Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
1–10 of 122 posts
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#2Check out the 3Blue1Brown video on this topic as well! It goes more in depth on music theory than any music-community one I've seen. (Which tend to be presented as "Here are the rules"; Grant, like this article, goes into the "why"; a step below. With great visuals, of course!
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#3A good overview on the topic.
My general issue with things like these is the simple fact, that as a lifelong musician I find the "less worse" harmonic combinations (to quote the abstract) often very boring. Aside from great composers like Bach et al I find the harmonic relationship of the notes played one of the least interesting aspects of the music, and expression, timbre, rhythm, phrasing much more important and noteworthy. A set of great musicians can play a single note for minutes and get it to sound amazing, this has always fascinated me more.
Music theory IMO has historically a too strong focus on the harmony (or the lack thereof) between notes. Not that it isn't important, but with some texts you get the feeling it wouldn't matter to the authors whether the piece was heard expressively played on a grand piano or cut together from equal leveled sine waves.
In my experience harmonies are greatly influenced by the relative levels of the notes and the overtone content within each note, to a degree you can make a supposed "harmonic" chord sound bad and a supposed disharmonic one sound good.
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#4Check out the 3Blue1Brown video on this topic as well! It goes more in depth on music theory than any music-community one I've seen. (Which tend to be presented as "Here are the rules"; Grant, like this article, goes into the "why"; a step below. With great visuals, of course!
[dead]
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#5A good overview on the topic. My general issue with things like these is the simple fact, that as a lifelong musician I find the "less worse" harmonic combinations (to quote the abstract) often very boring. Aside from great composers like Bach et al I find the harmonic relationship of the notes played one of the least interesting aspects of the music, and expression, timbre, rhythm, phrasing much more important and n…
Do you have any examples of "a single note for minutes and get it to sound amazing"? I'm finding this difficult to imagine. A lead voice doing this while some accompaniment is changing chords underneath makes sense to me, but then you're back to harmonic relationships.
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#6[deleted]
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#7A good overview on the topic. My general issue with things like these is the simple fact, that as a lifelong musician I find the "less worse" harmonic combinations (to quote the abstract) often very boring. Aside from great composers like Bach et al I find the harmonic relationship of the notes played one of the least interesting aspects of the music, and expression, timbre, rhythm, phrasing much more important and n…
A professor taught us genre is defined by how you resolve dissonance...
And dissonance has cultural and physiological components...
And other traditions focus on rhythm over harmony...
That said this looks like a good introduction.
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#8The logic that something sounds worse simply by combining dissonant notes is questionable, because music constantly combines elements—notes, chords, even different rhythms—without that necessarily implying displeasure for the listener. Convincing.
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#9A good overview on the topic. My general issue with things like these is the simple fact, that as a lifelong musician I find the "less worse" harmonic combinations (to quote the abstract) often very boring. Aside from great composers like Bach et al I find the harmonic relationship of the notes played one of the least interesting aspects of the music, and expression, timbre, rhythm, phrasing much more important and n…
A professor taught us genre is defined by how you resolve dissonance... And dissonance has cultural and physiological components... And other traditions focus on rhythm over harmony... That said this looks like a good introduction.
That's a great line from the professor. Really great.
Also, other traditions focus on melody over harmony (e.g. Carnatic and Hindustani), although they have to consider harmony as a by-product of polyphonic music (i.e. more than 1 instrument).
Re: Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)
#10The logic that something sounds worse simply by combining dissonant notes is questionable, because music constantly combines elements—notes, chords, even different rhythms—without that necessarily implying displeasure for the listener. Convincing.
"Worse" is definitely a subjective appreciation influenced by culture and personal taste.