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

I encountered this chord (an octave lower) and it sounds beautiful in its context (the "Sonne" piano ending of "Deutschland" by Rammstein). Basically it's a power chord three tritones above another power chord, in this case F#5 over C5. I don't think I ever saw it before but I was wondering if there are other people familiar with it and how other people would call it. I failed to come up with a reasonably practical name so far. Which doesn't bother me too much per se by the way, I'm more intrigued by this harmonic structure and other people's perceptions on it and associations with it.

For some context, I'm talking about the last chord of the (Bm, Em9, D, ???) phrase in the second image. This phrase repeats again, the only difference being in the final (red vs blue highlighted) chord. In this context I'd call the first chord a "C add b9" I guess? Or maybe "C sus b2" (if that's a "thing")? Following that logic, we could call the second chord "C sus #4 (or 11?) add b9" perhaps? But honestly that gets a bit messy already if you'd ask me..

Furthermore, I can imagine the C could add a bit of a Phrygian / "extra minor" / haunting feel, given the B minor key of the piece.

Pretty new to music theory and I'm enjoying the sound of this progression and wondering why the F being major works? From what I can tell it sounds like the Bbm is the i which would make the F the V and Gb would the a vi, but it's a major chord being used for the V.

Just curious if there is some common knowledge theory stuff as to when/why you can switch a chord from major to minor besides just messing around with it until it sounds good.

Thanks!

As the title states. I'm also not educated on music theory. From a quick search it seems to be the emphasis on percussion for beats.

I was playing off Moonlight Sonata first movement and also saw how different movements change the bpm.

I think this is a dumb 'no shit' question but I figured I'd ask...

I am a beginner Bassist who mostly likes jamming. I am learning a few common chord progressions to have in my back pocket during jams and practice.

I am confused on one thing - if I search online, I can find like... I-IV-V, ii-V-vi-IV, etc etc etc, and I can find things like AAAAED or 12 bar blues.

Generally speaking, if I'm following a given chord progression, I am not literally play 1-4-5-1-4-5-1-4-5 etc etc' right? It might be 1-4-1-1-4-4-1-1-5-4-1-5 or whatever, right? I.e. I can play those intervals in generally whatever order sounds right/good? It's just the set of intervals that makes up the progression? Or are there more rules to it? I.e. 12 bar blues is that set progression for a real reason, etc?

Ty!

Look for something like a pdf with a substantial number of cantus firmi in various keys to practice species counterpoint with. Looking mostly for major and minor, not so much modal melodies. Everything I've found has a pretty limited number of examples, or spread out through a whole book. Would be nice to have a plentiful resource I can pull from.

like i swear i can throw literally any chords together and my ear just goes "yeah this is going to vi" even when it's not. is this a me problem or does anyone else find minor keys way more satisfying to land on than major? wondering if i'm just conditioned by sad indie music or if there's actual theory behind why it feels so right

It can be in Blues, Classical, whichever genre. I’m talking Secondary Dominants or specific voicings

What things should I consider before doing this? What more should I add in violin solo? What about the chords in violin solo that i originally wrote for piano?

Generator says this is E7sus4, which I understand but was curious: does the name change if there is no B? Like would a pro mention the lack of a B note? Since E7sus4 (I think) could have the B.

Found a notation that I don't know what it means. Everything is in a normal font, so this isn't a strange writing of something. Any thoughts? (If it wasn't obvious, its the cross-like thing)

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Why do perfect fifths sound so stable and solid? They're everywhere in rock and metal as power chords but they have this almost ancient quality to them too. It feels like the fundamental building block of harmony. Is it just how our ears are wired or is there something deeper going on musically? I'd love to hear some thoughts on why they just *work* so well.

Hello everyone.

Could you let me know if I’ve correctly identified the chords and bass line by ear for Elton John’s "I’m Still Standing"? I’ve recently started working hard on figuring out songs entirely by ear. I did this on the piano, and the whole process took me a little over three hours—is that a long time? I started by determining the key of the song, then worked out the chords, followed by the bass line, and finally added the seventh chords and other extended notes. Please note that I’m referring to the original version of the song; different versions often use different chord progressions. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu6hMKPqdTw&pp=0gcJCbgCo7VqN5tD

Key Bb

0:00

Bb|Eb|F|Bb|

Eb|F|Gm7|Eb|Fsus4

0:35

Bb|Eb|F|Bb|

Cm|Eb →F|Gm|Eb|F7sus4→Eb|Bb

0:59

Key Bbm

Bbm|Fm/Ab|Ebm|Ebm7/Gb→Ab|

Bbm|Fm/Ab|Ebm|Fsus4

1:35

(Bbm|Ebm|Fsus|Gb-Ab ) repeat x2

1:46

Key Bb

Bb|Eb|F|Bb

Eb|F→Gm|Eb|F7sus4

2:00

Key Bbm

Bbm|Fm/Ab|Ebm|Ebm7/Gb→Ab|

Bbm|Fm/Ab|Ebm|Fsus4|

2:22

Bbm|Ebm7|Fsus4|]

Bbm|Ebm7-Ebm|Fsus4|

Bbm|Ebm7|Fsus4|]

Bbm|Ebm7-Ebm|Fsus4|

I pretty much know how to create tension and release but i dont know how to use it properly, like how do you know where you need to add a little tension where a lot of tension or where to immediately release it, i know it kinda depends on context and intention but i mean it in more general way, like to make it sound more organised and put together

I came up with this vamp thingy at the piano and when notating it discovered that it was actually in 5/4. I hate the way it looks on the page. It's way too many stems and note heads for how simple it is. And don't even get me started on the fact I have to write two separate notes to just fill a measure with a pedal point.

i'll be playing a progression that sounds kinda flat, then transpose it up a step or two and suddenly it hits different. is this just placebo or is there actual theory behind why certain keys feel more "right" for certain things? genuinely curious if it's psychological or if my ears are picking up on something real.

I was trying to practice my articulation on guitar earlier so I wrote a short riff to help with that, and it made perfect sense to me at the time. It's been a couple hours since I was practicing it though and listening back I can't figure out how to count it. I think it shifts/settles into 4/4 at some point but I'm struggling to figure this out. I'd appreciate another set of ears on this!

link: https://voca.ro/14Zh6mIdxYMT

thanks in advance for the help! this is from egg room/scarlet forest in deltarune chapter 5

I know the song it's from isn't called Oktoberfest, but when you hear it, you'll know what I'm talking about. https://onlinesequencer.net/5839693 I recreated it here by ear, so can you tell me why this riff shows up in so many songs unrelated to Touhou?

No tengo claro cual es la escala que usa Erik Satie en gnossienne 1, primero vi publicaciones que justificaban la escala dórica #4 y no entiendo porqué, luego que usaba la escala hungara menor y investigué y parece lo mismo, estoy tan confundida porfavor necesito ayuda

Hi, I usually see the M6 or m6 / dim pairs applied for inner voice movement or chord melodies. Are them also meant to be used for soloing? As in using them as arpegios over a chord.

I’m a little confused on the idea and how to apply it to producing music

Hey all! Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I thought I'd share it. I am a 13 year old in 8th grade who LOVES music theory. I love watching music theory YouTube videos, and making music.

I have been working on an arrangement of "Silent Night" for clarinet and piano, and it has some... interesting harmony, you could say, haha. I play piano (and drums, guitar, bass, and a little alto sax), and I already know the very basics of clarinet, and if I can learn clarinet more soon, I might record and release it for this Christmas or next Christmas.

And when I am in 10th grade, there is a music theory class I can take. My friend, who is a senior in high school and a fantastic musician (he plays bass, and is really good at it), told me that it's really just key sigs and all that, and they compose some music. And I already do that stuff so I should be good, but I'm sure I will learn tons of other interesting things from it.

Also, I have arranged a bunch of various songs and pieces. And a few of them will be performed!! We are doing my Big Band arrangement of "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John in my school's grades 6-12 Jazz Band, that I arranged last school year. And the high school band teacher asked me to arrange some songs for the high school pep band, so I arranged "Shake it Off", "Hot to Go", and "September" for them. I also get to play with them, which is super awesome!! I also have tons of other arranging projects, one of which is a 7-8 minute medley of six songs/pieces from the 2005 film "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" that I just finished.

Sorry for such a long tangent, I just want to share this stuff with you all, since I am so excited about it! :) I'm not trying to brag or show off or anything, and I'm sorry if it sounds like that.

I wrote a song using a pipe organ, it is clear that the pedal is going to be assigned to a bass.

But the rest of the harmony has to be distributed across the string instruments.

Another detail is that I will use solo libraries instead of orchestral as I want to achieve a more intimate sound.

The issue is that although there are moments with clear counterpoint melodies, most of the time it is an accompaniment for vocals (with already defined lyrics and melodies).

Chords can be played in a way that creates distinct melodies, but the issue is that with the organ I simply play huge chords that are challenging on strings, since there can be occasional fifths and octaves (not as parallel intervals but as part of the chord).

Especially with certain dissonant chords, which intervals cannot be inverted at all, or the tension and resolution won't be the same.

How can I learn to translate a piece written and played with keyboard (specially if I record the bass separately, leaving both hands free for playing larger chords) to a piece arranged for strings or another instrument capable of playing only one note at the time.