A Note That Refuses to Move Creates the Tension Every Cadence Depends On
A Suspension Is Three Events Across Three Beats, Not One Tense Moment Most of the students who send me counterpoint make the same mistakes. They wri…
Music Theory
Sonata Form Only Works When You Can Hear It: Audiation and Structure
Sonata form is the most important large-scale structure in classical music, and the composers who use it well share one trait: they can hear the arch…
Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory
Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862, so writing a post to celebrate seemed appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged th…
Classical Music Kept Baroque's Grammar: Similarities That Run Deep
The shift from the Baroque period (roughly 1600 to 1750) to the Classical period (roughly 1750 to 1820) is often taught as a revolution: ornate count…
Using Connecting Tones to Create New Chord Progressions
I'm going to share with you a simple but effective technique to spice up your chord progressions: using connecting tones. Connecting Tones Fill t…
Theory Is the Composer's Map: Why the Rules Are Worth Knowing
When teaching music theory, I'm often asked about the role of music theory in music composition. Students want to know if a composer sits down an…
Strong Pieces Are Built in Layers: Theory, Instruments, Voices, and Form
If you're interested in learning about the future of music, make sure to check out the latest blog post over at http://www.kevinure.com, The Futu…
A Song Cycle Turns Separate Songs into One Story
A song cycle is a set of individually complete songs designed to be performed together, in order, as a single work. Each song stands on its own, but …
The Symphony Is Not the Only Large Form: Four Alternatives That Endure
The classical symphony is one of the largest and most ambitious developments in classical music. As a composer, I view the symphony as one of the hig…
Ternary Form: Music That Leaves Home and Returns
Ternary form is music's most satisfying shape: statement, departure, return. Labeled ABA, it presents an opening section, contrasts it with somet…
Serialism Ordered All Twelve Tones: How the System Works
Integral Serialism combines many elements into one formulaic composition. Serialism is one of the most profound advancements in the music of the 20th…
Every Harmony Has a Job: The Kinds Composers Choose Between
Harmony is what happens when pitches sound together, but that single word covers an enormous territory. Composers across ten centuries have organized…
Musical Techniques Are a Vocabulary: The Terms Composers Actually Use
Every field has its working vocabulary, and music has one of the richest. When a score says legato, sforzando, or rubato, it is compressing a whole p…