To understand music, you must start at the beginning -- by asking the basic question, "what exactly is music theory?"
The answer may surprise you, as this lesson explains.
In this live stream, we walk through the main points of Lesson 1 from the Guitar Theory course, followed by a Q&A.
Join us Saturday, January 4 @ 9:00 a.m. (UTC-7). Here's the link:
I was watching Mike's Standard Tuning video and there's another really cool way to understand the fretboard using the EADGBE method of tuning.
The standard tuning begins with the note E which is the 3rd step in the key of C. If you think about that in the context of modes, that would make the standard tuning of the guitar what you might call a PHRYGIAN AXIS position.
This axis positon has it's octave appearing again at the 12th fret with the same notes which can be thought of as the same place.
If you move back 2 frets from there to the 10th fret, you find the note D on the 6th string and the 1st string which is the 2nd step in key of C making the 10th fret a DORIAN AXIS position.
It's kind of like using modes as landmarks on the fretboard. On the 5th fret, you find A, and it's the 7th step in key of C and your AEOLIAN AXIS position.
So the 2nd, 3rd, and 7th steps in a modal context is another fretboard roadmap. Seems like yet another cool way to look at the fretboard in a modal context that...
This song has possibly the greatest progression of all time. It was written by Franz Schubert in 1825 as part of his Op. 52, inspired by a Walter Scott poem penned in 1810.
The tune wasn't intended to be a holiday classic. But it's been recorded by so many artists that it is now associated with the season.
Here's an inside look at the music theory behind this composition, along with a video for you to play along:
Cheers!
GO HERE TO FIND ALL COLORMUSIC CONTENT ON LOCALS: https://www.mycolormusic.com/library
This tune is a personal favorite. Originally written in 1951 by Meredith Willson, this song features a strong and adventurous chord progression from the jazz tradition.
"Music Man" Meredith knew a thing or two about the art of songwriting. And these insights are on full display in the attached PDF.
Check it out as you play along with this classic performance by Johnny Mathis:
Cheers!
GO HERE TO FIND ALL COLORMUSIC CONTENT ON LOCALS: https://www.mycolormusic.com/library
Music theory is NOT confusing ... but the SYMBOLS people typically use to understand it are.
In this video, we look at how to quickly understand the patterns of music using COLORS and SHAPES.
https://youtube.com/live/mSWUhD0wDiQ
In other posts here, I explain the benefit of color to see music theory. But people often ask, “… but what’s up with the shapes? Why also use these alternating squares and circles?”
So here’s a synopsis of why the shapes are so helpful, which summarizes key points in the video.
Traditionally, musicians try to picture the invisible patterns of sound using uniform black dots … along with letter and number symbols:
The result is a visually complex system of blotches and squiggles that’s confusing and even counterintuitive.
But when you get down to it, the two most fundamental labels used to communicate musical ideas is those letters and numbers.
And together, these two symbol sets — letters and numbers — are meant to illustrate the musical relationships or patterns, which is what music is all about.
But while the letters do at least a decent job of distinguishing each note from the next — like C versus C# versus D, etc. — the colors visually clarify which notes are which more vividly and immediately.
And the color-note assignments here are based on applying the color wheel to the circle of fifths — where both patterns follow the exact same structure and sequence.
For example, in the center image below, the major scales of each key overlap in music to form the circle of fifths. And just as all the keys in music form this daisy-chain pattern, all the colors in the color wheel also bleed seamlessly into one another....
Hello, music nerds. Join us for the next Song Insight -- breaking down another classic tune. Here, we use the ChordMap to navigate harmonic space, followed by a Q&A.
We're hanging out via live stream Saturday, November 30 at 9:00 a.m. (Mountain). Chat Live or post questions on Locals in advance.
This Open Hour is for supporters. THANK YOU!
And here's the link to join:
Join us for this new Song Insight -- breaking down a great composition. We're using the power of music theory (and the ChordMap), followed by a Q&A.
We're hanging out via live stream Saturday, November 23 at 9:00 a.m. (Mountain).
Chat Live or post questions on Locals in advance.
This Open Hour is for supporters. THANK YOU!
And here's the link to join:
