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Principles of music: journey and return – a metaphor for life
One of the fundamental concepts underlying Western music is harmonic function. Within this system, chords fall into one of three...
Scale degrees and melodic intervals
Each major and minor scale has seven notes which are determined by the scale’s pattern of intervals from the starting note. Scale degrees...
Introduction to chords and chord functions
Groups of three or more notes can be classified as chords. Chords built from notes of a major or minor scale are known as diatonic...
Introduction to functional harmony — I, IV, and V chords
The I chord: the tonic Just as the tonic note is the most stable note of the key, the major chord built on the tonic, called the I chord,...
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