WebeleonPillar · Music Theory
Music Theory
Harmony, melody, and rhythm in plain language — the why behind the music, written so it actually sticks.
7 articles
Theory
The Andalusian cadence and other minor moves worth stealing
The Andalusian cadence is four chords walking downhill — i–♭VII–♭VI–V. Here is how each chord works, where you have heard it, and a few more minor-key moves to steal.
Theory
Borrowed chords: minor colors in a major key
How the parallel minor lends a major key four darker chords — iv, ♭VI, ♭VII and ♭III — what each one does emotionally, and the songs that lean on them.
Theory
ii–V–I everywhere: the progression hiding in your playlists
The ii–V–I is the most common cadence in Western harmony. Here is how it works in C, how to move it to any key by function, and where it keeps hiding.
Theory
A progression isn't a song
Four looping chords are one section of a song, not the song. What bars, phrases, repetition, and forms actually do — and how Homechord v3 came to model them.
Theory
An arpeggio is a chord taken apart
An arpeggio is just the notes of a chord played one at a time. Here is how to build one from a triad, name its tones, and find it on the fretboard.
Theory
Voice Leading in Four Parts
How to move four independent voices smoothly between chords — common-tone retention, contrary motion, and the small steps that keep a progression singable.
Theory
The Circle of Fifths, Practically
A working musician’s tour of the circle of fifths — reading key signatures, finding closely related keys, and using the wheel to plan modulations on the fly.