Instrumentality
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Instrumentality

A mad musical adventure

Instrumentality
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  • Instrumming
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Theory

23 posts

Explores some aspect of musical theory

  • Progressions

Are two chords really enough?

  • March 16, 2022
  • admin
If you search for songs with just two chords you'll be provided with lists of songs for beginners. But are two-chord songs necessarily simplistic? History proves otherwise.
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  • Harmony

Walking with Pythagoras

  • January 11, 2022
  • admin
Pythagoras is often thought of as the 'father of harmony.' He believed that mathematics could explain everything, including music. On the basis that playing with notes is just playing with audible numbers, I had a go at walking with Pythagoras.
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  • Progressions

The Chorale is OK by me

  • November 5, 2021
  • admin
Music written in chorale form differs in that the chords change with nearly every note of the melody. This creates a dramatic, anthemic feel that is still relevant today.
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  • Ensembles
  • Melody
  • Theory

Amanecer – a Phrygian dawn

  • August 30, 2021
  • admin
This duet for violin and cello evokes a new dawn. It also has quite a Spanish feel. So why is that?
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  • Rhythm
  • Sparks

Playing with time

  • July 19, 2021
  • admin
In the 2020s you hardly ever hear a piece of music that does not have four beats in the bar. But varying the time signature can put all sorts of ideas into play.
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  • Harmony
  • Magic
  • Theory

In search of the lost chord

  • July 5, 2021
  • admin
The search for that lost perfect chord which will melt us on the spot has been going on some time. So, what have people come up with?
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  • Magic
  • Melody
  • Theory

Suspended delights

  • June 28, 2021
  • admin
One of the great sources of beauty in melody is when a note is held over to the following chord, creating a brief dissonance until the harmony resolves. We're talking suspensions.
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  • Magic
  • Progressions
  • Theory

Amazing descents – the enduring beauty of the lament bass

  • June 21, 2021
  • admin
From Bach to the Beatles, some of the most beautiful music of all time has employed a descending bass line. Here's how it works.
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  • Progressions
  • Theory

One progression, two very different melodies

  • June 7, 2021
  • admin
A chord progression does not dictate how a composition ends up. I tried creating two very different pieces of music from the same chords. Here's how that ended up.
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  • Harmony
  • Theory

Quartal harmony – a chance to throw away the rule book

  • May 31, 2021
  • admin
Quartal harmony is based on 4th intervals rather than 3rds. Want to know what that sounds like in practice? Step right in.
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