Why is Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” happy and Chopin’s “Funeral March” sad? The science of music causes our brains to choose an emotion-based off the key of a song. Our brains automatically assume songs in a major key are happy while songs in a minor key are sad. Being able to play major and minor chords […]
Continue readingG major is the most popular key for music streamed on Spotify [1]. This isn’t because composers are lazy – as it’s an easy scale to play – but because it works so well with other common chords, too. This article will help you to understand the fundamentals of the G major scale to help […]
Continue readingMaybe you were inspired by Amadeus, or maybe you just want to learn how to play “Let It Go” for your Disney-loving friends [1]. Either way, learning the A flat major scale is a great place to start. Here, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about A flat major, from the basics of […]
Continue readingWhat do Kanye West’s “Power” and Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “All Along The Watchtower” have in common? No, this isn’t a trick question or some sort of zen koan. Apart from both being empowering anthems to the people, both songs are in the key of D sharp minor. What does that mean, exactly? Let’s find […]
Continue readingThis is a simple introduction to chords in the key of F# minor (F#m or F#min). Including the tonic octave, there are eight chords in the key of F# minor. Learn about the notes in the scale of an F-sharp minor, the chords in the key signature, and F#m chord progressions, below. The Key of […]
Continue readingEver watched the BBC, Masterpiece Theater, or pretty much any cartoon [1]? Then odds are, even if you don’t recognize it by name, you’ve probably heard Antonio Vivaldi’s famous movement, “Spring,” from his world-renowned piece, The Four Seasons. This piece and many other famous compositions are written in none other than the key of E. […]
Continue readingDid you know that for a harp to play in the key of C sharp major, all of the pedals are moved to the bottom position? This makes the harp strings the least resonant they can possibly be as they cannot be made any shorter [1]! While most songwriters and composers typically choose to write […]
Continue readingIf you’re a fan of classical musicians like Bach and Liszt, you’re probably going to encounter the C sharp major scale at some point. Composers have praised this scale for having a very rich tone and a majestic sound, which of course comes in handy when writing something grand like a symphony [1]. So what […]
Continue readingIf you’re familiar with Beethoven’s famous piece, Piano Sonata Number 24, you’ve heard the key of F sharp major in action [1]. Whether you’re a novice when it comes to music, or you simply need to brush up on your basics, we’ve got you covered with this simple guide to everything you should know about the […]
Continue readingChords are the building blocks of music. Only one note at a time will give you a beautiful melody, but using chords fills it in and makes a simple melody a song. There are a lot of chords to learn. But once you learn the basic ones, you can start creating beautiful music on your […]
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