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C-I: Basic System

Major Chords / Minor Chords

in the previous article, I explained that the prime chords, the six basic chords in a key, are divided into two types. Measuring by semitones, Type 1 is stacked in the form of , while type 2 is . We're gonna have a deeper look at this difference. 1. Naming and Notations This time I'm gonna introduce their names first.…
yuta
April 4, 2024
C-I: Basic System

Prime Chords (1)

1. Basic Chord Structure In the previous section you studied the minimal harmonic structure; two tones harmony. But in practice, 3 tones or more are stacked regularly. It's interesting to explore combinations! But there are so many combinations available that some guidelines to narrow down the candidates will help you. That's what music theory does. Along the Scale, Skewer Like…
yuta
June 30, 2024
C-I: Basic System

Two Tones Harmony

Now let's start talking about chords. A chord is a combination of multiple notes played at a time. So the very first thing you should learn is the mechanism of two tones harmony. 1. Quality Linked with Interval The fundamental principle is; Quality (sound character) of a harmony is defined by the interval between two tones. You can measure the…
yuta
September 19, 2024
C-I: Basic System

Monism in Tonality

Before getting deeper into chord theory, I'd like talk about the concept "key" in a little more detail. 1. Major Key or Minor Key Traditional Western music theory is based on the thesis that a song can be classified either as "major key" or "minor key". Each key represents the corresponding scale—major scale and minor scale, respectively. Major Key Minor…
yuta
April 29, 2022
C-I: Basic System

Start Learning Chord Theory

1. The Contents of Chord Theory Hi, this is the departure of chord theory. So first I'll give you a quick overview of chord theory, using the "three layers" introduced in the introduction part. The Names of Chords A is a combination of multiple notes played at a time. Just like scales, innumerable sounds come out according to the combinations.…
yuta
April 4, 2024
Preparation

Circle of Fifths

1. Circle of Fifths As explained in , Any key other than C major or A minor need to involve black keys to construct the correct step structure. But manually measuring "WWSWWWS" is cumbersome. So music theory, surprisingly, offers an official cheat sheet for this! (png version here) This is called . It was named so because the clockwise progression…
yuta
April 11, 2024
Preparation

Interval (1) Counting ABC

1. What is Interval? A melody is a succession of notes and a chord is a stack of notes. Whether horizontal or vertical, it is clear that the secret of music lies in the distance between tones, more specifically, the differential between pitches. Now here's - and -. It is clear that the gap between - is wider than the…
yuta
June 9, 2024
Preparation

Key and Key Signature

1. Key It is explained before that all the instruments should (basically) play the same scale in a scene of a song. To designate a scale, we have another term : . When a song is made mainly with C major scale, we say like... This song is in the key of C major. Saying that "This song is C…
yuta
June 11, 2024
Preparation

Mechanism of Scales (2)Transposition

1. All That Matters is Step In the previous section you saw the mechanism of scales; The arrangement of whole tone and semitone determines the basic sound character of a scale. Step structure is the definitive factor for its sound, which means that you can construct major scale from any note as the center. You may have practiced singing like…
yuta
June 9, 2024
Preparation

Mechanism of Scales (1)Tone and Semitone

1. The Mechanism Reviewing the previous section; A scale is a collection of tones. One of the scale members works as a captain, which is called the tonal center(T.C.). So even when the members are identical, the mood a scale produces may differ according to which note acts as the center. "C Major Scale" "A Minor Scale" But....Isn't it strange?…
yuta
June 11, 2024