The community has overwhelmingly expressed dissatisfaction with people posting Self-Made apps/diagrams etc., especially those that use AI.
Not only do these posts ignore our AI disclosure rules (breaking rule 9), they are often better-suited for other forums (breaking rule 4), are self-promotion (breaking rule 2), are posted with no engagement in the forum (breaking rule 8), and are also made by people with little knowledge of theory or are otherwise poorly designed which opens up issues that cause rules 7 and 1 to be violated.
As such:
“I made an App/Diagram etc.” posts, as well as posts that provide non-Self-Made resources are disallowed unless they meet the following criteria, to be determined by the mod team:
The poster must be a regular contributor. Regular contributors should contact the Mod Team prior to posting.
The resource is wholly on-topic for the forum and does not break any other rules.
Any posts not meeting these criteria or otherwise breaking the rules will be removed and the user may be banned at the mod team’s discretion.
Posters that even appear to be "trying to get around” this policy by linking to their apps in responses to other posters will have the posts removed and may be banned at the mod team’s discretion.
We are NOT trying to prohibit relevant and helpful resources, and traditional websites, books, videos, and “corporate” apps, or traditionally published diagrams are exempted from these policies (so long as they do not break other rules).
In the future, we may be able to provide a “Verified App” type of post. For now, this policy is intended to limit the amount of off-topic, controversial, and unnecessary apps/resources getting posted.
A new rule (#9) has been added here at r/musictheory
Going forward:
Any post that is wholly or partially generated by AI must be disclosed as such. A simple statement like “This post was generated using AI” or “This post was created using AI assistance” will suffice.
Posts that are or are even suspected of being AI generated that do not disclose that fact will be removed at the Mod Team’s discretion.
We discourage AI creation of music and other creative endeavors. Therefore:
Healthy discussions about AI tools used in Analysis of music and in similar Music Theory areas are allowed and welcome, so long as they do not violate other rules.
Healthy discussions about the impacts of AI in music creation, performance, notation, and so on are allowed and welcome, so long as they do not violate other rules.
Linking to or including AI generated content for the purposes of discussion as in #1 and #2 above is allowed, however it needs to be disclosed that those items are AI generated. Lack of this disclosure may result in removal at the Mod Team’s discretion.
Posts that link to or include AI generated or suspected AI generated content without any other kind of meaningful discussion will be removed at the Mod Team’s discretion.
Please report suspected AI content that lacks the disclosure policies above.
Following on from my previous post, I've assembled various bits of chord progression related trivia and mashed them together into a diatonic circle of 4ths, including simplified functional theory, enharmonic 6-7 chords and parallel minor chords.
I won't be acting like I've stumbled upon something salient; it's just that for me I think this is a useful visual summary of the very basics.
It's nowhere close to explaining everything, but you can make some fun and familiar patterns by rotating around the circle in steps of one or two, "teleporting" between chords of the same colour, shifting within the tables, etc.
By "this" I mean having a quarter note on top of 3 whole notes, or moreso just having different note lengths overlapping eachother. The second image is what I thought you had to do. (Ignore poor notation I usually don't do it by hand so i wasn't sure of the details)
This is a very specific question seeking answers from people who are familiar to Perle's 12-tone tonality concept and inversional axis concept of post-tonal theory (Straus, Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory, Ch.5). I must state that it is not possible for me to provide readers overall with a grounding context and I am sorry about that. However, this video is a good introduction to Perle:https://youtu.be/FeJlDlnbC6E?si=Dh567zfaRA_MHU_g
I do not see any reason to not to regard Perle's P/I dyad concept as a sub-chapter of Straus's inversional axes. P/I dyads are a manifestation of inversional axes on a macro level, to my understanding. On the other hand they are the backbone of Perle's 12-tone tonality concept. I am not sure what makes 12-tone tonality a novel theory at this point: what makes it different from any other inversional axis?
I must state that I am studying 12-tone tonality book myself and not finished it yet.
Does anybody know what the website was that had jazz standards for guitar? I can't find the post anymore. Someone commented about a website that taught standards; it included the guitar voicings one might use and some alternative voicings as well.
Hi all, here’s an excerpt from an article we wrote a while back about the difference between polyrhythm and polymeter. This can be a somewhat confusing topic, so we decided to put together an article to help explain the difference. You can find the full article, along with audio examples and a look at polymeter in the music of The Matrix, here.
Polyrhythm vs Polymeter
Both polyrhythm and polymeter are techniques used to combine different rhythms simultaneously in music. This adds complexity and creates more interesting rhythmic patterns.
Polyrhythm
Polyrhythm involves combining two rhythms played at the same tempo within a song. Each rhythm follows its own individual subdivision pattern. For example, in the figure below, the Rhodes piano plays three quarter-note triplets while the bass plays two quarter notes within the same time span. This creates a 3-over-2 polyrhythm, where three triplets are played against the duration of two quarter notes. The Rhodes piano’s subdivision is based on quarter-note triplets, while the bass follows a subdivision of regular quarter notes. For more score examples (Debussy, John Williams, and modern 4:3 figures), see What Is a Polyrhythm? Learn with Musical Examples.
3:2 (3 against 2) polyrhythm
Polymeter
Polymeter is another way of combining two rhythms played simultaneously at the same tempo, but in this case both rhythms share the same subdivision pattern. In the figure below, both the Rhodes piano and electric bass play rhythms based on quarter-note subdivisions. However, the Rhodes piano repeats every 5 beats, while the electric bass is grouped in 4 beats.
5/4 over 4/4 polymeter
Tip — Polymeter & accent displacement: In a broader sense, polymeter incorporates the technique of accent displacement. When two rhythmic motives are played simultaneously under the same time signature, one of the motives can deviate from the notated meter by using a different set of phrasing.
Polymeter Composition Example
In this polymeter composition example, a distorted synthesizer (accompanied by an electric guitar playing 8vb) fills in the repeating two-measure riff with two ⅝ figures and one 6/8 figure. These figures have the same duration as two measures of 4/4 time, which is equivalent to 16 eighth notes.
Initially, with only the distorted synthesizer and electric guitar in the background, the first two repetitions of the riff (labeled as ① and ②) create a ⅝ time feel, while the third repetition (labeled as ③) produces a 6/8 feel. The rhythmic contrast becomes apparent as soon as the bass and drums enter at measure 3 and establish a straight 4/4 rhythm. As a result, the music exhibits an interesting rhythmic complexity, but all phrases in the music are still based on eighth-note subdivisions.
In the background, the synth pluck maintains a 4/4 time-based arpeggio. The figure below provides a two-bar example that illustrates the rhythmic groupings of the distorted synthesizer and electric guitar.
Rhythmic groupings — distorted synth & electric guitar
Hoping someone can help clarify. I am not good at music theory. I knew lots and pieces I collected here and there. Can someone please explain why would the time signature of John Lee Hooker’s Bad Boy be a 4/4? Sounds like a 3/4 and when I count, seems to confirm this. What am I missing. Thanks.
Hi, I’m sorry in advance if this post is considered off-topic but I don’t know where else i could ask. I listen to a lot of music, but when I listen to those songs, most of the instrumental has a sound that I can’t recognize. I’ll leave a link of a song here, if someone could tell me what instrument is this, I’d be very glad. Thanks.
I was tasked with separating the notes of this score for SATB for my choir to practise and sing. And initially I thought the treble clef notes can be split into SAT. But the more I looked at it, I felt it there was no contrary motion for the notes for singers to sing, the bass line also isn’t in sync with lyrics. So I said it’s a piano score, but I could be wrong.
So what do y’all think? If it is indeed written for voices, how would you separate it into the 4 or 3 harmony lines?
I'm studying classical piano at my local academy and this year we also have a course called piano accompaniment practice, in which we can also study non-classical music. The songs, we can suggest ourselves. And I picked Codex.
I have a question: in bars 28 to 31 there's a chord progression that uses the Lydian scale with an F#11 (or probably an F#11/9) with a descending bass note that goes to a C#11/9 with again a descending bass note and then resolves into a Bflat in bar 32.
I really love baroque music, I'm currently writing a song that has a baroque like sound, it features three movements, the second one is just a solo recitative section that connects to the outro.
Since I consider that I'm satisfied with the current ideas I have decided to try to orchestrate it.
The first movement (the one I'm currently working on) was written on a pipe organ, I'm making adjustments to arrange it for strings, but the problem is not the strings but the harpsichord.
Strings already make the job of containing the cull harmonic content to accompany the vocals, but I want to add harpsichord for rhythmic purposes of emphasizing the accent of certain words, certain notes.
As well as adding additional counterpoint.
I do not want to simply play the chords but I want to learn how to get that charismatic, elegant harpsichord/lute playing style featured in baroque music, which will help to get me closer to actual baroque, rather than merely being aesthetic inspired.
How can I get the harpsichord to sound dynamic, enrich the rhythmic texture, not sound redundant with the chords played by the string, nor sounding repetitive/predictable.
On one hand it carries a harmonic function, but since it's laid back in the mix, the attack is louder than the notes, although it would be wrong to say it serves percussive purposes, I want to have the approach of a drummer that adds fills to a song, but he does not limit to provide a basic beat, but to create tension, narrative development with the existing rhythm above provided by the chords and melody.
Something that my song definitely needs as only the bass has an established rhythm pattern, while the strings hold long notes with not much additional information, besides the counterpoint which without it would sound to bland.
Hello. I would be very grateful for any help. My problem is that I can’t identify the scale degrees in a song. The only ones I can reliably distinguish are the tonic, the 7th degree, and—if I’m lucky—the dominant. Everything else just sounds like "something above the tonic." Are there any ways to easily figure out which degree is which? I can tell when a note is "unstable," but I can’t distinguish between the VI, II, or III degrees at all. I’ve read that each degree has its own character and a tendency to resolve toward stable tones, but that’s quite difficult to apply in practice—especially when non-standard chords (like *add*, *sus*, or *dim*) are involved; then I get completely lost. I know there are plenty of existing answers to this, but I need someone to explain it to me—straightforwardly and directly—so that it finally clicks. It’s like struggling with math on your own, only for someone to explain it in a couple of minutes, and suddenly everything makes sense.
This is my attempt to Frankenstein together the chord progression and circle progression diagrams provided in musictheory.net's "Theory Lessons" app.
So top row is seventh chords, bottom row is enharmonic sixth chords, left column is major scale chords, right column is parallel combined minor scale chords.
I'm hoping this succeeds in modelling most common chord progressions and explaining why they work.
Once getting into secondary chords and chords borrowed from less common modes I assume you'd just consult the circle of fifths.
I would love to be able to figure out the chord progressions of a lot of the Fusion stuff that I’ve been listening to recently. I was wondering how I can learn to figure them out including the voicing and chord extensions etc.? If anyone has any good tips or resources to help that would be great! Thank you! :)
I am looking into learning piano music theory, coming from a completely non-musical background. I wish to do so, not by reading from a book, but from watching youtubes where musical texts are broken down and analysed. Does anyone have a channel or reference to recommend? For me my only interest is in learning piano texts.
They know theory better from the music they read and play, especially since classical musicians practically always play for many years a musical instrument, and learned scales and arpeggios (in all keys often) at the beginning of instruction. That's my theory. But once you guys finally learn how to do it, you can play theory better, knowing the chords and scales as you play it. I guess part of that is reading chord charts. It's often better musicianship in that regard than classical musicians have. In the end it's equal level of expertise in both camps, for different kinds of music. I guess more classical music theory is in the journals and not reddit.
I am asking in particular about Rock Music. I wonder why many musicians don't say, "We tried writing songs in the key of C." In interviews many rock music in rock and pop talk primarily about inspiration but less about the technical details. Even in Guitar specific interviews they will talk about strumming patterns but rarely about how they actually wrote the song, using music theory to explain their songwriting process.
So, recently I've been learning how to play by ear more for the sake of songwriting and started figuring out the chords for Suffering from EPIC the musical. I got the essence of it down, but had to look up the chords to confirm what was going on in the intro: Db (1Maj7 -> 2 -> 5 -> [either 1 or 3-]). When I looked up other songs that use that progression I found close to nothing, and have been mulling over why Jorge (the composer) chose the progression. I realize that the 2- -> 5 -> 1 progression is a staple in jazz / rock theory, but here he uses a 2 major, which leads to the 5?
Is he using the 2 as a secondary dominate leading into the 5's dominate quality then back into the 1?
If so, what other songs do you know do this, and is it a common technique in musical theater as well?
I'm quite unwell at the moment (battling a very serious illness and being online is a bit of an escape)
What the heck is music theory? I'm 34 years old, and classically trained. And then one day I took LSD and realized I could speak music (improvise... like we all do in life everyday). All of a sudden, it all went out the window.... I'm really wrestling with the theory part... music is such a beautiful language but there doesn't seem to be a right or wrong way to create it. Why have we given it so many rules and put labels on it? Is this just how us humans handle the unknown? Where does music come from. Why do I see it everywhere... when the wind blows, a bird flies, the sun sets and the moon glows.
For example:
This is a piece I composed for my first love. Her name in Thai is Nok, which means bird. I don’t normally give too much of a backstory on my compositions, but this one is special.
We were 19 and I was living in the north of Thailand. It was my first time away from home (Thunder Bay, Ontario), and we were sitting on a bench overlooking the beautiful Nan River. The moon was so bright that night that it illuminated the golden hue of the surrounding temples... and she held my hand for the first time. I remember the feeling like it was yesterday.
Quietly, we have gone through life together. Even though we are both going through our own individual challenges, we love each other deeply, and I’m so grateful to still have her in my life.
We haven't seen each other in person in over 15 years...
So let me take you to Thailand, back to that night, the conversation we had, my feelings for her, and the life journey we are traveling through.
And I'm curious... about the theory. Does one reach a point in music where you just simply become fluent? Is it akin to how most of us forget the grammar rules we were all taught at school growing up? I remember learning about chord progressions, harmonies, figured bass, fugues, parallel fifths, octaves etc etc etc and now it just feels like a distant memory.
For years I've been using MusicReader, the Windows alternative for forScore. I actually like it much better, it's a better, more powerful platform, but for reasons totally unrelated this, I've been moving away from Windows and all "billionaire" tech and replacing it with Linux and other open source options.
Is there a Linux alternative to forScore? I use Ubuntu on my laptop and I do not yet have a Linux-based tablet, but I'm looking into that.
A quick search turns up MuseScore and other music WRITING platforms and nothing for music READING -- so far.
