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
Even More About Counterpoint
Even More About CounterpointParticularly 2nd & 3rd Species While the First Species counterpoint maps notes in a one-to-one relationship, the 2nd and 3rd species counterpoints divide a measure into 2
More About Counterpoint
In the last post, we covered the foundation of counterpoint – the Cantus Firmus. In this week’s post, we will cover the rules of First Species Counterpoint! Types of Movement
Introduction to Counterpoint
Counterpoint occurs when 2 or more different melodic lines are combined to form harmonies or when individual voices in a succession of harmonies make good melodic lines. The Counterpoint Treatise
More on 7th Chords
Seventh chords were covered in the last lesson, but for anyone who’s just reading this post with no context, seventh chords include a third above a triad. In the root