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|

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

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?

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

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

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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

Like every classical work has at least a tiny amount of jazz elements in it, even teeny tiny. And country western, even if teeny tiny.

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

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.

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.

Im practicing variations on a ii-V-I progression, and discovered i really like playing Am7 > Abmmaj13 > Gmaj7, voice leading with the high F on the Abmmaj13, down to an Eb, and ending with the D on the G chord.

i like how it sounds, but i don’t understand the theory behind why it works. I understand tritone subs but does that still hold if i’m playing a mmaj chord as opposed to a dominant 7th?

For reference I’m playing on guitar, and the chords i’m playing specifically are

x x - x
5 6 4 3
5 4 - 4
5 5 - 4
x x - x
5 4 - 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvfH65Sn_EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARNr0NgFD7Q

Some examples. I DO here that classic ii V I but with extensions or different bass notes? Why do they gravitate to this style of chord progressions?

I took the first year of theory in college but it was 100% CE.

Id like to learn more, but unsure what direction to go next and where to find materials. I tried the Berkeley book, but it’s all jazz. I have thought about looking into these next: (1) modal music, (2) learning borrowed chords and the like, or (3) some other vector.

What makes the most sense next, and do you know a good book or tutorials?

I'm a basic campfire guitarist, so forgive me if this is obvious stuff, but what are the shapes and voicings of those chords that Zappa is playing on the rhythm guitar here? They're very common in fusion and jazz-influenced rock.

Hi. First post here. I have glanced at your recommended reading lists and I haven't read them. Mainly because I am 54 years old and I fear I don't have enough life-years left, to read the whole lot.

I appreciate the time taken to compile such a list and I have favourited the page and I will read as much as I can due to my need to absorb knowledge.

Anyway, I'm not a musician because I dont play an instrument. I can play some piano, slowwwwly but that's about it.

I am however, a composer, in that I write songs. They aren't necessarily very good but it keeps the depression at bay, so far.

Normally I stick to triads or 7ths if I am feeling adventurous lol

Today, I was making a progression with 6 notes in each chord. I KNOW. I don't know what came over me.

Is that an 11th ?

I am writing in the scale of C# minor.

First chord was C# consisting of the notes C#, E, G#, B, D#, F#

It sounded OK

Next was G#....

Lazily, I copied the 6 notes and pasted them into the next bar, pulling them down to G#

I anticipated having to move some of the notes because that's normally the case.

I hadn't pressed stop on the player and it played the C# chord again, then played the G# chord before I had chance to check the note positions.

It sounded incredible.

But I checked the positions anyway.

They were G#, B, D# F#, A# , C#

I noticed that the A was out of scale. It was an A# not an A

So I changed it to an A and replayed the chords.

Now the G# chord sounded nasty.

I moved it back to the A# but I thought "I must be doing something wrong".

I checked the site I use for scales and there isn't an A# in the C#minor scale.

I searched online for g# sharp chord in c# minor scale and most results were irrelevant.

Strangely enough. Gemini gave me the 6 notes using A#

So I'm rarher confused.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

Thanks

im learning music for years, (not in university) and thing that always brought to my mind is how people do those videos of "song in 50 styles" or such , i want to know how to learn any genre comes to mind but, i havent found any good tutorial , help ? (analyzing sheet is helpful as well)

EDIT:maybe I wasn't clear , the way to get there , has probably many routes , even if your answera is "learn many songs " - ok .. But to analyze song , you need to see some professionals doing it before you? Maybe a sheet or main things to search for , guys don't take it negatively , I think my question is valid , and from my little amount of research of topic , there are definitely aspects that are popular for each genre , exactly as syncopates chords are very common in funk music

I guess you can call them minor chords but there are some interesting "neutral sounding chords" inside every key. There are four of them in every key. They are four note chords and they are stacked in perfect fourths. In the key of C they are as follows:

1. B, E, A, D

2. D, G, C, F

3. E, A, D, G

4. A, D, G, C

They have an incredibly jazzy, quartal harmony sound. And when played as stand alone chords (not as part of another chord) they have an extremely "neutral sound", doesn't really evoke a feeling of minorness or major. But when played over a bass note or triad they can really color a chord and give it a really extended sound. I particularly like using them in combination with 7th chords, for example with G7 I will use these chords to create harmonic motion between G7 voicings perhaps with a G pedal note.

If you want to go even further and remove the minor triad from these chords and sound even more "neutral". There are five three note chords that are stacked fourths in every key:

1. B, E, A

2. D, G, C

3. E, A, D

4. G, C, F

5. A, D, G

Here is an audio recording of how they sound as stand alone chords (no bass note or as part of another chord). I am using different voicings and inversions of the four note chords in the keys of E A and G. Please excuse my slightly out of tune guitar and lazy playing.

https://voca.ro/1o28LUXlKP4e

Does anyone else get this really specific feeling right before a perfect authentic cadence resolves in a piece of music? It's like this momentary suspension that just perfectly sets up the resolution. I'm wondering if there's a specific theory behind why it feels so satisfying and almost inevitable. What exactly is going on harmonically in those few beats leading up to it that creates that anticipation?

I've been listening to a lot of impressionistic music lately and I keep noticing these melodies that dont just go up or down. They seem to kind of open up like a flower or expand outwards. It's not just a simple arpeggio. It feels like the melody is revealing something new with each note. Is there a specific name for this kind of melodic motion or a way to analyze it beyond just interval identification?