Music Theory but actually COOL - 13 amazing concepts

Overtones and undertones are frequencies that define the timbre of an instrument. They are produced at each integer multiplier of the fundamental frequency.

• Lower octaves have tighter harmonics (100, 200, 300, 400) • Higher octaves maintain the same multiplication ratio (200, 400, 600) • Lower pitches naturally sound richer due to tighter harmonic spacing

Using autotune on lower pitch sounds pushes higher harmonics upward, creating a richer sound compared to higher pitch sounds.

Understanding overtones explains why instruments sound different at various pitches and how to achieve richer audio in production.

A motif is a small piece of melody that repeats within itself and can form the foundation of a larger melody.

• Start with a very short melodic phrase • Repeat and extend it with additional notes • Build a full melody from these repetitions

Motifs are an excellent starting point for composers struggling with melody creation, providing structure and coherence.

Using a preset, a short melodic phrase was repeated and layered with additional notes to create a complete melody.

A canon is a melody with one or more imitations played after a given duration.

• Duplicate the same melody • Delay it by a specified duration • Layer the delayed copies over the original

Canons create a sophisticated, layered sound by having the same melody chase itself at different time intervals.

Described as a cool party trick that impresses listeners with its mathematical yet musical elegance.

A trill is a musical pattern involving rapid alternation between a note and an auxiliary note directly above it.

• Upper note can be either a half step or full step above the main note • Notes alternate quite rapidly • Speed can be varied while performing the trill

Trills are handy for creating interesting breaks and adding texture to musical passages.

A small break was created using trills as a handy little tool for making breaks more interesting.

Sforzando means articulating a chord or note to create tension or power in the sound.

• Play notes with varying velocity levels • Increase velocity for impact on certain notes • Create contrast between quieter and very loud articulations

Sforzando adds dramatic emphasis and emotional intensity to musical passages.

Particularly effective in creating powerful moments in breaks and transitions.

Fermata indicates that a chord or note should be played with a longer duration than normally written.

• Create sustained and long held notes • Build anticipation before drops and transitions • Enhance tension in musical phrases

Not resolving the held chord also helps create and sustain tension, making the eventual resolution more impactful.

When combined with a resolving chord, fermata creates a deep emotional release that enhances the overall feel of breaks and drops.

• Count 4 half steps above the root note • Then count 3 half steps above that note • This creates the major triad structure

• Count 3 half steps above the root note first • Then count 4 half steps above that note • This inverted structure creates the minor quality

• Count 3 half steps above the root • Count 3 more half steps instead of 4 • Produces a dissonant sound good for creating tension

Understanding triads is essential for creating and analyzing chord progressions in music composition.

• Play individual notes of a chord sequentially rather than together • Order can be rearranged to create different patterns • Allows creative flexibility in how the chord is expressed

Take the third of the chord and place it one octave above the root, changing the bass note.

Take the fifth of the chord and place it one octave above, further transforming the chord's character.

Inversions help open up the sound and make chords more interesting by changing which note sits in the bass.

Voicing involves moving notes in a chord up or down by octaves to create different sonic textures without changing the chord itself.

• A C minor chord can sound dark and close in standard voicing • Moving notes up by octaves opens the sound • This technique creates more interesting and spacious pad sounds

Moving individual notes one or multiple octaves up transforms the character and space of the chord while maintaining its identity.

Especially important for pad sounds in electronic music production, voicing can dramatically enhance the quality and interest of your synthesis.

Upper chord extensions involve adding notes above the basic triad to create more complex and sophisticated chords.

• Start with a basic triad like C minor • Add notes sequentially above the root (seventh, ninth, eleventh, etc.) • Experiment with different extensions to find interesting combinations

The naming convention (seventh, ninth, etc.) is less important than listening to the result and choosing what sounds good to your ear.

Upper chord extensions don't need to follow strict rules; experimentation and subjective preference guide the creation of unique chords.

• Power chords consist of the root note and the fifth in a scale • In C major, a C power chord is C and G • Simple two-note structure that is very versatile

You can completely forget about the scale and play power chords anywhere, making them extremely flexible for any musical context.

• Tune one oscillator 7 semitones above or 5 semitones below another • This creates the power chord effect in synthesis • Results in much stronger and more powerful sounds

Power chords are excellent for creating really powerful lead and bass sounds in electronic music production.

Dynamics refers to how hard you play an instrument, affecting both the timbre and loudness of the sound produced.

• Playing harder changes the timbral character of the sound • Volume increases with harder playing • Instruments like piano and guitar respond naturally to dynamic variation

• Map velocity to cutoff frequency for timbral changes • Map velocity to volume of oscillators • Create the same expressive quality as acoustic instruments in synthesizers

Dynamic expression dramatically changes how much emotion and organic feel your musical performance conveys.

Crescendo means gradually increasing the volume of an instrument while playing.

• Use cutoff filter automation to gradually open the sound • Cutoff filter adjustments also affect loudness perception • Creates a natural swelling effect in the music

• Volume automation is commonly applied to pads and lead sounds • Drum crescendos are rarely done but create beautiful ambience effects • Simple volume automation on drums significantly enhances the overall track feeling

Crescendo and gradual automation give tracks depth and a house music feeling while building anticipation and emotion.