Why might a guitarist use a virtual guitar?
Virtual instruments are usually for people who don't have access to the real thing. But virtual guitar software could just be the real guitarist's best friend.
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One progression, two very different melodies
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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Quartal harmony – a chance to throw away the rule book
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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Raising the odds – from 7ths to 13ths
When you extend chords, with 9ths, 11ths and 13ths, you can obtain some rich harmonies that inspire innovative melodies. Time to give them a try?
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Is music just mathematical patterns in sound?
I set myself a challenge. How many 7th chords could I cram into a single composition? The result is as much maths as it is music.
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Ascending to seventh heaven
Chord progressions provide the notes from which melodies are created. This sequence of seventh chords prompted an interesting experiment.
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Reviewed: Evolution Modern Nylon
Evolution Modern Nylon, from Orange Tree Samples, is a virtual nylon string guitar for use in Digital Audio Workstations. So how does it match up to the real thing?
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Five rules for creating three-part harmonies
You can't beat the impact made by three or more voices singing in harmony. But how do you work out what the harmonies should be? Time to find out.
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Two-part harmony usually does the trick
Two-part vocal and instrumental harmonising is so widespread we take it for granted. But what should the harmony be? Do we calculate it or just do it?
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Jazz progressions don’t need jazz
I found a cool site to take me through 10 classic jazz chord progressions. I tried two of them out with new compositions of my own.
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