Harmony

Discussion in 'Education' started by foster911, Mar 6, 2016.

  1. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    First I want to appreciate all of the guys who spent their valuable time guiding me to the harmony.

    I searched among lots of harmony books and below one is my suggestion.

    The music of today is notable for the different types of musical harmony that are and can be used. For example, there is functional harmony, associated with the common inheritance that is classical music. Composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms thus wrote their music using this system of functional harmony. Then there is modal harmony, which looks beyond the major and minor key system of classical music and uses other musical scales andmodes, such as the system of church modes that preceded the adaption of our major and minor scales. There is also jazz harmony, which, as well as possessing its own idiosyncratic approach to harmony, has now reached a high level of complexity and sophistication. Another type of harmony is quartal, quintal, and secundal harmony, which is based on chord shapes and structures that were not commonly used by classical composers. Then there is pandiatonic harmony, which represents a free use of chordal materials within the seven-note diatonic scale without reference to traditional harmonic functions. Another type of harmony is free chromatic or atonal harmony—that is, harmony that does not base itself or organize itself around tonal centers. An offshoot of this is serial harmony, in which the notes of the chromatic scale are arranged in a particular order. The chords to be used are then selected from this predetermined order and its derivatives.

    Naturally, viewing these different types of approach to harmony can be both confusing and bewildering. And to make matters worse, today there is not one single theory or system that covers and explains all possible types of harmony. Bearing this in mind, where does a person who wishes to learn the arts of harmony begin? For a computer musician wishing to learn the arts of harmony, probably the best place to start is with functional harmony—that is, the system of harmony originally used and developed by classical composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. Despite the fact that this may imply that functional harmony is therefore an old or outdated type of harmony, most popular music that we hear on the radio today uses or makes reference to the common inheritance that is functional harmony. Probably the main reason for this is that functional harmony is essentially simple, very musical, and pleasing to the human ear; it is also relatively easy to learn. For this reason alone, all computer musicians and songwriters wishing to write their own music should really waste no time in learning at least the principles of functional harmony, because it still represents the very root and foundation from which most modern and popular music springs.

    When we talk about harmony in general we're talking about functional or tonal one?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 27, 2016
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  3. Xupito

    Xupito Audiosexual

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    Thanks for the info.

    I'm gonna buy it ala Kanye West way lol
     
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  4. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    If you're interested, this book is also good an a bit easier but above one is like the course books containing a workbook, accompanying audios and also a instructor's manual.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 27, 2016
  5. Third World Kid

    Third World Kid Member

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    Thanks for the recommendations @foster911.
    I having been thinking of which pdf I would spend time on to further my music knowledge after my upcoming exams this month. There are a plethora of music books online and being inundated with too many options makes it hard to choose sometimes.
    Thanks for these recommendations.
     
  6. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    You're the noob and you're making suggestions? Typical foster911..

    Tonal is functional and there's no "harmony in general", everything needs a context.. like you've been told 1000 times.

    Here, have a bit more: :trolls:
     
  7. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    I know they are the same. My mean was:

    1- (total=functional) in one side
    and
    2- The other ones in the other side
     
  8. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    Sure, you know a lot.
     
  9. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    For getting rid of misinterpretation again, could you please name some genres or styles that use harmonies other than tonal?

    All of the talks we've had till now is around tonal. I don't want to get stuck in another trap because of not clarifying categorizing.
     
  10. globalpeace

    globalpeace Noisemaker

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    They are teaching from this book in my college. Good that you suggested it to others.:mates:
     
  11. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    No.

    You are the trap. Can't even figure out tonics by ear yet but wants to tackle big books.. delusional.

    Why is it so hard for you to stop chasing your own tail and start listening to what people tell you? Music is not about ferocious reading, get over it.
     
  12. duskwings

    duskwings Platinum Record

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    jazz.just to quote one
     
  13. duskwings

    duskwings Platinum Record

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    I know I will regret it,but I m too curious: how did u choose this book, how did u compare different harmony books?with what competence can u suggest this particular book rather than others?
     
  14. Xupito

    Xupito Audiosexual

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    This one also looks great, I've already bought it (Kanye West style too).

    Speaking as a very beginner in music theory: quality comments both in forums or just in amazon are not definitive but very helpful. Quality comments: the poster makes sense and gives enough information of his (past) context to be able to identify with.

    I've tested this fact with books of areas I know better (work stuff, etc) and is quite useful.
     
  15. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    duskwings has got allergy to my posts. Even if I call him duskwings, he would probably say: no, I am not him, I am someone else.:bleh:

    Every time I am asking or talking musically, he just try to analyze me. I don't let myself and have never said anything insulting him and all of my sentences directly or indirectly are related to music except this one (maybe in a wrong way) but some of his ones are really outrageous and irritating.:thanks::goodpost:

    I never ever take what hey says personally because I really love him and also others here and respect all of you guys. I don't know anything other than that.

    I have a better idea. Posting my sentences to him and also st kouros for correcting before publishing them here. I think they would be so busy. But the last word would be from duskwings or kouros?

    Please forgive my verbosity!

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 7, 2016
  16. Andrew

    Andrew AudioSEX Maestro

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    Practice and theory goes together. Actually I find it very impressive that @foster911 asks for study suggestions. Not many people today are so willing to study than him/her. :mates:
    As for the subject, "Harmony, Melody and Composition" by Paul Sturman was very helpful to me. Very easy to comprehend.
     
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  17. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    Sure, but theory and theory won't make a practice.
     
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  18. kouros

    kouros Platinum Record

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    :deep_facepalm:
    :trolls::knock::trolls::knock:
     
  19. duskwings

    duskwings Platinum Record

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    he doesn t ask for studying suggestions,he asks for shortcuts to avoid studying ,and when he doesn t,he suggests things on a subject he doesn t know
     
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  20. foster911

    foster911 Guest

    Sorry guys, the shortcuts that you're talking, yes I am searching them for better practicing. My instrument is a keyboard and all the shortcuts just apply to it and nothing else.

    Knowing theories in one side and finding better handy shortcuts for practicing in the other side. I am almost sure that most keyboardists have such things in their mind while playing.

    If my instrument was a guitar, I would find another ones.
     
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  21. foster911

    foster911 Guest

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