Musical modes constitute a form of scale complete with their own distinctive melodic traits. The seven modes have their roots in some of western music’s oldest forms.
Tag: how-to
How to Write Interesting Chord Progressions: Pedal Notes
Another great way to create more interesting chord progressions is to use a pedal note or pedal point. A pedal note is a static bass note that sticks around for a few measures while the chords change over the top.
How To Write Interesting Chord Progressions: Inversions
One of the simplest and most effective ways to enrich your chord progressions is through the use of inversions. Depending which note you put in the bass, you end up with chords in first inversion or second inversion:
Molding Melodies
Musical inspiration can strike at any time: driving home from work, in the shower, or even when you wake up in the morning. You could hum a melody one day, and find it sticks around for days, weeks, or longer. Focus your inspiration while exploring the possibilities and you’ll soon be molding melodies of your own!
Texture in Music
Just as physical materials have texture, so does music—though, of course, texture in music is characterized by sound, not feel. You might describe the texture of a song or piece in terms of range, dynamics, articulation, or rhythmic complexity….
How to Build a Chord in Three Easy (Half) Steps.
You can learn how to build a chord very easily. Believe it or not, you don’t even need to know how to read music, just follow this chart…
Making Sense of Metric Modulations
Have you ever played a song or a piece with a marking in the middle stating♩=♪ or something similar? If this puzzling marking left you scratching your head, you’re not alone! After all, since our days in elementary school music class, we’ve been taught that whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and so on, all have distinct rhythmic values.
How to Count Rhythm
Sometimes, musicians are so concerned with playing the right notes, that they put rhythmic accuracy on the backburner. Don’t let that be you! Rhythm is largely responsible for giving music its energy, and in ensemble playing, it’s essential to ensuring that everyone stays together.