Education materials
Modes and Chords -
all Keys
This Reference guide features all major modes in all keys, their corresponding 7th chords, and shows their function in each major key. This guide can
be used by beginning and advanced musicians alike to check note content for improvisation, composition, and analysis.. It is also meant to help conceptualize and visualize concepts of western harmony in a concise, organized, quick-check cheat sheet. |
Basic Minor Harmony -
All Keys
This reference guide is a companion to
the Major Modes and Chords and Common Chord Symbols and Scales reference guides and is designed to help conceptualize and visualize how basic harmony functions in a minor key. These Root-Position voicings are not meant for performing as they are, but a musician or composer may use them as reference for practicing scales and patterns, checking notes, and analyzing harmony. As always, key signature and note spelling decisions have been made, but enharmonic equivalents are always valid substitutions. |
Common chord symbols and scales
This reference guide, a companion to the reference guides Major Modes and Chords,
and Basic Minor Harmony, is an easy cheat sheet to help identify common chord symbols found in Jazz and Popular music. These non-transposed chords are shown with a root of C to help illuminate the subtle differences in the note content between them, and are organized into the categories of Major, Minor, Dominant, and Polychords. The chords are shown in root position to demonstrate the relationships of the extensions and alterations, but are not reccommended for performance or compositon. Each chord has one or more suggested scales for melodic content, and transposed versions of all the listed scales can be found in the other reference guides above. Not every scale will be the appropriate choice for the given chord in every situation; the different contextual cues of each chord will inform the player or composer's note choices differently. The notes and scales found here only sratch the surface of the harmonic and melodic possibilities and are presented as a starting point and quick check for note content when composing and performing. |
Chart writing Checklist
When you're writing or arranging sheet music for groups big and small, the organization and notation details of your chart can vastly affect the readability and execution potential. Although there may be many ways to write out a phrase, there are good practices to follow to ensure that your charts look clean and are easy to follow. This checklist is an easy way to make sure your charts are optimized to be easy to perform so that each player can focus on making your chart sound great.
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