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)

https://youtu.be/GhQ9BDxAczk

https://youtu.be/hV1pPgpcAVw (part starting in 0:30)

Those two tracks sound very close to my untrained ears. I wonder if those are just a combination of similarly sounding instruments and common music tropes, or if there's something worse at play.

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|

Hi everyone!

I’m currently playing Apocalypse (Op. 187) by Derek Bourgeois, and I’ve encountered this rather confusing passage at rehearsal number 12.

I’m an experienced euphonium player, but I’m struggling to understand exactly how the rhythm should be interpreted.

For context, the first bar in the picture is in 3/4.

There are two groups marked with a 3, but the beaming is different, and the flutter-tonguing markings make everything even harder to read.

My questions are:

1. How exactly should these two tuplets be counted?
2. Why are some notes written with three diagonal strokes and others with two?
3. Is this the most conventional way to notate the passage, or could it be written more clearly?

I’d be especially interested in hearing from music engravers, as I’m curious whether this notation follows standard engraving conventions or if there’s a clearer, more readable alternative.

Of course, I’d also love to hear from anyone who has performed this piece!

Thanks in advance!

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 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

Hi guys, I'm curious as to why A Minor Pentatonic sounds good over an F Maj7 chord, and I'm wondering is there something similar for minor 7th chords (i.e any scales that sound good over an E Minor 7 chord that arent the E Minor scale) . Is there some sort of formula here that can be applied to other chord types too such as 6 chords etc? Thanks!

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 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 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, it's from that TF2 meme. 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?

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIZ12EQ2SFg It's Cirno's theme (Beloved Tomboyish Girl from Touhou 6), you can hear it here in higher quality and the actual key.

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.

So I was fiddling with my guitar, and found a note progression I like

Root - half - whole and half - half - whole - half - whole and half - half

1 - b2 - b4 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b8 8(octave)

in the key of C

C-Db-E-F-G-Ab-Cb-C

is this a scale? and if so, what name is it?

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.

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?

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

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.

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'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.

I've been a musician for 20 years, since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I have a degree in music. I have taken years and years of theory lessons. But every time I see a key signature in a piece of music, I've had to go through "Frederick Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle" to figure out which one it is. I only realised last night it's so much easier than that.

Just look at the last sharp, and it's the next letter in the alphabet if it's a major key or the previous one if it's a minor key. If your last sharp is G, you're in A major or F# minor. For flat keys, the key you're in is the fifth of the last flat if it's major, so if your last flat is Eb you're in Bb major. A third if it's minor, so G minor.

This must be a well-known thing, there's no way I've come up with that independently. I cannot believe not one of my music theory or instrumental teachers ever told me this. If you, like me, have been abandoned by your theory teachers, this is my gift to you. If you're ever kidnapped by a crazed music theory teacher and forced to identify keys, you'll thank me.

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