Parallel Fifths Are Banned Because Two Voices Fuse Into One
Students treat the rule against parallel fifths as a hazing ritual. Some professor bans them, nobody explains why, and you spend a semester hunting y…
Latest Posts
What Is TUNE in Audiation, and How Do You Practice It in One Minute?
TUNE is a one-minute audiation routine I teach in The Composing Hour. Each letter tells you exactly what to do: Turn on the Triangle, Update the text…
What Is TUNED in Audiation, and How Do You Add Expression Without Changing the Melody?
TUNED is the audiation routine I teach in The Composing Hour once TUNE is steady. It's TUNE with one more step on the end: D, for develop. Develo…
What Is the Triangle in Audiation, and How Do You Hear Three Layers at Once?
The Triangle is an audiation exercise I teach in The Composing Hour. You hold three independent parts in your mind at once: a melody, a drone, and a …
You Can Pass Every Interval Drill and Still Lose the Melody in a Real Piece
A student wrote to me last month with a complaint I hear a few times a year. They had spent six months on an interval app. They could name a minor si…
Most Orchestral Mud Comes From Too Many Instruments Sharing the Same Octave
The scores that students send me for orchestration lessons have the same issues in the same place far more often than anywhere else. Not the melody. …
What Is Overlistening in Ear Training, and Why Does Volume Matter?
Overlistening is listening at a volume higher than the material needs. It is a term I use in my ear training courses, and it is why I prefer that you…