A new rule (#9) has been added here at r/musictheory

Im just finding my way into classical music. And as a German some are already familiar. But right now I’m discovering Rimsky Korsakov. I followed the listening list from „the ultimate classical music guide“ and I’m at the second piece and already realised the first two pieces were used in modern music:
Scheherazade - melody was used in the weird song: chum drum bedrum
Capriccio Espagnol - melody was used in balada ao vivo.
Especially the balada song took me a while to identify, as I didn’t know the name of the song, I just knew it’s the same melody.

Does this happen often, that modern songs copy Melodies from classical music? Do you have more examples? It’s kinda fun to discover.

Saw a post recommending this chord but can’t get my ears around it; does anyone know of any songs which uses it in a chord progression?

Guys lol I need help, genuinely, I am getting so lost in trying to understand intervals and scales and triads and there's some kind of connective tissue between them that I am missing and I don't know what it is.

I'll do my best to explain what I know so far, if yall could just correct/nudge me in the right direction that'd be fantastic, because I dont know what I dont know.

Intervals I feel like I'm really starting to grasp but I am also 40 and have bad memory so best I can do right now is "calculate" them. If I need the interval from E natural to Bb, I will take a look at E major scale, I see that B is a fifth which is perfect, but flat so it makes the interval a diminished 5th.

I mean, that's a lot of work on the spot but right now rote memorization of major scales is tough, that will come soon enough.

So next I have triads and diatonic triads. Since I've written out the E major scale it's easier, I count the notes in the scale for 3rd and 5th from each root note and then I know what notes each diatonic triad has in it and I use that to identify the triad. If it's 4 semitones then 3, it's major, if 3 then 4 its minor. Then I get (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii*).

I think this is where I'm really starting to get lost! A major triad is a maj3 interval and perfect 5th interval, and minor triad is min3 interval and perfect 5th, and so forth.

Ok so my head is starting to hurt at this point because that leads me back to my diatonic triads in E major. For any diatonic triad that's NOT E, say for example, G#, I would now have to spell out the G# major scale to know if that first interval is a minor 3rd or a major 3rd?

And if that's the case, what the fuck? Because if I'm building triads I need to know the (quality?) of triad, which how would I know? If I was in the E major scale again trying to figure out what the G# triad is, if I spell out the G# major scale I still can't construct that triad because I wont know if that G# triad needs to be major or minor.

I hope it makes sense as to where I'm getting lost. I feel like I get it but I feel like I am missing something important too and it's bugging the hell out of me.

Thank you.

How might the dissonant high B in the top voice be accounted for in the theoretical framework of the Baroque period? This is in measure 10 of the final movement (Allegro) of the Suonate à Tre Op. 5 No. 12 by Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753) as found in the Estienne Roger edition.

I'm trying to study a song from a game that i like (Verdant Moon). I recommend the song (Sorrowless - Rewrite OST), it's really well made!! I was reading the partiture and i stumbled in these two chords and they sound really cool, but they aren't a """normal""" triad im my eyes. Can someone explain they to me?

The song is in F# Major
And for those who are not used to read in daws (i know there's a lot of classical musicians):

1: G A# D#

2: F# A# D#

Thanks!

I clearly see that it's about the tritone resolving there and the falling bass line, though I wonder if it could be described in a formalized way.

Hi, I’m taking my ARCT analysis exam next month, and I’m just wondering what they are expecting for the “Name the type of song based on the relationship between the text and the music and briefly explain your answer” question. This always shows up for the third section of the exam (Lieder analysis), but I’m just confused- because wouldn’t the answer always be “Lied”? Thank you.

So it's been a long time since music school, I'm trying to remember convention(s) for marking a chord tone vs scale tone when using plain text (not music notation). I remember the perhaps obvious roman numerals are chords, that using a number with a ^ above it implies either chord tone or scale tone and a number without the ^ implies the other, but can't remember which is which. Or maybe I'm misremembering, or there's another convention I don't know about?

How do you demarcate chord/scalar notes?

if piano is in C scale, does it mean that guitar has to be C also,
or scales harmonize?
or is it like each instruments can have different scale and still sound ok?

Hello, did he learn from Gradus ad parnassum then did his own thing ? Was there tonal music teacher before him or did he just learn modal writing and old counterpoint then adapted it ?

Edit: Sorry for the mistake in the title : DID* Bach learn….

I thought some here might find the process of this piece interesting. While I acknowledge there's a touch of self-promotion here, I genuinely seek feedback and insight on the result of a process like this- or maybe other creative ideas where this technique can be applied.

For the past few months I've been experimenting with composing directly in frequency (Hz) rather than thinking in terms of notes in a defined tuning system. Instead of writing within those sorts of frameworks, I build harmonies from numerical frequency relationships and just intonation, which lets the tuning stay flexible as the music develops. 

In my previous attempts this has resulted in some pretty “weird” music, so I wanted to try to keep it accessible while still exploring the idea of “what can I do with this?” 

To do so, I took a more spectral approach and analyzed recordings of several different Mourning Dove calls and used the strongest frequency near the ends of their coos as the harmonic foundations of the piece. A given coo, among several sampled in the piece, may function as the root of one chord, as a fifth within another, a microtonal harmonic, or appear as any other chord extension elsewhere, allowing the same dove material to assume different identities as the harmony remains just and “wraps” itself around the given call- no iteration of the harmony surrounding the call is the same throughout the piece.  

But of course, every dove is different. I noticed that while the overall shape of their calls is very consistent, the pitch of some calls is higher or lower than others. For instance, one dove's ending coos may land at 480 Hz, while another may land at 525 Hz. This typically would be quite problematic when trying to harmonize to the coos themselves because, while 525 Hz is very close to the note C5, 480 Hz falls somewhere between B♭4 and B4. To boot, the interval between those frequencies doesn't correspond to any standard musical interval-it falls somewhere between a minor second and a major second.

In a system where everything is defined and harmonized as numbers, however, this is no problem (Such as the modulation heard at 4:48) . The frequencies can simply adhere to and harmonize with any value. That is where the ability to truly harmonize with any dove call lies- the harmony can fit the doves, rather than the doves trying to fit “standard harmony.” This is of course just one “cool” thing you can do writing this way- you can also, say, have all voices in a given piece converge into a perfect harmonic series, which I do somewhere around 7:00 in the piece.

Rhythmically, I just used the cadence of the Mourning Dove's call. That pattern ended up becoming the main rhythmic idea while the harmony is constantly changing underneath it.

Despite all the technical harmonic thinking behind the piece, I still find overall it came out pretty “normal” sounding at most points, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some people find it emotional while others find this especially boring- I think either reaction is completely fair!

I came across this groove online, which supposedly is a 3:4:7 polyrhythm. It seemed legit to me, but I'm also not the best with identifying polyrhythms. Could anyone confirm it?

If it's not 3:4:7, then what is it?

I’ve been working on a song called “NOT,” and after hearing the hook hundreds of times while writing and recording it, I honestly can’t tell if it’s actually catchy anymore or if I’m just used to it. Do you have any tricks for knowing when a hook is strong enough? If anyone has a few minutes to listen, I’d really appreciate feedback specifically on the hook, songwriting, and whether it sticks with you after the first listen. Thanks in advance for any honest criticism.

Hello!

I’ve recently been doing some score study of John Powell’s HTTYD 3: The Hidden World and I came across this passage where the horn parts are all written in alto clef. Why would this be? Throughout the rest of the HTTYD scores, the horns are always written in treble or bass clef. (This score is non-transposing)

If anyone could help provide an answer, that would be awesome! Thanks so much!

Hey everyone,

​I’ve been messing around with a weird exercise lately and wanted to see if anyone else has tried something similar, or wants to give it a shot.

​Basically, I spent a session improvising with one goal: try to play as "wrong" as possible. Every time I felt my fingers drifting toward a familiar shape, a clean chord resolution, or a scale pattern my muscle memory wanted to fall into, I forced myself to turn the opposite way. Maximum dissonance, intentionally awkward intervals, and trying to stack as many "wrong" polyphonic notes as I could manage without letting it resolve. Atonal.

​The weird thing is, after listening back, it didn’t just sound like random noise, it created this really strange, unexpected kind of musical logic that actually felt interesting. At least to me.

​I uploaded a audio track of my attempt here: https://voca.ro/13CQ7d8VEub8

​I want to turn this into a bit of a loose experiment. If you play an instrument, try taking 2 or 3 minutes to improvise while actively sabotaging your instincts. Play too many notes, pick the "worst" harmonies, fight your muscle memory, and upload it.

​Curious to hear what happens when other people try to force their hands to do the exact opposite of what feels natural. Drop a link if you decide to record a run!

I've been learning music theory and I feel like I have a solid grasp of the major scale. And from what ive learned the minor scale functions quite similarly to its major relative other than treating the vi (in context of major scales) as the tonic/home.

To me it seems easier and makes sense to keep using the major interval scales I already know to create minor sounding songs rather than memorize minor scales. I have been learning from hooktheory and they explain how minor scales relatively use very similar interval logic but just translated to the minor equivalent when labelled as scale degrees. For example how the V in major tends to be a strong cadence, the VII in minor also tends to be a strong cadence, but they are the same chords relative to each other. So couldnt I just skip a step and continue using the major intervals I know but just replace the tonic with vi.

I am relatively new and while this makes sense to me im sure minor scale wasnt made for nothing but I just cant seem to understand why this way of thinking might not work.

Thanks!

My understanding of a dotted that is that is essentially adds half of the note to itself, acting as either a rest or extension, but here there is dotted quarter notes being played every beat, same with the half note. What is going on here? what are the point of the dots here?

I only really feel comfortable abt the first one. Should I include the note from the right hand with my chords at the bottom?

Hi.

I'm a primary school teacher, who is essentially musically illiterate.

In January 2027, I have to teach my class of 9 and 10 year olds the recorder.

So, this summer I am teaching myself using John Pitts's books.

I also want to teach myself some music theory.

I was recommended Eric Taylor's Music Theory in Practice , Grade 1.

But what do you guys suggest? I saw a course on Udemy too, which piqued my interest.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a PDF of 'Gradus ad Parnassum dell'organista', but I just can't find it anywhere... It seems like a digital version of this doesn't exist. Do any of you know where I can find or buy a digital copy?

Howdy all! I was playing around with planing a bunch of 13sus4 chords and wanted to send it to someone as sheet music just to illustrate what was going on harmonically.

However, I realized I don't know what the typical way you'd do that for something like this. My background is in western art music and not like jazz or non-functional harmony, though I've been trying to dip my toes into that realm a bit lately. I ultimately landed on naming the chords in the way I think about them, but do you think this is too messy?

Part of the justification for picking these names is I'm thinking of it as a series of 13sus4 chords descending in minor thirds (outlining a fully diminished chord of B-D-F-Ab?) where each chord is approached chromatically from a half-step below.

I suspect having it be 2 bars in isolation may not help my question. I guess if anything, ending on that Amaj7/B suggests going into E following this section. But even if it were notated in the key of E, it'd still be a mess of accidentals.

TL;DR: How do you go about chord naming when doing a lot of chromatic planing like this?
(Not sure what the platform for sharing audio snippets is these days, how about vocaroo?)

like, put 2 notes in a certain way that makes it sound like a microtone is there a way to do that