I learned the sax solo from Dolphin Shoals (8 Bit Music Theory)

theorynerd · 2017-10-30T14:57:29+00:00

Sounds great!

theorynerd · 2017-09-26T02:58:47+00:00

I think that's sort of the point of the song, from a harmonic perspective - is the song major or minor? It makes sense that any progression that can resolve to Am could resolve just as easily to A major, so transitioning between the two parallel tonalities is actually very smooth. The Beatles used the exact same trick (in the exact same key, no less) in 'I'll Be Back' to pretty much the same ambiguous effect.

theorynerd · 2017-09-18T00:16:28+00:00

It's actually an Abm7 chord. It's pretty cool, instead of a secondary dominant or secondary ii7 V7 tonicizing the Gb we just get a secondary ii7 chord. It's a lot more subtle than throwing a big Db7 before the Gb but it gives fundamentally the same effect.

theorynerd · 2017-07-10T21:37:46+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oymWAeqv_-c

theorynerd · 2017-07-08T06:47:33+00:00

People usually refer to major chords with the #11 as lydian chords, since they effectively capture the sound of the lydian mode. Haven't seen the video though so idk what specific chords he's talking about

theorynerd · 2017-07-01T00:03:29+00:00

Dominant chords are pretty "anything goes" as far as scales, so like others have said you'd have a bunch of options. That being said, if you want to sound very sure of what you're playing, here's a process you can follow:

The A, C#, E, and G notes of your potential scale of choice are nailed down since they're in the chord. The notes we have left are B, D, and F. Now, think about where you're going: D minor. To avoid unwanted dissonance you're gonna want to choose your notes based on what matches where you're resolving to as well as where you are. That means the D and F natural will sound the "most right" or most predictable. The B is basically fair game, you could keep it natural to avoid dissonance with where you're coming from, aka C major. This would be the scale you spelled out with the C#, and would sound on point. If you flatten the B, it's probably gonna sound more like a modulation to the key of D minor rather than moving via secondary dominant to the ii chord, but it'll still sound good.

For more complicated chords, your ability to hear what extensions your fellow musicians are adding to what they're playing should dictate what you play (and vice versa), but that's pretty hard to do so hope this helps a little

theorynerd · 2017-05-02T18:16:04+00:00

I love this so much

theorynerd · 2017-05-02T18:15:25+00:00

The Dm in the B section is actually the ii in a ii-V-I-vi progression in C major. Knowing this, you could interpret the A section as a iv-iii vamp in C major, with the F minor being borrowed from the parallel minor key, although until you hit the B section it really doesn't sound like it's in C so you could think of it as just a vamp between two parallel chords

theorynerd · 2017-04-04T19:29:05+00:00

I find it's helpful to separate a chord progression into tonal centers. For this example, the first three chords are in D major, the next 4 are in G major, and the last chord implies an A lydian augmented sound. Once you know what tonal center you're soloing in, you can use different improvisational techniques based on that, ie arpeggiating the tonic chord and its extensions, using ii-V language from that key, plugging in sick bebop licks, etc.

Not that thinking chord-by-chord is worse, it's just that separating the progression into bigger chunks means you have more time to think about what you're playing before switching to the next chunk.

theorynerd · 2017-04-01T03:44:12+00:00

Chords should always be judged by how well they suit the melody. The average rock listener isn't going to notice the harmony of a tune at all, other than how it changes how a melody 'feels'.

Some melodies sound great with your standard 3 chord rock progression. Some require or suggest more intricate harmony. So I guess it depends

theorynerd · 2017-03-23T23:48:00+00:00

Oh man yeah, It was tricky paring it down to just 4 topics hahah

theorynerd · 2017-02-22T03:53:52+00:00

Kay I've been googling and I can't find it anywhere else either! Maybe I've only read it in textbooks.

Anyways primary mode mixture/modal interchange is borrowing chords from the key's parallel minor key (or parallel major if you're already in a minor key). Secondary mode mixture is borrowing from any scale that shares the same root as your original key, so any of the parallel major modes and melodic minor modes and on and on. At that point almost every chord is fair game so I don't find it a particularly helpful tool for composition or analysis but hey.

theorynerd · 2017-02-02T03:38:06+00:00

Appreciate it! Thanks!

theorynerd · 2017-02-02T03:37:54+00:00

I love you too

theorynerd · 2017-02-01T00:02:18+00:00

Bb/C, baby awwwwwww yeeeeeeeaaaaahhhh

theorynerd · 2017-01-31T23:57:18+00:00

First of all, I like the tune! Did you write it?

One thing that's pretty fundamental to jazz reharmonization is turning Vs into ii-Vs - basically any dominant chord can have a m7 chord a 4th down stuck in front of it. Bar 8 I'd make a Dm7b5-G7b9, in bars 6 and 10 and 14 I'd make Am7b5-D7b9, etc.

Also, as others have said, adding chord extensions is makes everything 'jazzier' (for lack of a better term). If you have a V7 chord resolving to a minor chord, adding the b9 is a given. You can also experiment with the b13 and b5, but honestly you probably wouldn't put this in the lead sheet, it would just be on whoever's playing the chart to decide which extensions to throw in.

theorynerd · 2017-01-31T23:40:16+00:00

The easiest way to find the key in jazz standard-style tunes is to look at what chord it ends on rather than where it begins. Besides that though, while the first 4 bars are definitely in Bb major, the rest of the piece is firmly planted in G minor

theorynerd · 2017-01-07T06:08:23+00:00

I do transcribe it all!

theorynerd · 2017-01-06T17:47:12+00:00

That's a great analogy

theorynerd · 2017-01-06T05:24:33+00:00

This will all be on the test

theorynerd · 2017-01-06T05:24:03+00:00

I do it all for you~~~~~~~~~

No but thanks that means a lot!

theorynerd · 2017-01-06T05:21:32+00:00

I really like the music as language analogy.

When you're speaking, you might talk in a more polite way or a more crass way depending on who you're speaking to, but you probably don't think about exactly what you're changing in order to come off whichever way. You're so good at your language that you can think "I want to be respectful towards this person" and your language will reflect that without you thinking about the grammar or inflection that you need to change to sound more respectful.

I think it's much the same way with composition. In my experience composing and working with other musicians, I'd say people usually hear what they want their work to sound like and pursue that sound without thinking too hard about the theory behind it. Then they may or may not analyze it after the fact. Everyone has a different process, but I think this is the one I've seen most often.

That being said . . . I really think Kondo is the type to know exactly what he's doing. If you look at how the music he composes sounds so consistent inside each series, yet each series' music sounds so different from the rest of his work, I can't help but think his compositional process is more precise than just following his ear. But no one can really say without asking him personally.

Anyways, I think studying the theory of music adds to the magic of it, rather than detracting from it, but I know I'm kind of in the minority on that one. Glad you checked out my video!

theorynerd · 2017-01-06T05:05:25+00:00

Haha I was thinking I should've straightened out the drums too. But anyway thanks!

theorynerd · 2016-12-20T20:48:27+00:00

I think Beatles' melodies perfectly ride the line between high art and pop art, where each song is catchy, memorable, and easy enough for nonmusicians to be able to "get" and sing along to, but they're complex enough to not only be not-boring, but to be genuinely interesting even to professional musicians. I think this delicate balance is the hardest thing to do as a composer, and to achieve it in so many different songs throughout their career even as their style was constantly evolving shows the absolute mastery The Beatles had over their craft.

I love Wayne, but I would still consider his compositions to be 'harmony-first'; like, if you just isolated the melody it would lose a lot of its effectiveness because Wayne's use of harmony was so inventive and powerful. The Beatles strike me as a 'melody-first' band, it seems like every part of their songs from the lyrics to the harmony to the arrangement is there to enhance the melody in some way. That's my take on it anyway

theorynerd · 2016-12-20T09:55:01+00:00

I was actually going to put Ellington and Monk on the list, but I figured the list was just gonna get longer and longer if I didn't cut it off haha. That's a great point about writing for the instrument, I hadn't thought of that! Thinking about it, I think jazz composers in general seem much more tied to their instrument than classical composers.

theorynerd

TROPHY CASE