Want to understand music

Chords, scales, harmony, melody, etc.
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Hi All,

I am an amateur pianist since I am a teenager. I have learned first only by remembering each key, then tried to memorize chords...

Now, I am very ambitious but I allow me years for that project: I would like to understand the music, I keep asking myself these kinds of questions (examples)
Why this chord progression sounds good?
Why using a add9 or maj9 instead of a typical major chord or minor chord?
How can I assign chords myself for a song?

What kind of source would you recommend to me for my project (book,web?) I want to understand what I play, I am ready to study months or years šŸ¤“

Moreover, do you know any sources (web, book) where someone analyse score sheet/songs of famous nice song?

Thanks in advance!

Thierry
Thierry

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Have you tried Udemy?

There are a lot of music theory courses there.
Last edited by karlingen on Sun Nov 22, 2020 8:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
Karlush
Spotify

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search youtube for the What Makes This Song Great series.
the same channel (Rick Beato) has lots of seminars on theory also.
the other channel I suggest looking for is Mangold Project.

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Find a teacher. Having dialogs in person works best. He can give you assignments based on your interests and level. No book or online course can substitute.
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Image
My MusicCalc is served over https!!

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Thanks for your advices,
@karlingen:kaI do know Udemy but never thought about it regarding music theory, good call!
@acYm: thanks for sharing those relevant YouTube channels
@BertKoot: Fully agree, I tries but did not find the good teacher probably, could be a good option post-Covid.
Thierry

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ChordLord for Renoise 3.

in v1.8.217 there are 217 chord types to all scales/keys, in any tonic/note, inversions, full notation display, full english names, all notes in all chords on display..

Click the chords in ChordLord to enter them into the Pattern Editor with Record mode On.
Preview (hear) the chords clicked with the Renoise OSC enabled.

https://forum.renoise.com/t/hurray-for-ChordLord/62253

and just try what sounds good.

basicly everything *can* sound good if you
create tension with unconsonance and release tension with consonance.

get it together!

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Secret weapon: https://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/

Even though it says Jazz piano, the site does an awesome job of explaining why certain chords and harmonies sound good together, where you can borrow chords from, how modes are derived, etc. Definitely worth checking out.

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Thank you so much all for your help
Thierry

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dcvman wrote: ā†‘Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:55 am Hi All,

I am an amateur pianist since I am a teenager. I have learned first only by remembering each key, then tried to memorize chords...

Now, I am very ambitious but I allow me years for that project: I would like to understand the music, I keep asking myself these kinds of questions (examples)
Why this chord progression sounds good?
Why using a add9 or maj9 instead of a typical major chord or minor chord?
How can I assign chords myself for a song?

What kind of source would you recommend to me for my project (book,web?) I want to understand what I play, I am ready to study months or years šŸ¤“

Moreover, do you know any sources (web, book) where someone analyse score sheet/songs of famous nice song?

Thanks in advance!

Thierry
This problem is typical if "musicians" are just learning an instrument by just playing stuff from other musicians again and again. 99% of such "musicians" are thinking, they are musicians, but they're not! It's like learning keyboard typing, you have a text and you only train your fingers. But with only that features you can't write an own book. So, if you really want to understand music, you have to learn music theory, harmony and so on!

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clipnotic wrote: ā†‘Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:57 pm This problem is typical if "musicians" are just learning an instrument by just playing stuff from other musicians again and again. 99% of such "musicians" are thinking, they are musicians, but they're not! It's like learning keyboard typing, you have a text and you only train your fingers. But with only that features you can't write an own book. So, if you really want to understand music, you have to learn music theory, harmony and so on!
Some people write great stories and poems without studying grammar. They just read a lot and then copy what others do and insert their own personality. You can do the same with music.

Knowing music theory doesn't make you a musician. Being able to talk about music doesn't mean you know how to create it.

But it helps to have a framework to understand other people's music and that's where music theory comes in.

Besides, the definition of music is: a composer, conductor, or performer of music . So yeah, someone who only performs other people's music is a musician.

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clipnotic wrote: ā†‘Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:57 pm
dcvman wrote: ā†‘Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:55 am Hi All,

I am an amateur pianist since I am a teenager. I have learned first only by remembering each key, then tried to memorize chords...

Now, I am very ambitious but I allow me years for that project: I would like to understand the music, I keep asking myself these kinds of questions (examples)
Why this chord progression sounds good?
Why using a add9 or maj9 instead of a typical major chord or minor chord?
How can I assign chords myself for a song?

What kind of source would you recommend to me for my project (book,web?) I want to understand what I play, I am ready to study months or years šŸ¤“

Moreover, do you know any sources (web, book) where someone analyse score sheet/songs of famous nice song?

Thanks in advance!

Thierry
This problem is typical if "musicians" are just learning an instrument by just playing stuff from other musicians again and again. 99% of such "musicians" are thinking, they are musicians, but they're not! It's like learning keyboard typing, you have a text and you only train your fingers. But with only that features you can't write an own book. So, if you really want to understand music, you have to learn music theory, harmony and so on!
so at what point does one become a musician? According to you only 1% is actually a musician...so exactly what are the rules defining who is a musician? And for that matter who gets to be the arbiter.

I started guitar lessons in 1971, the teacher started me out with the basic mel bay books and I was unimpressed. I went to Lafayette electronics and got this little pot that was also a pick up for an acoustic that slid onto the wood at the soundhole, with my dad we took his old ham radio amp and made me a guitar tube amp...started learning rolling stones songs, deep purple, chuck berry, J Geils...went to a music store turned my pos guitar into an acoustic bass...didn't like it so I bought my first electric (Alamo El Dorado)...then I started lessons again with a local guitar player...the first thing he did was teach me blues bars...my mother promptly stopped my lessons because he was teaching me useless stuff I would never use and she thought he was string me along(yes all over teaching me blues bars). The first teacher would have gotten to chords in a few months :?

I took trumpet starting in 5th grade (1970), I gave it up in 1974...I was terrible.

I continued to learn other's music, got into bands and surprise people wanted to see me play those songs.

So please tell me, when did I become a musician if I have at all :shrug:
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purposeā€largerā€thanā€theā€self kind of understanding.

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it's about how many followers and views you get on pootube.

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oh ok, would that be a musician or a poosician though? :shrug:
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purposeā€largerā€thanā€theā€self kind of understanding.

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these days, that line is blurred.

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vurt wrote: ā†‘Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:35 pm these days, that line is blurred.
ewwww...skidmarks?
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purposeā€largerā€thanā€theā€self kind of understanding.

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