Post-Tonal Harmony

     In the beginning of the twentieth century, the tonal system was already falling apart due to the extreme use of chromaticism and post-tonal is a term that is used for music that doesn’t follow the traditional conventions of tonal harmony. However, it doesn’t mean that post-tonal music is completely devoid of tonal centricity. In fact, …

The Tritone

     These next concepts will crucial to understand not only tonal harmony but also to understand how we can use this knowledge to escape the tonal pull exerted by certain chord types and instead work in an atonal or modal context. That said, a tritone is an augmented 4th or diminished 5th interval with three whole-steps. …

Symmetric Scales

     A symmetrical scale is basically one that results from the equal division of an octave. I will only be approaching the most common but there are many other ways to divide the octave. This symmetry is also usually present even when you mirror many of these scales.   Whole-Tone Scale      The whole-tone scale has six …