I analyzed the chords of 1300 popular songs for patterns. This is what I found.
For many people, listening to music elicits such an emotional response that the idea of dredging it for statistics and structure can seem odd or even misguided. But knowing these patterns can give one a deeper more fundamental sense for how music works; for me this makes listening to music a lot more interesting. Of course, if you play an instrument or want to write songs, being aware of these things is obviously of great practical importance. In this article, we’ll look at the statistics gathered from 1300 choruses, verses, etc. of popular songs to discover the answer to a few basic questions. First we’ll look at the relative popularity of different chords based on the frequency that they appear in the chord progressions of popular music.
Free VST plugins
Click for screenshot This VSTi plugin is a recreation of the famous ARP Odyssey. It has exactly the same interface and controls as the original, and has no extra frills. But who needs extra frills with the Arp odyssey? One of the most versatile and clever hard wired synthesizers ever needs no frills!
Why the circle of fourths is so important when learning major scales
Playing your major scales should be a part of your daily practice regimen. However, practicing them in a “circle of fourths” or “circle of fifths” pattern is even better. Let’s focus more on circle of fourths.
200 useful chord phrases in C major
We've spent two full months of this blog exploring the basics of chord writing in rock music so you can create your own chord progressions (or chord phrases, as I like to call them). Personally, I love this stuff! There are so many hidden symmetries to discover, so many subtle relationships between notes that you can play with.
Outline of basic music theory
Professional music theory: an outline of basic music theory. Preface and Chapter 1 of the Outline of basic music theory – by Oscar van Dillen ©2011-2014 The beginner’s learning book can be found at Basic elements of music theory. Overview of chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Sound and hearing Chapter 3: Musical notation Chapter 4: Basic building blocks of melody and harmony Chapter 5: Consonance and dissonance Chapter 6: Circle of fifths and transposition Chapter 7: Concerning rhythm, melody, harmony and form Chapter 8: Further study Preface
Music Theory Worksheets
Finally! Here are some music theory worksheets you can download and print. These will range from the most basic beginner level to more advanced challenges.
how music works
How Music Works is a comprehensive suite of multimedia tutorials which explain music in clear, simple language you can relate to. Packed with 115 topics in nine tutorials, and illustrated with 360 diagrams and 750 demonstration sounds, the tutorials start with the very basics of music and advance to topics which are valuable even for professional musicians. Whatever musical instrument or style you are interested in, these tutorials will be an essential source of information and guidance for years to come.
AGE OF THE WHEEL: Circle of Fifths Chord Resource in Ableton Live
If you've turned on the radio in the last 30 years or so, you've probably noticed that almost all pop music sounds the same: rigidly formulaic, predictable and yet, oddly pleasing and familiar. This is no accident. Our Western ears have been trained to like music built around the circle of fifths. I'm not an authority on music theory, but I've hacked together (from various resources) an Ableton Live session that can be used as a reference and compositional aid in this style.
Online Ear Training with Intervals, Melodies, and Jazz Chord Progressions
Play Mode controls what happens when you click play. Auto-mode, puts the player on a loop, delaying each loop for as long as desired. Check this box to immediately show the first note of the sequence as it plays. In Rhythm Section mode, the "first note" displayed is the key without the progression/chord type. Check this box to delay the complete results of what was just played.
Music Theory Printable Worksheets Details
Details Written by Victoria Williams Sample pages from the printable PDF files you can download from My Music Theory.com
The Chord Guide: Pt I – Chord Progressions
Chord progressions are the canvas on which musicians paint their masterpieces, and it’s a canvas which is a piece of art in itself. A chord progression can be subtle and in the background or it can be blatant and up front; it can be simple and catchy, or it can be technical and complex, it can stay in one key or it can change like the seasons. In any of these cases a chord progression is what drives the song as it literally shapes the music that accompanies it. Chord progressions are like a cozy home where melody and rhythm can kick their feet up. All the songwriting giants, like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, have/had a tremendous knowledge of the art of the chord progression. I’m not going to promise you tremendous knowledge, but I will offer you a good head start in the way of making your own music – in an easily digestible chunk to boot.
Learning and Loving Music Theory
Kelvin, You actually caught a mistake on the roman numerals! Thanks, I’ll have to fix that. The first and last chords of the progression are not 7th chords. Somehow I inadvertently typed “I7″ on the first chord of all the major keys. (Notice that I didn’t do that for the minor keys.)
Free Online Voice Generator
Free online voice generator. This voice synthesizer tool allows you to enter any text into the box and listen to a computer generated voice speaking the output. Different browsers and operating systems have different voices (typically including male and female voices and foreign accents), so look at the options in the dropdown box to see what voices are available. Please note, as this is very new technology, the voice generator is currently only compatible with the latest version of Chrome or Safari. Firefox and Internet Explorer are not currently supported.
Elements of Music
Elements of Music Pitch – register (high or low); Organization of pitches with a pattern of intervals between them creates scales; Words we might use to describe scales: major/minor, chromatic, gapped, pentatonic. Rhythm – the time element of music. A specific rhythm is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear these in relation to a steady pulse, and mentally organize this pulse or tempo into meter (sometimes called a "time signature"). Meter organizes beats into groups, usually of two or three; beats can be divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4 subdivisions Melody, or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm (some say "duration").
