What is a musical scale? Anyone playing an instrument is accustomed to practicing with scales, but the concept of a scale has much broader implications than just technique. In this lesson, we look at scales of five to eight sounds in general, in particular the major, minor and pentatonic scales. Help me to spread the…Continue readingMajor scale, pentatonic scale and other scales, what a musical scale is
Category: Music Lessons
In this section you will find free lessons in harmony, music theory and improvisation. If you are interested in individual music lessons, discover my online piano lessons.
In the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (1953) George Russell makes the Lydian scale the centre of the tonal system, instead of the traditional major scale. His system was a great inspiration to a whole generation of jazz musicians, who used it to try to expand the language of their improvisations. Let’s see how…Continue readingGeorge Russell and the Lydian Chromatic Concept
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Simple and compound time
What is the difference between simple and compound time? Often the beginner student is misled by the term “simple time” and thinks it is a synonym for “easy time”. This is why any tempo that is unusual and difficult can be misclassified as compound time.Continue readingSimple and compound time
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Chord symbols, how to read them
In this lesson, you will learn how to read chord symbols. In many theory books and online tutorials you will find charts that help you read chord symbols, but if you understand how chord symbols work, you will find it much easier to learn how to play chords. We will therefore see how the different…Continue readingChord symbols, how to read them
What are seventh chords? What are they used for? How can they be studied? In this lesson, we will try to answer these questions. In particular, we will look at what the harmonization of the major scale is, in order to discover the origin of chords.Continue readingSeventh chords and harmonization of the major scale
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How to learn 100 jazz standards
Do you want to learn a number of jazz standards by heart but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you’ve tried jamming with more experienced musicians and realised how important it is to know a number of jazz tunes by heart. In this lesson I will provide a comprehensive guide to building a repertoire of…Continue readingHow to learn 100 jazz standards