Diatonic Sequences
Music is a mix of calm and chaos; push and pull; yin, and yang. Phrases and cadences help to bring order to music and create expectations for the listener, but
Phrase Structure and Motivic Analysis
According to Grammarly: A phrase is a small group of words that communicates a concept but isn’t a full sentence. You use phrases in your writing and your speech every
Voice-Leading Using Substitutes
Dominant Substitutes using Leading-tone Chords The leading-tone triad and seventh chords are used when the dominant function is desired but the stronger tendencies of the V and V7 are not
Embellishing Tones
According to the Cambridge Dictionary: the word embellish means to make something more beautiful by adding something to it, or to add or change some details of a story, usually to make it more interesting or exciting. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/embellish Embellishing tones are consonant or dissonant
Cadences and Progressions
A chord progression is the order chords are played in a song or a piece of music. The chords you use, and the order you play them constitute the harmony of a song. Chords and their progressions come in
6/4 Chords
6/4 chords are used to add variety to the Tonic Predominant Dominant Tonic Cycle. Additionally, 6/4 chords are useful in facilitating good voice-leading. Lastly, these chords help to make stepwise
Dominant 7ths and Chorale Harmonization
This post is a continuation of chorale part-writing. Chorale part-writing at its simplest contains phrases and cadences which coordinate with the Tonic – Dominant – Tonic scheme. We can extend
Writing 4-Part Chorale Music for SATB | Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass
Counterpoint has been the focus of our attention the past few posts, and for a good reason. Counterpoint teaches the principles needed for good voice leading – essentially writing parts
Continue readingWriting 4-Part Chorale Music for SATB | Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass
Chorale Style Counterpoint
The past few blog posts have focused on counterpoint in the strict species, however, very few pieces are written completely in strict counterpoint style. In the Baroque period counterpoint was
4th and 5th Species Counterpoint
4th Species Counterpoint Suspension A suspension is a note in the counterpoint that is carried over from the previous bar. This allows the composer or arranger to rhythmically displace the