Author Archives: Francesco L'Erario

The 52 essential music reading exercises (part 5)

Practicing with semiquavers

Today we will introduce a very important exercise which you will find in a new figure to read,

Semiquavers

Thanks to the help of the introductive video and most of all the audio files in which all the exercises of the lesson are recorded, you will easily get over this difficulty too.

As you can see, you are becoming more and more expert in reading notes!

Learning material of this lesson

Video Introduction to exercises
+ 1 pdf file
+ 5 audio files

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The dominant seventh chord: here is everything to know (part 2)

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Inversions of dominant seventh chord

What are the possibilities with the new seventh chords which we have built on a major and minor scale?
Today we will try to answer this question.

For example by using inversions of seventh chords we will introduce some new tools.
Remember the case of triads: the possibility to change the note in the bass offered very important harmonic resources.

In the lesson today we will try to understand how the inversions work in the case of dominant seventh chord and which are the best ways to resolve them.

We will also see how to apply non-harmonic tones which we studied during the composition course.

As you can see we are advancing in the study of harmony and new horizons are opening up before us.

Let’s start exploring!

Learning material of this lesson

6 videos	31 mins
1. The dominant seventh in harmonic minor scale	8m 12s
2. The inversions in dominant seventh	4m 13s
3. How to call inversions in dominant seventh	4m 19s
4. The resolution of inversions in dominant seventh	6m 30s
5. How to resolve inversions in harmonic minor scale and some practical examples	3m 00s
6. The passing seventh	7m 02s

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How to build the harmonic structure of a piece (part 4)

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The chord on the third degree

The most particular music chords in a major scale are the ones built on the third degree. Why are these so particular?

Because they have a very strong ambiguity.

It is in fact the minor chord which contains the leading tone and has a very particular role. It is this chord which we will see in the lesson of today.

You will see that to understand its ambivalent characteristics and to learn to use it in the correct way, will give something more to the harmonic structure built in different major keys. We will do this with many practical examples.

Today, we will start to talk about the minor key and we will see how to build harmonic groups in this key.

Without noticing, you are gaining many important tools which will allow you to compose your own music, obtaining the most out of the world of harmony.

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	38 mins
1. How to use the seventh degree	8m 25s
2. The characteristics of the chord on the third degree	9m 06s
3. How to use the chord on the third degree 1	7m 09s
4. How to use the chord on the third degree 2	6m 34s
5. The harmonic groups on harmonic minor scale	6m 59s
+ 1 pdf files

... to continue this video lesson

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The 52 essential music reading exercises (part 4)

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How to sight read

Many people wonder how a musician is able to sight read a music sheet never seen before, for example on the piano.

It seems a very difficult thing to accomplish as it needs many years of study as well as a thorough knowledge of the instrument.

The ability of sight reading is really a very simple technique which can be learned even by beginners.

Today I will explain exactly what this technique consist in so that you will be able to apply it to all music reading exercises.

You will be able to apply it while playing the piano.

We will also introduce some new exercises which allow you to take a step further in reading notes

Learning material of this lesson

Video Introduction to exercises
+ 1 pdf file
+ 12 audio files

... to continue this video lesson

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How to build the harmonic structure of a piece (part 3)

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How to use lowered sixth degree to build chords progressions

In building a chord progression, one of the most imortant things is variety.

It is natural that the use of only chords of the major scale is a limit – What can we do about this?

We have to introduce other elements which allow us more variety. This is precisely what we wil do in this lesson and you will learn:

What is the lowered sixth degree.
How to use two different chords on the same degree.
Which inversion chords are better used more frequently in major key?
Which are the degrees on which the inversion chords are less effective.
How to vary the harmonic patterns using inversions.

The introduction of all these elements will allow us to obtain more effective musical results.

Learning material of this lesson

6 videos	46 mins
1. How to obtain major variety in the building of harmonic structure	1m 33s
2. We learn to use the lowered sixth degree	7m 15s
3. Examples of harmonic progressions with lowered sixth degree	7m 46s
4. How to use in an effective way inversions	8m 32s
5. Other examples of chords progressions	12m 11s
6. How to vary harmonic patterns using inversions	9m 52s

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The dominant seventh chord: here is everything to know (part 1)

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The dominant seventh chord

In the previous lessons we learned to build seventh chords either for major and harmonic minor scale.
Now we have to put all of this into practice: we have to learn every type of seventh chord in depth and many other things, in order to use it in the best way.

We start from the strongest of the seventh chords:

The dominant seventh chord

Other than the lesson of today we will see many other subjects which include:

how to resolve the seventh
how to play seventh chords at the piano/keyboard
the complete and the incomplete dominant seventh chord
different resolutions of the dominant seventh chord

Learning material of this lesson

7 videos	48 mins
1. The world of seventh chords	3m 30s
2. How do we resolve the seventh in seventh chords?	4m 33s
3. How to play seventh chords at the piano/keyboard	8m 33s
4. A rapid way to find seventh chords at the piano	7m 08s
5. The first resolution of the dominant seventh chord	11m 25s
6. The second resolution of the dominant seventh chord	6m 02s
7. Two considerations on the resolution with interrupted cadence and some practical examples	8m 18s

... to continue this video lesson

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How to build the harmonic structure of a piece (part 2)

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How to build chords progressions in major key

In the last lesson we introduced a fundamental concept: functional harmony. To understand functional harmony means to understand which is its role and function of each chord in the key.

We have also managed to put the chords, according to their role into different groups.

Today we will put all of this into practice.

We will infact build different harmonic progressions in some of the principal major keys and try to alternate chords of different groups.

This will allow us to obtain variety and balance in building harmony in a piece.

Moreover we will see how to use harmonic patterns obtaining a very effective result, avoiding the monotonous result that repetitions often give.

We are going further along the pathway to success…

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	30 mins
1. Introduction of the new lesson	2m 25s
2. How to build chord progressions alternating chords from different groups	7m 15s
3. Harmonic progressions with other features	8m 20s
4. How to use harmonic patterns in order to obtain a very effective musical effect	4m 27s
5. Building patterns with the use of chords of the same harmonic group	8m 39s

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The 52 essential music reading exercises (part 3)

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Reading pitch of notes quickly

Is there a way to practice reading the pitch of notes quickly?

This is what we are going to practice today!

In the video lesson today, I will explain which is the best way to learn to read the pitch of notes.

You will be able to apply this to the new reading exercises in the pdf files below, followed by audio files.

I advise to study on a regular basis as in short time you will be able to read music and play it on your instrument, whether it be the piano, guitar, flute or violin.

Learning material of this lesson

Video Introduction to exercises
+ 1 pdf file
+ 15 audio files

... to continue this video lesson

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How to build the harmonic structure of a piece (part 1)

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The Functional Harmony – Building chord progressions

Today we will start with the first of a series of lessons which will allow you to learn how to build the harmonic structure of a piece. For general information about this cycle of lessons, I suggest you visit the following page.

Today we will have an in-depth look at the subject.

After a brief introduction which will allow you to understand the aim of this cycle of lessons and how they are structured, we learn a fundamental thing:

Which is the role of each chord in major key.

You will see that each chord has its own multiple functions linked to the sense of movement and rest.
We will understand which funtion is necessary to make the first step and learn to build chord progressions without exerting your musical ear.

We say that instinct is essential in composition but if this does not come with knowledge, the risk is to be blinded.

Have a good lesson!

During the course of these lessons we will use the corresponding degrees of the scale. Let me remind you that the names of major scale degrees are:

I degree: tonic
II: supertonic
III: mediant
IV: subdominant
V: dominant
VI: submediant
VII: leading tone

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	24 mins
1. What you will learn in these lessons	4m 28s
2. How do you build the harmonic structure of a piece?	2m 25s
3. Introducing functional harmony	3m 11s
4. Harmonic groups in major key and their characteristics	6m 29s
5. We look for harmonic groups at the keyboard – some observation on chords of various harmonic groups	8m 22s
+ 1 pdf files

... to continue this video lesson

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How to build seventh chords (part 2)

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Let’s learn how to build seventh chords

In the lesson today we wil take a close look at seventh chords.
Why are these chords so important?
Because they allow us to widen greatly our sonoric range.

They are in fact dissonant chords, each with different characteristics.
Today we will learn to build seventh chords on harmonic minor scale and analyse them one by one. We will moreover see seven different kinds of seventh chords.

Indeed we will try to understand which are the characterists and what distinguishes them from each other.
We will also find a way to name each chord in order to distinguish them rapidly.
All this will be done in-depth but also in a simple and clear way to enable you to follow each step.

In this way, you will understand all seventh chords and learn to use them as you please.

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	18 mins
1. The characteristics of seventh chords	1m 37s
2. The first 4 types of seventh chords	4m 53s
3. The other three types of seventh chords	4m 50s
4. How to name seventh chords	6m 24s

... to continue this video lesson

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With a Free account you gain immediate access to 15 lessons of piano, theory, harmony, music reading and composition (36 videos).

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