Advanced Diploma in Music

Harmony and Melody

This lesson explains the differences and similarities between harmony and melody; how they interact and how they are used to create musical unity as well as musical contrast. Harmony can be used to accompany a melody through the arrangements of chords but harmony can also be used to add texture and variety to the melody itself. Understanding this interaction between harmony and melody is an important part of understanding the fundamentals of music.

Musical Structures

Music is composed by using large scale forms (such as verse-chorus form) and these forms are constructed with smaller arrangements, such as phrases, periods and motives. This lesson will teach you how to recognise these aspects of music and how you can apply these concepts to gain a deeper understanding of musical form. The use of phrases, periods and motives are also effective tools for composing music and writing songs.

Rhythm 1

Rhythm is an integral aspect of music; this lesson explores the notation of different rhythms and how they are used in different kinds of music. Rhythm is used to describe many things - our movement as we dance, run or walk - the rhythms of our bodies, heart beats and movement synchronised - the rhythms of the seasons, the tides and the cycles of celestial bodies. This lesson will also introduce you to concepts for understanding rhythm at a fundamental level.

Rhythm 2

The second lesson on rhythm explores more complex rhythmic structures such as syncopation, dotted notes and polyrhythms. The use of polyrhythms is explored in different forms of music - from African Mbira music to Prog Rock and modern popular music. Understanding rhythm means understanding the fundamental structure of music and this lesson teaches you how to understand and appreciate these structures in different kinds of music.

Keys and the Circle of Fifths

This lesson explores a deeper analysis of keys and key signatures and teaches the circle of fifths; what it means and how to use it. The circle of fifths is a system that describes the relationship between chords. This lesson explores what the circle of fifths means and how it can be utilised as a part of your theoretical practice but also as a practical compositional aid. This lesson will also introduce the chromatic scale and a more in depth guide to key signatures, how to understand them and how to write them.

Keys and Modulation

Modulation is the change from one key to another within the same piece of music; it provides a means for creating interest and variety or even radical change in a piece of music without sacrificing the pieces overall unity. The theoretical aspects of modulation are explored along with the ways that it is achieved through the use of direct modulation, parallel modulation and pivot chords. This lesson also explores the use of modulation in different styles and genres of music.

Minor Scales

Lesson seven explores the relative minor and the minor scale. Just as there are triads associated with the notes of the major scale there are similar triads associated with minor scales. This lesson explains how the interval organisation of scales creates the conditions necessary for the relative minor to exist alongside every major scale. Lesson seven also explores advanced intervals - major and minor sixths and sevenths.

Scales and Modes

While the major and minor diatonic scales are the most prevalent and the basis for much of Western music there are also many more. This lesson explores the most popular scales used in different styles of music - the blues scale, major and minor pentatonic scales and the chromatic scale. This lesson also introduces and explains the concept of modes; how they are notated and used in composition and the different kinds of music that modes are used in.

Compositional Approaches

In lesson nine we explore different compositional approaches; how music composition has changed through time and in different places and through the interaction of different people as well as different musical cultures. Composition can be understood as a technical process with the utilisation of theoretical concepts and practices but it is also a part of wider social processes.

The Meaning of Music

The beginner and advanced music theory courses are focused on "Western" music theory and at the core of this theory is the concept of 'tension and release.' This fundamental aspect of music is explored in depth during the last lesson and compared with other musical approaches from around the world.