, please give it a like and share it or subscribe to my blog.

This is a key tenet in my approach to music theory. However, if you disagree, feel free to comment.

Most music has both a melody and chords. Even a melody by itself is usually built on chords, it’s just that we don’t hear them. We call this an implied chord progression (when no chords are written, we can deduce the likelihood of potential chords by the evidence provided in the melody such as phrase structure, the actual notes used and the use of accidentals).

A chord represents a key- at least basic major and minor chords and their common variants do. How effective they are at establishing their key depends on low long they’ve got. Yes, time. The longer the time spent on a chord, the more it feels like THE key. 

A melody is a journey. Typically it starts at home (in the home key) then travels to one or more visiting keys, represented by the main chords along the way, eventually arriving home again.

Just like a physical journey, the trip can be long or short, fast or slow, bumpy or smooth, visiting nearby or exotic places on the way. Everything that applies to a physical journey has its parallel in a musical journey.

There are three parts to any trip- the departure (including any prep such as packing), the travel and the arrival. Similarly, pieces (and the phrases within them) have a start, a middle and an end.

Time, Space and Culture Shock

A journey can be brief or extensive, or anything in between. The places you see can be familiar or exotic, near or far.

  • A trip to the local shop to get staples might be a 5-minute walk around the corner or up the street. You spend just long enough to do a common task in familiar surroundings and head back. This is the most basic journey; familiar and short.
  • You might drive across town to visit a close friend or family. Again, you are in familiar surroundings, yet you travelled beyond your immediate neighbourhood. This still feels like a small and safe journey yet you may spend hours on your visit and be surprised by the changed traffic or weather conditions coming home. A tiny bit more complex journey than the first example.
  • Maybe you’ve chosen to visit someone out of town or in another state. You might be invited to stay a few days. Longer distance means a little less familiarity: you don’t know the roads so well, where the post office is, the bed feels a bit different, etc. After a day or two, you start to get used to this. The longer you’re there, the more it feels like home.
  • While you’re there, you might take mini trips within the journey- go to the shop, the beach, maybe even camping out.
  • If you stay away long enough, when you come home it feels a bit strange at first. You almost turn the door key the wrong way, the colour of the wallpaper isn’t quite as you remembered it, you didn’t realise you were low on a few staples.
  • What if you set out on a grand adventure to visit strange and distant cultures? The journey is either massive, with strange and mysterious stops on the way, like an ocean journey, or super fast, almost like a blur, as in a flight. When you arrive, it’s almost alien. Everything’s different: the living conditions, the language, the food… Stay there for a while, however, and you gradually pick up a few basic words, learn a bit about the local neighbourhood and start to feel more settled.
  • Were you to stay in an exotic culture for long enough, it would start to feel like home, and your memories of your real home become less and less clear. Coming home after living there for years, home itself would feel like a very strange place at first. Stay somewhere long enough and you might even come home with a foreign accent!

All this can be mirrored in the way a piece of music progresses. The melody is the traveller, the main chords are the visiting points. Time is time.

The relationship between each chord and the home key (as well as between one chord and the next) is the relationship between home and the various places visited on our travels. As a (basic) chord represents a key, the main chords mark out the visiting keys in the journey.

Chord relationships are key relationships. A topic in itself, this is worthy of revisiting in at least one separate post. However, in general, keys (and chords) are related by how many notes they have in common. There are basically three types of key relationships:

The Cycle (or Circle) of 5ths

The cycle of 5ths is a sequence of all major and minor keys in increasing and decreasing key signature order, usually represented as a circle. Octaves are unspecified, as it’s just a list of keys. Adjacent keys in the cycle of 5ths have only one note different in their scales and both chords are made up of notes in the home key.

See my Beginner’s Tip for a graphic of the cycle of fifths, including relative majors/minors.

Adjacent keys in the cycle of 5ths are the closest companions. Many pieces only use 3 chords: that of the home key, previous key and the next key in the cycle, otherwise known as the Tonic, Subdominant and Dominant or I, IV and V. As we progress away from our neighbours, the keys sound less closely related and the chords a little more independent. Distant key relationships produce a startling or disorienting sensation in the listener.

Relative major and minor

All the common tonalities used in Western music have either a major 3rd or a minor 3rd from the root note. In this way, modes can be categorised as “like major” or “like minor” and be represented by a major or minor chord accordingly. It’s reasonable to talk in terms of major and minor chords, even if the piece is in another mode.

For every major scale, there is a minor scale with the same key signature (and vice versa). When the music changes between relative major and minor, the root note and tonality change but the notes all belong to the home key. As a chord progression, going from relative major to relative minor (and vice versa) feels more like taking a small step back rather than a significant change in key. Relative major/minor chords are often interchangeable in an accompaniment, depending on whether a more direct or a slightly indirect and more sophisticated effect is desired.

Major and minor on the same root note (parallel major and minor)

A major and a minor scale on the same root note have 3 notes that differ between them, so they only have 4 notes in common. In the cycle of 5ths that amounts to keys which are 3 steps apart, a relatively indirect relationship, yet they sound like they’re much more closely related. As it happens, only one of the three chord notes is different-the 3rd. The root note and 5th are both the same. The only thing that seems to change is the mood, the tonality.

Back to the present…

In short, closely related chords feel comfortable, almost predictable, as the melody arrives there – the friendly key next door…

Of course this is mitigated by the directness of the trip. We could potentially weave through a myriad of other keys before arriving next door, blindfolded and bedazzled, and it might then take us a while to realise where we are, but by and large, closely related keys can be freely visited in comfort.

More adventurous journeys use less direct key relationships or follow a cascading progression of keys in the cycle of 5ths to arrive in a new land.

When listening to a piece, try to feel not just the more rapid flow of the melody, but the deeper, underlying flow of the progression of keys through which the melody travels.

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Welcome to Music Theory De-mystified!

Hi, I’m Erik Kowarski. Welcome to my blog! At any time, please feel free to comment. If you find my posts useful, please like and share them. You can also subscribe so you’ll be notified of new posts. To go straight to the latest post, scroll down.

In this blog I try where possible to look at music, or at least Western music, as a whole, rather than in terms of a specific genre; to explore the underlying principles and learn by observation rather than by a set of rules.

The posts are grouped into categories. On the Posts page there is a list of individual posts within each category, oldest first. This is particularly useful for Basic Music Theory Lessons as they should be done in numerical order.

Categories

Basic Music Theory Lessons

Basic Music Theory Lessons is a 2-part course designed for beginners and self-taught musicians. Using clear explanations rather than rules it focuses on theory that applies broadly, across all genres. The emphasis is on learning by listening and observation.

The lessons can be done as a course, in small modules or as individual lessons.

If you’re a beginner, Basic Music Theory Lessons are the posts for you. Nothing is assumed, everything is explained from scratch. There are plenty of illustrations, audio clips and mini movies as well as practical tips and exercises. Every major point is backed by examples you can hear.

If you have a question, please post it as a comment and I will reply when I can.

Beginner’s Tips and Hacks

Beginner’s Tips offers some handy hacks and tips as well as lists for quick reference.

Music Theory De-mystified

Music Theory De-mystified, aka The De-mystified Files, is a series of brief investigations into what makes music theory tick. A very basic understanding of music theory is assumed, such as note names, key signatures and basic interval names. Although I still endeavour to explain related background information, the posts would get too long and with too many detours if I followed every back story. Instead, I try to look at one unusual aspect of music theory and provide some context.

Musicianship

A list of all posts which contain musicianship/ear training exercises. These include timing, rhythm, singing scales, pitching intervals, recognising notes in a triad and more.

Musings

Musings is a forum for discussion. The posts are my personal thoughts and observations- you might agree or disagree with my views. I would love to receive your comments.

The Interval-Singing Project

A survey looking for different intervals used at the start of popular songs in various genres. The aim is to build a database of familiar songs containing each interval, as a learning aid for singing intervals. The database will be available free to subscribers.

The Theory Of Practice

Tips on practice technique.

Please like and share my posts. If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Erik Kowarski 

Posts

Latest Posts

Sleight of Ear: the effect of musical context on perception

This post is one of a growing series of holistic investigations into various aspects of music theory. The full list can be found in the Posts page under the category Music Theory De-Mystified.

All comments are welcome. If you enjoy my post, please give it a like and share it or subscribe to my blog.

Musical context

Individual intervals and chords can be listened to by themselves, out of context, or within the context of a particular piece.

Any interval or chord has an effect; a character, based on how the notes interact. However, the context of the surrounding notes can produce “sleight of ear”. The interval or chord can appear to sound different than when played by itself or in another musical context.

Musical context is a combination of the overall key and mode and the development of the piece. Many pieces visit various keys along the way, resulting in a temporary key. As the music progresses through these visiting keys there is interplay between the home key and the visiting key and the listener’s viewpoint shifts.

Altered notes in either the melody or chords can also result in sleight of ear.

Sleight of ear example 1

Here are two examples of changing from an A major chord to an E major chord. The first example the melody feels like A is the home chord and we’re venturing out to E. In the second example, just one slightly different note in the melody suggests that E is home and we’re arriving home from a visiting key. This is especially noticeable when we hear the progression repeat itself.

Interestingly, the addition of D# in the melody implies the key of E major, and that’s how we hear it. To reflect this, the above example is written with the key signature of A major for the first example and E major for the second.

Sleight of ear example 2

The classic example of sleight of ear is the interval between the 6th and 7th notes of the harmonic minor, which is 3 semitones despite being consecutive scale notes (letters). This interval gives the scale an exotic quality reminiscent of Gypsy music.

From the 6th note to the 7th sounds like an unusually large step, a stretched out 2nd. It is called an augmented 2nd, reflecting how we hear it in the scale.

Normally, 3 semitones is a minor 3rd. When we hear this interval by itself we assume the first note to be the root note: it sounds like the first 3 notes of a minor scale with the 2nd note left out, or the start of a minor chord or minor triad.

The same size interval feels unrecognisably different in these two different contexts.

Please feel welcome to share this post, make a comment or ask a question. if you find this post useful, please give it a like.

Videos taken from Music Theory De-Mystified, due for release as an e-Book late 2022.

Introduction: Music Theory is my Friend

Welcome to my blog!

I’m Erik Kowarski and I’ve been a musician and music teacher in Perth, Western Australia for well over 40 years. Throughout my career I have benefited from my music theory knowledge and I believe there is a useful place in every musician’s toolkit for a basic understanding of music theory and notation.

My main instrument is violin. I was brought up with Classical training including music theory, which I studied to AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) Grade 6.

When my musical interests widened to include many popular music genres I was lucky enough to be invited to “play along” in a variety of local bands of different genres, largely because to many the violin was considered a novel instrument outside Classical music (and traditional folk music).

I found it relatively easy to adapt to these various styles because of my understanding of music theory. I could recognise chord structures, identify and play characteristic rhythms and recognise other qualities that define the genre or style, enabling me to sound plausible in the band even though the instrument wasn’t native to that genre. (In other words, I was good at faking it).

I’m not trying to claim that I’m a great player: far from it, but my knowledge of music theory gave me an edge in learning and adapting to what was for me, new territory, which in turn gave me more insight into the inner workings of music.

Why music theory?

I have met many musicians who believe that music theory is only valid for Classical music and is irrelevant to popular music genres. Even Classical students often struggle to see a point to music theory beyond learning to read music. Creative players, especially, are afraid that learning music theory will stifle their creativity.

I can see why they feel concerned: music theory is often portrayed as highly theoretical and in most cases it is taught as a complex series of rules and conditions.

Sure, there are some aspects of music theory that must be learned by heart to be effective. Basics such as the names of musical note pitches and the symbols indicating note length require this approach because note names, note values and staves are the written language of music. Just as we learn basic spelling and grammar in order to speak and write English, note names and note values, keys and time signatures provide the basic communication of musical language.

Classical players are taught basic theory and music notation as part of learning to play an instrument, much of it by rote.

To me, though, music theory is more than that. Music theory allows us to understand the fundamental principles of music. These principles are natural phenomena: forces which are always present. Understanding these forces helps us in listening to, playing and creating music.

Mode and Time signature

When we play or listen to music we can feel that the piece has a certain overall character. In part this is due to the mode the piece is based on, such as major or minor, and the piece’s time signature and tempo. The mode and time signature/tempo provide a basic setting within which the piece is written.

Phrases

Within this setting, individual pieces can vary hugely in the emotions they invoke and how direct or complex they are. Just like a spoken language, music is based on phrases. Musical phrases, like sentences, have a beginning, middle and end. One phrase leads to another, forming a melody, the musical equivalent of a sentence.

Just like sentences, there are open phrases, equivalent to questions, and closed phrases, which are like answers. Often a melody is made up of one or more open phrases followed by a closed phase. We can feel the music lead from one phrase to the next, often arriving at a conclusion; a place where the melody feels that it has arrived.

A sense of home

One of the key concepts of music theory is the idea of home. Home is a note: the root note or tonic. Every piece that sounds like music in the conventional sense has a root note. Without an obvious root note, we can’t make sense of what we hear.

When we combine a root note and a mode we have a key, such as C major or A minor. Knowing the key of a piece tells us what the overall character is and which note it’s based on.

Often a piece starts and finishes at home and visits various neighbouring keys along the way. The most prominent chords that accompany the melody indicate these keys by pointing to their respective root notes.

Knowledge is power

It is my belief that music theory would be easier to accept as valid and useful if based on an understanding of the principles: how music actually works. Too often students are expected to take on faith a large number of rules and conditions without knowing why they exist. By understanding the musical principles at work we can see that these are not actually rules: merely ways in which to achieve a certain musical character or effect.

I have touched on just a few of the most significant musical principles to illustrate that an understanding of these principles greatly enhances our understanding of the music we listen to, play and create. I believe that knowledge, if presented clearly, is power that can only add to our musical skill set, not take away from it.

Music theory is especially useful for creative music, be it composition/ songwriting or improvisation. Every note we play has an effect – a consequence. An understanding of music theory allows the composer or player to choose which note produces the effect that they are after. This greatly speeds up processes like finding a nice solo to play or writing a melody that captures a certain emotion or character.

Music theory for working musicians

That said, I realise that such an in-depth approach doesn’t appeal to everyone.

There are many competent working musicians who have achieved their skills without the benefit of music theory. Over time they have developed a sense of the musical principles through listening and playing by ear. For many such players, the idea of delving into the theory behind the music may seem redundant.

Even so, I would like to recommend at least a basic grasp of music notation, if only for the communication benefits. I believe that it’s much quicker to learn a piece of music by reading it than by having to play an audio file 1 or 2 bars at a time, several times over.

Most musicians are familiar with the natural note names, A to G, and possibly sharp and flat. As letters on a page we can’t tell whether a note is in a high or low octave without some made-up symbols to help. I believe that it’s actually easier to learn to read these notes on a stave: the music is much more graphic in terms of high and low notes. Key signatures may look strange at first but they make sense once you can associate a key signature with a root note and a scale.

Musicians who play by ear are also familiar with beats and bars and the use of strong and weak notes. Note values and time signatures provide the rhythmic information of a piece in a way that makes it easy to teach yourself the rhythm. If the rhythm isn’t one that’s familiar to the player, I believe it’s both quicker and clearer to read as notation than to learn by ear.

Music notation has evolved by and for musicians. Notation exists because it makes musical sense.

One other useful aspect of musical language is being able to name intervals. An understanding of interval names is the gateway to understanding chords and chord symbols. It’s quite easy to learn the basics of interval names as they are based on counting notes in the major scale, something quite familiar to most musicians.

Please feel welcome to make comments or ask questions.

In the coming months I intend to put up posts in two categories:

  • Music notation and basic theory tips.
  • A holistic approach to understanding the principles of music theory.

If you can’t wait and would like to get started straight away with a quick course in basic notation and music theory, you can purchase my e-book, The Tiny Music Theory Book: How to Read and Talk Music in 16 Tiny Chapters, either as an EPUB or PDF, from my Shop page.

NOTE: my blog is entirely based on Western music theory. Many other cultures use different modes or even different tuning systems and are beyond the scope of this blog.

Erik Kowarski