Musical intervals, how to properly name them (third part)

Minor, augmented and diminished intervals

In the last lesson we learned to recognize the perfect and major intervals. You will surely have heard of many other interval types: minor, augmented and diminished intervals…

In what way can we recognize these types of intervals?

Today we will look at this topic not only in an in depth way but also in a simple one so that you will be able to learn the method of recognizing in any moment all the possible intervals. This will be crucial not only in the study of musical theory but also and mainly in understanding chords and harmony in general.

If you have followed these lessons you will be sure to enter totally (highfive) in the world of harmony! I suggest that to get the most from this lesson , to print the pdf file which you can find attached at the end of the video.

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	42 mins
Intro	1m 26s
1. Above and below major intervals	13m 17s
2. Above and below perfect intervals	11m 00s
3. Practice	10m 58s
4. How to find the specific name for intervals wider than one octave	5m 47s
+ 3 pdf files

Intro

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The first essential exercises to learn to compose (part 1)

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How to develop your own composing method

Is it really possible to learn how to compose?

Many people believe that it is necessary to have a natural talent to be able to write a beautiful song or any piece of music.
According to my own experience, I can say that you can learn to compose without having the talent of Mozart or John Lennon.

Moreover to learn to compose and wirte music, it is only necessary to develop the natural abilities of the brain which we all have. Obviously there are people who are born with these mental faculties which are very developed. Nevertheless it is also possible for those who do not have a very strong natural talent to develop this capacity through exercise.

My own personal composing method

In today’s lesson we will begin to see the first exercises which will allow us to improve our composing skills. Other than this, I will reveal my own personal composing method which, if you want you will be able to use and start composing.

Important! Please note that the following exercises are not only suitable for beginners but also for those who have experience. I can say for certain that for me these, along with all the rest of composition study, have been essential to leap. They have been crucial in developing all the necessary skills for composing music

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	40 mins
1. Composing exercises	6m 32s
2. The step by step composing method	12m 27s
3. The 5 benefits of this composing practice	9m 51s
4. How to practice	9m 45s

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Triad inversions, the secret to have more variety in harmony

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Why is the inversion so important in harmony?

Have you ever heard of triad inversions? First of all, I would like to say that inversions are NOT the different positions in which you can play the chords, as many people believe.
It is rather a very important topic which we will see in today’s lesson. Furhermore, the introductions of inversions is a fundamental step in our course of harmony and chords.

Thanks to the concepts that I will explain today, after this lesson, we will have a much wider view of what we have learned about chords up to now. We will also introduce different chord inversions which you will be able to put into practice in any moment.

Before defining clearly the inversion we have to introduce another important element which up to now has been left out … Moreover, in order to understand today’s lesson better, I will explain in detail the ‘overtones theory‘.

For the moment I prefer not to use many words as the videos will show you in detail.

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	26 mins
Intro	1m 48s
1. We introduce a new and crucial element	4m 02s
2. The overtones theory and its importance in harmony	6m 29s
3. Triad inversions	5m 49s
4. How inversions allow us to have many new tools	7m 50s

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Musical intervals, how to properly name them (second part)

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Major and perfect intervals

In today’s lesson we will start to learn the specific name of intervals.
In fact it is not enough to know that an inteval is fourth or seventh but we have to add other information in order to have a complete name.

All this is really important to be able to enter the world of chords and harmony. We will speak of diminished seventh chords, augmented sixth, dominant seventh and diminished fifth.
It is crucial for you to be able to recognize the intervals which are part of the chords so you will have to know how to identify both the general and specific name.

In this lesson, I will teach a very simple method which allows you to identify quickly on the piano any type of interval, even the most complexed ones.
Furthermore you will find a printable pdf table which will help you follow these lessons and in the future be able to identify the specific name of an interval.

To understand as much as possible in these lessons, I suggest you first attend the following lessons:

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	26 mins
Intro	2m 24s
1. The specific name of an interval	5m 33s
2. Major intervals	7m 55s
3. Perfect intervals	9m 42s

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Chords in minor Keys – we learn to build and use them in an effective way (part 2)

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How to give our music piece an atmosphere that is effective

In the last lesson we learned to build chords in minor keys. Today we will look more closely at what we saw in the last lesson. We will see, depending on the ‘character’ we want to give our music piece, which chords need to be used. Do we want to give our music piece a strong tonal sense? Do we want to give a more ethereal and ambiguous atmosphere? In order to understand how to reach these atmospheres, we have to acquire the knowledge of the types of chords to use. .. This is what we will learn today among various things. Finally, thanks to a practical example, we will see how it is possible to mix different atmospheres in the same music piece. We are at last entering in the heart of the world of harmony!

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	37 mins
Intro	2m 11s
1. Dominant chord and fifth degree chord	8m 22s
2. How to reach a strong tonal sense or a tonal ambiguity.	11m 32s
3. Mixing chords of different minor scales, practice 1	9m 58s
4. Mixing chords of different minor scales, practice 2	6m 00s

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Why are there three types of minor scales and how to find all the notes (Part 2)

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How to find all the notes of the minor scales

Today I will show you a sure method which will enable you to find instantly the notes of all three types of minor scales.
As you will see, this will be very useful in all cases, not only in harmony and composition but also in playing scales at the piano or on other instruments … It will no longer be necessary to memorize the notes or find them on the music piece. In each moment you will be able to find them on your own.

The relations between musical scales

However I think this lesson is fundamental also for another reason: The introduction of three minor scales will open the door to another universe. Thanks to these minor scales, everything from harmony to composition will appear differently. The simple introduction of minor scales offers many new opportunities. So let’s start exploring this new universe…

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Learning material of this lesson

6 videos	48 mins
Intro	1m 15s
1. How to find all the notes of minor scales pt.1	8m 12s
2. How to find all the notes of minor scales pt.2	7m 30s
3. Two examples of applying this method	11m 22s
4. The minor keys	9m 00s
5. The relations between major and minor scales	12m 07s

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Non harmonic tones: today we are going to speak about Auxiliary tones

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The Auxiliary tones

In the last lesson we spoke about the first type of non harmonic tones: Passing tones.
Thanks to these, we are able to give character to certain types of melody.

In this lesson we will speak about Auxiliary tones and see them more in depth.
The use of Auxiliary tones enables us to give a contrasting characteristic to the melody.

Thanks to this video lesson, other than learning exactly what Auxiliary tones are, you will also learn:

What auxiliary tones are
What distinguishes them from passing tones
What double aux. tones are
What chromatic aux. tones are
How to compose a melody using only passing and auxiliary tones

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Learning material of this lesson

7 videos	52 mins
Intro	2m 50s
1. The auxiliary tones	11m 56s
2. The double aux. tones	5m 05s
3. The aux. chords	9m 10s
4. The chromatic aux. tones	9m 05s
5. How to compose a melody by using passing tone and aux. tones pt.1	7m 01s
6. How to compose a melody by using passing tone and aux. tones pt.2	6m 59s

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Chords in minor Keys – we learn to build and use them in an effective way (part 1)

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Building chords in minor keys

Up to now we have only talked about major keys.
Now, to look at harmony more in depth, we also consider minor keys and as you can see in this way we will discover a new world.

In fact we will learn to build chords at the piano using minor scales.

But the problem is:

Which minor scale should we use to build chords?

Today we will answer this question and learn to use chords in a minor key which will give us many new opportunities.
To understand how important this topic is, I want to point out that in pop music we often use chords of minor keys.

Since this topic is very important, I have divided this lesson into 2 parts, in order to understand it more in depth.

Preview of this video lesson

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	31 mins
Intro	2m 40s
1. Building chords in a minor key	7m 10s
2. How to build chords using the harmonic and melodic minor scale	10m 08s
3. How to use all these chords in a very effective way	11m 18s

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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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Why are there three types of minor scales and how to find all the notes (Part 1)

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The minor scales

Up to now we have only discussed major scales. Of course, scales aren’t limited to major scales, there are minor scales too. Minor scales are often a hard obstacle for those starting out in the study of music.

There is a very precise reason for this: while there is only one type of major scale, there are three types of minor scales.
And this often creates great confusion. It’s difficult to understand how this can happen.

In today’s lesson I will show you why there is the need for three minor scales instead of one. Through a logical path I will try to explain how these scales are created.
You’ll see, by the end of the lesson everything will be more clear and I hope, more interesting.

That’s because musical theory, if studied to understand the reasons that are behind the origin of all these rules, which are sometimes overlooked and made to study by heart, can be a very interesting and captivating subject.

Also, I believe that studying theory in depth may allow to have the tools to approach the subject of harmony and composition more easily, other than allow you to play a piece on the piano or the instrument you play with more ease and simplicity.

Now I don’t want to lose myself in all talk. I’ll leave you to the video lesson.

It all begins when we introduce the concept of a “relative minor”…

… but what is this relative minor?

Relative to what??

Have a nice vision!

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos	32 mins
1. The relative minor scale	10m 21s
2. The natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale	9m 35s
3. The melodic minor scale	12m 15s

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Writing a melody, two secrets to achieve a greater variety

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How to write a melody

Do you believe that creating a melody is really difficult? After today’s lesson you will have to change your mind.
That’s because today we will learn how to put into actual use the knowledge gained in the previous lessons about the passing tones.

Specifically, I will let you in on two simple improvements, really simple but quite effective when creating melodies.
You’ll see that thanks to this advice, you’ll be able to start writing some melodic frames, already pleasant enough, only using chord tones and passing tones.

Remember that music has to be simple, and it’s from this notion that we have to start the path that will one day let you write something more complex and interesting.
Also, we will be seeing how by using alterations we will have a wider array of passing tones to use.

And lastly, in the third video I will show you some actual exercises that will let you practice what we are learning today, so that you can immediately start to create some short melodies on the piano!

For a better understanding of today’s lesson, my advice, if you haven’t yet, is to watch the video of the following lesson;

Musical alterations (part one)

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos	35 mins
1. How to use chromatisms to achieve a wider assortment in passing tones	8m 57s
2. Two secrets to have a wider variety	11m 01s
3. Learn to create a short melody	14m 31s