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Presentation Background Music Free Download . 79 tracks

Royalty free Presentation Music Free Download mp3. Presentation background music works great in slide-shows, PowerPoint (ppt), education, class and school presentations or training tutorial videos. It has nice flow, so it is ideal for getting more attention, inspirational and uplifting feeling in your projects.

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You know the feeling when you're at a presentation, but you can't pay attention to what's being said because the music is so distracting? Choosing the right music is key to making a presentation better.

What is presentation music?

What music is good for presentation, powerpoint music, how to download music for powerpoint, how to add music to a powerpoint presentation, how to make playing music across slides in powerpoint, where can i download free presentation music, can i use copyrighted music in my presentation.

Making the right impression is a powerful marketing tool; presenters sometimes use music to connect with the audience immediately. Presentation music comes in many different genres, but any type will be more effective if it is related to the topic of the presentation.

The music you choose for your presentation can do many things for your audience - it can lighten the mood, drive excitement, or even set a pace. The key is to choose the appropriate music for your presentation and have it play at an acceptable volume.

• Confidence: Fresh Startup , Calm Tech
• Focusing: Successful Company , Good Energy
• Uplifting: Your Time Has Come , Positive And Uplifting
• Relaxed: Keep Going Forward , Soothing Medicine

PowerPoint is one of the most widely used presentation tools. The music playing in the background helps make a presentation more fun than it would be without the music, but there's often confusion over how to set up the audio track properly.

There are two basic file types you'll need to know - MP3s and WAVs. An MP3 is a compressed copy of an audio track that can be downloaded quickly. A WAV, or Waveform Audio File, is a digital format that supports higher quality, uncompressed audio, meaning it takes longer to download.

Both formats work in PowerPoint, but your choice depends on the type of presentation and how much music you want to include. To download music you need to add liked tracks to the Shopping cart, proceed to checkout and complete your payment. Download music instantly from the My Music > Tracks page.

• Select the slide you want to add music.
• On the Insert tab, click the Audio button.
• Select the option 'Audio on My PC..'
• Find and select your music files and click the Insert button.
• Now you can set up a volume level for music.
• Click on a sound icon to enable the Audio Tools panel.
• Set on the checkbox 'Play Across Slides' so the music will play continuously throughout your presentation.

You can download free presentation music from the Free music page. Use free music in your presentations, slideshows, and videos without copyright concerns.

You can't just take a popular hit and put it into your presentation. You need to right to use music in your production. Purchase and download royalty-free presentation music by Melody Loops to use in your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.

How to choose the right background music for your business presentation

You’ve worked hard on your pitch deck. You’ve carefully chosen the right images, colors, and text that will hopefully get your investors interested. Whether you are sending your pitch deck or presenting in front of an audience, choosing the right background track will really make your presentation shine!

We have outlined three tips below to help you choose the track that will drive your pitch home and strike an emotional chord with investors.

1. Keep a Steady Pace

Choose a track that glides along without a lot of fanfare. A steady pace will draw your audience in and help them focus on the content of each slide. Choose music that is gentle, positive and bright, with some moments that pause, then continue the dynamic.

2. Tone is Important

Setting the right tone that relates to your idea will convey clarity and credibility to your audience. Whether the tone of your pitch is powerful and engaging or gentle and reassuring, the background music should match.

3. Make an Emotional Connection

When pitching your product to investors, let your passion shine through. Your pitch deck should have all of the elements of a great story. If your presentation has a kick-in-the-pants spirit, the right background music will accentuate that.

Choosing the Best Music for Corporate Event Presentations

Making a presentation in front of a corporate event audience can be daunting. How can you get your audience’s attention over the conversation and buzz? How do you really make an impact? One way is to add a background track to your slide presentation. If you are presenting a slide show at a business dinner, conference, or trade show, read on to find out how to choose the best background music.

1. Taking the Subtle Approach

Set the tone for the occasion by adding minimalist, even-toned music— more of a backdrop that your audience can focus their ears on. Subtle music exudes a calm atmosphere. The right track can be barely noticeable but will still affect the audience in subtle ways.

2. High Energy Approach

If your slide show has a high-energy, celebratory feel, choose tracks that engage your audience to feel that. Steady driving drums, danceable synth lines, and that dreamy backdrop give an air of brightness and positivity to your corporate presentation.

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Presentation background music is used in videos that present things such as business, school, motivational, etc. Presentation music is uplifting and inspiring music that sets a positive tone in the background of slide-shows and video presentations. The music goes great with "explainer" videos!

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How To Choose Background Music For Presentation

Using background music in presentations helps to add emotional or entertainment component to your talk. The choice of music depends largely on the topic of your presentation.

In this post we will look at some common types of presentations and discuss what background music works best for each case.

Keep reading and make sure to listen to the examples .

Hi, I’m Mik, one of TunePocket music composers. Presentations should not be boring! Adding music to educational or business talks and presentations can help to keep your audience focused, motivated, and, most importantly entertained!

I went though our growing catalog of professional royalty free music and picked some great examples.

important note about performance royalties

It may be tempting to use your favorite song as background music in your presentation.

Before you do that, please note that:

1. Using any copyrighted material requires explicit permission from the rights owner. Especially if you plan to use it commercially.

2. Playing commercial music in public may require a special public performance license. Learn more about using music for business .

If you like any music below you can easily license it and use it in your presentation.

The music below was created by composers who are not affiliated with a PRO (Performance Rights Organization) and you don’t need a separate performance license if you use that music in your presentation.

Background music for common types of presentations

Let’s see what music works best for different presentation types:

Business presentation

There are many types of business presentations, including motivational talks, training presentations, real estate, corporate, and many more.

When choosing music for business presentation, first of all, decide whether you want to create the calm professional background or you want music to take the leading role and deliver some sort of emotional impact.

Calm corporate style music will work best for formal work presentations, commercial real estate, and business training.

On the other hand, inspirational music will be great for presentations related on achievement, good results, awards, and similar topics.

Here are some examples of background music for professional business presentations:

Educational presentations

Educational presentations can include school presentations, lessons and tutorials, history, math, and lost of other topics. You can even make cooking presentations!

With educational presentations, the choice of music of music depends primarily on the subject and the content of your presentation.

Use reflective music for emotional or serious topics or positive or upbeat music to set a lighter mood.

For educational presentation or lessons related to history, cinematic or retro music should work the best.

For anything else, a subtle background soundtrack without a strong lead melody can be a good option.

Upbeat Clapping Stomp Beat Fascinating Particles Deep Space Travel Word Of Inspiration

Technology presentations

For presentations that focus on groundbreaking IT or science concepts, futuristic “hi-tech” music should work the best.

More background music for presentations

Of course there are many more types of presentations.

You may decide that your presentation is better off without any music!

In that case I can recommend using a short music clip either at the opening or the ending of your presentation.

Some of the good places to insert such audio clips include the presentation title, branding logos, sponsors list, or any other significant call to action in your presentation slides.

How to play music across multiple Powerpoint slides

Ok, so by now I hope you have a good idea as to what kind of music you should use in your presentation.

It’s relatively easy to add audio clips to individual Powerpoint presentation slides but what if you want the music to play continuously across multiple slides as you deliver your presentation?

Fortunately, you can add a song to a presentation and play it across slides in the background of your slide show.

Here’s a quick tutorial from Microsoft that explains how to play music across multiple slides in your Powerpoint presentation or a slideshow.

Do I always need music in my presentation?

In certain cases you may decide against using background music.

It is generally not recommended for content-heavy presentations, sensitive or serious topics, situations with language barriers or translation needs, or when the presenter has a soft speaking style.

Additionally, you should take into account your audience preferences and sensitivities, as some may find background music distracting or annoying.

In that case you still can add an audio dimension to your presentation by using occasional sound effects .

Questions or comments?

Hope this post will help you to find the best music for your presentation!

Any music featured in this post or on TunePocket Web site can be licensed for presentations. You can also download free MP3 previews and safely try any of our music in your slideshow before you purchase the license.

See available licenses and pricing

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post it below in the comments. I’ll be happy to answer.

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Presentation Music

Create custom music for your PowerPoint presentations with VEED’s AI

• 2 Enter a prompt (optional)

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Text-to-music: Presentation music tailored to your audience

Does your slideshow presentation need an extra punch? Customize your presentation music effortlessly with our AI generator. Just type a prompt, create a track, and download your free slideshow music. Infuse uplifting, motivational sounds that will grab your audience’s attention. Whether it's a lecture, a business pitch, or an explainer video, VEED has all the tools you need to make memorable presentations. This tool is powered by Mubert, a leading platform in AI music generation.

How to auto-generate music for your presentation:

1 choose a vibe.

Set the vibe you want for your PowerPoint presentation. You can choose chill vibes, hip-hop, electronic, rock, or dance.

2 Type a prompt

Describe the music you envision for your presentation. Specify emotions, and consider any visual or sensory elements.

3 Generate a track

Click ‘Create track,’ and our AI will produce slideshow music based on your text prompts. Then, download the MP3 file for free.

Watch this walkthrough of the AI music generator:

Frequently Asked Questions

Follow these steps to add music to all slides in your presentation:

• Open your presentation. Go to the ‘Insert’ tab, and choose ‘Audio.’ Upload your music file.
• Click on the audio icon, then the ‘Audio Tools’ tab.
• Choose ‘Playback.’ Set the audio playback option to ‘Play across slides.’

You may need to share the music file along with the presentation when presenting to others. These steps might vary slightly depending on your version of PowerPoint, but the process is generally similar.

Royalty-free music is a type of music licensing that doesn’t require you to pay ongoing royalties or license fees for each use. This licensing type provides a cost-effective and convenient way to use a song across various projects.

Do not use the AI Music Generator to violate intellectual property, cause harm, or defame anyone. You can read the content policy here . AI-generated music is not for commercial use or monetized content. All copyrights are owned by the royalty-free music provider—Mubert Render. Read more about licensing .

VEED’s AI music generator is a great source of royalty-free presentation music. Simply choose a vibe, type your prompt, and create a track. You can also explore more options on our stock music library in the video editor.

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With VEED, you can do so much more than just create background music for PowerPoints and slideshows. It’s an all-in-one editing tool for audio and video. Create text-to-speech voiceovers , auto-translate your audio , make video presentations , and more. VEED has all the tools you need to create professional and engaging content effortlessly. Try it now from your browser – no app download needed!

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Notes to mention: tunes to jazz up your presentations.

When used correctly, music can help PowerPoint designers connect their content with viewers.

During our  presentation skills training  and  PowerPoint design  courses we often recommend places to look for music you can use without violating copyright laws.

Below are some of our favorite free music resources. Some of the artists accept donations. If your project is commercial and earns money, let your conscience be your guide.

Favorite PowerPoint Background Music Resources

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Basic Music Theory for Beginners – The Complete Guide

This basic music theory guide looks at fundamental concepts musicians use to understand, analyze, and create music.

Musical Chords

A chord is a combination of two or more notes played at the same time. They’re built off a single starting note called the root.

You can create chords from all twelve notes. There are also four basic types of chords in music:

• Major – Has a major third and a perfect fifth above the root
• Minor – Has a minor third and a perfect fifth above the root
• Diminished – Has a minor third and a diminished fifth above the root
• Augmented – Has a major third and an augmented fifth above the root

The chords and chord progressions in a piece of music support or complement the melody.

Triad Chords

The most basic chords are triads. A triad is a chord made of three notes. Triads have a root note, a third (four semitones above the root), and a perfect fifth (seven semitones above the root).

Triads are also the foundation for more complex chords. For example, you can create seventh and ninth cords by adding notes above a tried.

Seventh Chords

A seventh chord adds a note above the basic triad. Seventh chords have a root note, a third, a perfect fifth, and a seventh.

For example, a C major seventh has the notes: C–E–G-B. There are also five main types of seventh chords: major, minor, dominant, diminished, and half-diminished.

Major Chords

Major chords have a root note, a major third, and a perfect fifth. A chord with these three notes alone is a major triad.

For example, a C major triad has the notes: C-E-G. You can also add notes to build more complex chords.

Minor chords

Minor chords have a root note, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. A chord with these three notes alone is a minor triad.

For example, a C minor triad has the notes C-E♭-G. You can also add notes to build more complex chords.

Diminished Chords

Diminished chords sound tense, dissonant, and dramatic. They have a root note, minor third, and a diminished fifth (six semitones above the root).

For example, a C diminished triad has the notes: C-E♭-G♭.

Augmented Chords

Augmented chords sound dissonant, unsettling, and mysterious. They have a root note, major third, and an augmented fifth (eight semitones above the root).

For example, a C augmented triad has the notes: C–E–G#.

Chord Extensions

Chord extension s are notes added to the basic triad beyond the seventh. These notes extend into the next octave. There are four chord extensions: the 9th, 11th, and 13th .

Extended chords create a richer, more harmonically complex sound than basic major and minor triads. They also provide additional voice leading possibilities, which makes chord progressions sound more interesting.

Chord Inversions

Chord inversions are variations of the same chord. Transposing the bottom note in a chord to the next octave creates an inversion.

There are two main chord inversions: first inversion and second inversion .

• First Inversion – Transposes the root note up one octave. The third of the triad becomes the bass note.
• Second Inversion – Transposes the inverted triad again. The fifth of the triad becomes the bass note.

Chord inversions add variation, excitement, and smoother transitions in chord progressions. The more notes a chord has, the more possible inversions.

Chord Progressions

A chord progression or a harmonic progression is an ordered series of chords. Chord progressions support both the melody and the rhythm. They also provide the foundation for creating harmony and melody.

Moreover, the key determines the chords used in a progression. A progression can also consist of major and minor chords.

Roman Numeral Analysis

Roman numerals indicate the chords in a progression. They identify the musical key and the root note for each chord. For example, “IV” means the chord is built on the fourth degree of a scale.

Uppercase Roman numerals represent major chords, while lowercase numerals represent minor chords. For example, a chord progression in the key of C major would look like I-vi-IV-V (C-Am-F-G).

Delving deeper into this topic goes beyond basic music theory. However, it helps to introduce this numerical system.

Voice Leading

Voice leading is the linear movement between melodic lines or voices to create a single musical idea. This technique focuses on the smooth movement of notes from one chord to the next using common sounding tones.

Voice leading also minimizes the vertical and horizontal transitions between notes in a chord progression or melody. These smaller moves sound more natural and pleasing.

When creating a chord progression, use harmonically related chords. They can share similar notes or have inversions to make the stepwise motion smoother. For example, a C major chord and an A minor chord both have the notes E and C.

Music theory will give you a deeper understanding of music. But it’s also essential to remember musical theory is not hard rules. It’s a tool to help you create, understand, and communicate music.

There are several ways to practice music theory. Try applying the concepts in this guide to your workflow.

This article is brought to you by Icon Collective, a Los Angeles-based and online music college.

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Basic Music Theory: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Music theory is your composition blueprint.

It will help you craft the best sequence of notes, avoid ones which may sound displeasing and grab your listeners attention by making them feel a variety of emotions.

Knowing music theory to craft a great song isn’t necessarily essential, some will just dive in and play what sounds nice to them, which is great.

But what music theory does is allow you to find that sound a lot quicker, understand how its created so you can replicate its structure to make more awesome sounds.

So if you’re on a journey to make music, getting to grips with the basics of music theory will make your creative process a lot easier.

Note: Music theory is a guideline you can use to assist you in your creative writing process, however it is NOT a strict rulebook and should not limit or prohibit your creativity.

Let’s learn more…

Music notes

Music scales, chords – the basics, chords – scales & progressions, it’s your turn.

What is the musical alphabet?

Music is made using the musical alphabet, these are: A B C D E F G .

12 keys of music

Each letter of the musical alphabet can be distinguished by its own unique natural pitch , as well as a sharp (#) / flat (b) pitch.

A sharp has a slightly higher pitch than the natural pitch, and a flat has a slightly lower pitch.

Below are the 12 keys of music.

With consecutive letters of the musical alphabet, the sharp (#) / flat (b) notes both represent the same pitch, however depending on the key signature they would be phrased differently.

Note: We discuss key signatures later in this post.

B to C, and E to F are the only consecutive letters that don’t have a #/b pitch. However, in certain scales they can be phrased as a #/b pitch. For example:

• B can be phrased as Cb
• C can be phrased as B#
• E can be phrased as Fb
• F can be phrased as E#

Notes that can be phrased differently but still have the same pitch are known as enharmonic notes , for example A# and Bb are enharmonic notes.

Natural and flat/sharp keys

Understanding the layout of notes is best represented using a piano/keyboard.

White keys on a piano are known as ‘natural’ notes of the alphabet, and the black keys on a piano are the ‘flat/sharp’ notes.

And as we can see B to C and E to F don’t have a black key between them.

When we play the notes we can hear that the pitch gets higher as we move up the keyboard, and lower as we go down.

Music intervals (steps/semitones)

A music interval is the distance between each note in terms of pitch, which is measured in semitones (aka half step) and whole tones (aka whole step – equivalent to 2 semitones/2 half steps).

So for example the distance between D and D#/Eb is a semitone, same with the distance between E and F.

The distance between D and E is a whole tone.

Music intervals helps us to distinguish music scales and prefixes attached to a chord.

Note: We discuss music scales and chord prefixes later in this post.

As we know, there are 12 keys in music which are on a cycle, and eventually on that cycle you will reach the same note but at a higher or lower pitch. You have reached the octave.

A notes octave is the same note played at a higher or lower pitch. These two notes will be 12 semitones apart.

Our example below shows the note D (the one in the centre), the D to the left is an octave lower, and the D to the right is an octave higher.

What is a music scale?

A music scale is a set of notes within an octave.

The type of music scale is determined by the music intervals between each note.

Types of music scales

There are several types of music scales, however we are going to go through the two most common ones used in Western music. These are major and minor (natural) scales.

Major scales

Major scales have seven notes containing each letter from the musical alphabet.

Each key has a major scale, therefore there are 12 major scales.

This scale tends to have a sound that is happy, bright and uplifting.

It follows a music interval pattern of: W – W – S – W – W – W – S (W = one whole tone / S = semitone).

The major scale formula is: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 . All other scales use this formula, however some numbers may be altered depending on the scales relationship to the major scale.

This is best demonstrated when we get to minor scales later.

The example below is creating a major scale starting at the key of A.

Following the major interval pattern:

• A to B is a whole tone
• B to C#/Db is a whole tone
• C#/Db to D is a semitone
• D to E is a whole tone
• E to F#/Gb is a whole tone
• F#/Gb to G#/Ab is a whole tone
• Finally, G#/Ab to A is a semitone

The next step is to determine if we label some notes as a sharp (#) or a flat (b). As you can see with the A major scale example we have 3 notes that have two names (enharmonic notes), C#/Db, F#/Gb and G#/Ab.

You will only use sharp or flat symbols in a scale, not a mixture of both. Therefore, if you figure out the first is a sharp note, the following enharmonic notes will also be sharp.

Also, another way to do this is to make sure each musical letter has been used.

This would be:

Minor scales

Minor scales also have seven notes containing each letter from the musical alphabet.

This scale tends to sound emotional, sad and dark.

Each note has a minor scale, therefore there are 12 minor scales.

It follows a music interval pattern of: W – S – W – W – S – W – W (W = one whole tone / S = semitone).

Minor scales has the formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. What this means is that the 3rd, 6th and 7th note is a semitone lower than the note that appears in the major scale starting at the same key.

The example below is creating a natural minor scale starting at the key of A.

Following the minor interval pattern:

• B to C is a semitone
• C to D is a whole tone
• E to F is a semitone
• F to G is a whole tone
• Finally, G to A is a whole tone

In this scale we have no sharps or flats.

If we compare A major and A minor we can see that the differences are: C#, F# and G# are in the major scale, however for the minor scale these three notes have been lowered by a semitone to: C, F and G.

You can practice learning these major and minor scales by working them out yourself for each key.

Note: Major and minor have a special relationship. Every minor scale starts at the 6th note of a major scale. We discuss this more in ‘Relative keys’ later in this post.

Scale degrees

Each note in a scale, regardless of if it’s part of a major or minor scale, has a name attached to it which relates to its position and function in the scale.

These are: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant and leading tone/subtonic.

Tonic (1 st note) and dominant (5 th note) are perceived to be important in any given scale.

Let’s go into more detail for each one:

• The tonic note is the tonal center of the key you are playing in – it’s the beginning of the scale and is usually referred to a lot during a piece of music. It acts as home.
• The supertonic note strengthens the dominant note. You may hear that this note often appears before or after the dominant note in a piece of music.
• The mediant note is rather harmonically weak compared to other degrees.
• The subdominant note offers a gentle resolution leading to the tonic note.
• The dominant note is harmonically strong and uplifting and works well with the tonic note.
• The submediant strengthens the dominant note.
• The leading tone/subtonic note creates tension, and is often harmonically weak and unstable.

Let’s use the key of A using a major scale as our example, this is how the scale degrees work out:

• B = supertonic
• C# = mediant
• D = subdominant
• E = dominant
• F# = submediant
• G# = leading tone.

Therefore, A and E are our important notes in the A major scale.

Understanding a notes scale degree in a given scale will allow you to create and release tension throughout your music.

What is a key signature?

A key signature tells you what and how many notes in a scale are sharp (#) and flat (b).

The image below shows how many sharps and flats are in each major scale.

You can memorize the order of adding sharps to a key signature with a mnemonic such as:

• Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle (sharps)
• F# C# G# D# A# E# B#

This means:

• G major would contain F#
• D major would contain F# and C#
• A major would contain F#, C# and G#
• And so on…

You can do the same with adding flat notes to a key signature:

• Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father (flats)
• Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb
• F major would contain Bb
• Bb major would contain Bb and Eb
• Eb major would contain Bb, Eb and Ab

Key relationships

Parallel keys.

Parallel keys are major and minor scales that have the same tonic note, this means they both contain the same first note at the beginning of their scale.

The examples below are the A major scale, and the A minor scale, both start with the note A.

The next example are the C major scale, and the C minor scale, both start with the note C.

Relative keys

Major and minor (natural) scales have a special relationship, as we mentioned earlier.

Relative keys are major and minor scales that share the same key signature, this means they both contain the same notes in their scale.

You can find the beginning of the minor scale by using the 6th note in the major scale.

In the example below we have the A major scale, the 6th note in the scale is an F#. Therefore, F# is the relative minor key to A major.

Both scales of A major and F# minor contain the same notes: A – B – C# – D – E – F# G, however the minor scale starts at the 6th note instead: F# – G# – A – B – C# – D – E.

We also have C major, the 6th note in the scale is an A. Therefore, A is the relative minor key to C.

Enharmonic keys

Enharmonic keys are scales which contain the same notes but are labelled differently.

An example would be the key signature of C# major and Db major. C# major contains 7 sharps and Db major contains 5 flats, however each note sounds the same when played or sung.

How you phrase the key signature is ultimately down to you, but the composer usually uses the scale which is easier to translate to sheet music.

In the example above using Db major is preferable because it only involves 5 notes changing, compared to 7.

Note : If you’d like to learn the basics of sheet music notation , check out Sheet Music Notation: The Complete Beginner’s Guide . I think you’ll find it incredibly useful.

So how does all this key signature, relative key, minor key, major keys, scales all fit together?

How do I remember it all? There’s so much!

This is where the ‘ Circle of Fifths ’ comes in.

Circle Of Fifths

The ‘Circle of Fifths’ is a geometrical representation of the relationships between the 12 keys of music.

It is a handy tool to help you remember relative keys and how many sharps (#) / flats (b) are in certain key signatures.

The outer ring are your major keys, along with how many sharps (#) or flats (b) present, and the inner ring is the major keys relative natural minor.

Finding scales

Not only is it a useful diagram to print off and pin to your wall for reference, it can also tell you more about the key you’ve chosen.

We can work out the notes in a given scale very easily.

We start on the outer ring to find a major scale, and start on the inner ring to find a minor scale.

We’ll choose the key of Bb in a major scale, therefore we start on the outer ring:

This is what we do:

We select the 5 closest notes:

• The outer ring: Eb (to the left) and F (to the right)
• The inner ring: G (below), C (to the left) and D (to the right)

Then for the 7th note:

• You use the inner circle going clockwise – A

Our Bb major scale is: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G and A.

We can see that Bb has 2xb below it, this means the scale has 2 flat notes, and from our diagram we can see that these are Bb and Eb.

Note : We would do exactly the same for a minor scale; find the 5 closest notes and the 7th is the next note on the inner circle going clockwise.

Finding chord progressions

You can also use the circle of fifths to build chord progressions. The most common chord progressions involve the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th notes in a major or minor scale.

Below we’ve got the key of A major in orange circles along with the 4th, 5th and 6th notes, and its relative minor F# along with the 4th, 5th and 6th notes in the purple text.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand the significance of the chord progression in the diagram, our last topic on music theory is chords.

Let’s continue.

What are chords in music?

Chords are two or more harmonic notes played simultaneously.

But what do I mean by harmonic notes?

Harmonic notes in music theory are notes that move between sounds of consonant (relaxed) or dissonant (tense).

Notes played in harmony sounds pleasing to the ear, however we can also use them to create tension and unease.

The most common chords in music are built using three notes.

Let’s go through the different types of chords and how they are built.

What types of chords are there?

Chords are named and defined by their root note, and their prefix. The prefix is defined by the intervals used in between each note in the chord.

Let’s crack down on the details.

Triad chords ‘circle of thirds’

A triad is a three note chord that is built on the ‘circle of thirds.’

The circle of thirds applies to major and minor scales, and is built by entering the major or minor scale in a 1, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4 and 6 format. Each number corresponds to its position in the scale.

Our example below is A major.

We now build chords by using the three notes in sequence clockwise to each other.

From our example above:

• A chord you’d use A-C#-E
• B chord you’d use B-D-F#
• C# chord you’d use C#-E-G#

And so on, until each note in the scale has a chord. In total you’ll have 7 chords.

As you may notice, we skip a letter when we build triad chords. This makes it easier identifying enharmonic notes, for example:

A C# E couldn’t be written as A Db E because we don’t skip a letter for each note. Therefore, we have to phrase the middle note as a C#.

The first note in the chord is known as the root, the middle note is the 3rd and the last is the 5th.

Here is the full list of chords for the A major scale:

So as we know the name of the chord is defined by its root, but how do we find its prefix?

Below are going to go through the basic types of triad prefixes, these are; major, minor, diminished and augmented.

Major chords

Major chords sound happy and are used to create an airy carefree atmosphere in music.

For the triad to be labelled as a major chord, it will have a major 3rd and perfect 5th above the root.

To find out if it’s a major 3rd you’ll need to use the music interval patterns for the major scale.

If it’s a major 3rd note it will have an interval of 2 whole tones from the root note.

A perfect 5th means that it is 7 semitones above the root.

Here’s A as an example:

As we can see:

• C# is 2 whole tones (4 semitones) away from the A
• E is 7 semitones away from the A

This means A-C#-E is a major chord.

The major chord formula is: R – 3 – 5 (root, 3rd and 5th of a major scale.)

A major chord is written with just it’s root note, therefore A major would be written as A.

Minor chords sound grim and are used to create a sense of sadness in music.

For the triad to be labelled as a minor chord, it will have a minor 3rd and a perfect 5th above the root.

To find out if it’s minor 3rd you’ll need to use the music interval patterns for the minor scale.

If it’s a minor 3rd note it will have an interval of 1 and a 1/2 whole tones or 3 semitones in total from the root note.

Here’s A as an example.

• C is 3 semitones away from the A

This means A-C-E is a minor chord.

The only difference between a major and minor chord is that the 3rd note in a minor chord is 1 semitone lower than the 3rd note in a major chord.

We call it a flat 3rd (b3).

The minor chord formula is: R – b3 – 5 (root, flat 3rd and 5th of a major scale – the formula is based on the major scale.)

A minor chord is written with its root note plus ‘min’ or ‘m’ afterwards, therefore A minor would be written as Amin or Am.

Diminished chords sound tense and are used to create suspense in music.

Diminished chords are not often used in modern Western music due to the alarming tone this combination of 3 notes creates.

For the triad to be labelled as a diminished chord, it will have a minor 3rd and a diminished 5th above the root.

To find it’s minor 3rd, you’ll use the same method as with a minor chord. You’ll find it’s 1 and a 1/2 whole tones or 3 semitones in total from the root note.

A diminished 5th means that it is 6 semitones above the root.

• Eb is 3 whole tones (6 semitones) away from the A

This means A-C-Eb is a diminished chord.

It would be labelled an Eb rather than a D# because these chords have to miss a letter.

The only difference between a minor and diminished chord is that the 5th note in a diminished chord is 1 semitone lower than the 5th note in a minor chord.

We call it a diminished 5th, but it is essentially a flat 5th (b5).

The diminished chord formula is: R – b3 – b5 (root, flat 3rd and flat 5th of a major scale.)

A diminished chord is written with its root note plus ‘dim’ or ‘º’ afterwards, therefore A diminished would be written as Adim or Aº.

Augmented chords sound anxious and, just like diminished chords are used to create suspense in music.

Similar to diminished chords these are used less often than diminished chords in modern Western music.

For the triad to be labelled as an augmented chord, it will have a major 3rd note and an augmented 5th note above the root.

To find it’s major 3rd, use the same method as with a major chord. You’ll find it’s 2 whole tones from the root note.

An augmented fifth means that it is 4 whole tones (8 semitones) above the root.

Augmented chords are special as the 5th note in the chord doesn’t fit into the ‘circle of thirds’.

• C is 2 whole tones (4 semitones) away from the A
• F is 4 whole tones (8 semitones) away from the A

This means A-C#-F is an augmented chord.

The only difference between a major and an augmented chord is that the 5th note in an augmented chord is 1 semitones higher than the 5th note in major chord.

We call it an augmented 5th, but it is essentially a sharp 5th (#5).

The augmented chord formula is: R – 3 – #5 (root, 3rd and sharp 5th of a major scale).

An augmented chord is written with its root note plus ‘aug’ or ‘+’ afterwards, therefore A augmented would be written as Aaug or A+.

Circle of thirds continued…

The circle of thirds builds your triad chords from any key easily. But, you don’t have to stop there.

Continuing around the circle we can add a fourth note to the triad, the 7th note.

Seventh chords (7th)

Seventh chords sound uplifting and are used to create a sense of open-mindedness in music, they tend to sound brighter than a major chord.

A seventh chord adds an additional third onto the structure. You can find the seventh note by adding the next note in the circle of thirds.

• A seventh chord you’d use A-C#-E-G#
• B seventh chord you’d use B-D-F#-A
• C# seventh chord you’d use C#-E-G#-B

There are 3 types of seventh chords that use the ‘circle of thirds’:

Major seventh chords adds a major seventh to a major chord.

A major seventh is 11 semitones above the root.

Using A major as our example, an A major seventh would be:

• A – C# – E and G# – labelled as Amaj7

Minor seventh chords adds a minor seventh to a minor chord.

A minor seventh is 5 whole tones or 10 semitones above the root.

Using B minor as our example, an B minor seventh would be:

• B – D – F# and A – labelled as Bm7

Half-diminished seventh is created by adding a minor seventh to a diminished chord.

Using G# diminished as our example, A half diminished seventh would be:

• G# – B – D and F# – labelled as G#m7b5 (the only difference between the minor 7th and diminished 7th chord is that the 5th note is flat in a diminished chord, hence the flat 5 (b5) at the end of the prefix)

So now we understand the basics of chords and how they are constructed, how do we apply them to scales?

Chords and scales

There is a formula to find out what notes create a major, minor or diminished chord in any given scale.

The formula for finding the prefixes for chords in a given scale is as follows:

Major scale chord formula

Each note has a corresponding number to it as we’ve mentioned with the circle of thirds.

This means that when each corresponding number acts as a root note in a chord, the formula will show you what prefix to add.

Here’s the major scale chord formula:

1 – Major | 2 – Minor | 3 – Minor | 4 – Major | 5 – Major | 6 – Minor | 7 – Diminished

In the example below we’ve chosen the A major scale which contains notes: A – B – C# – E – F# – G#.

Then using the circle of thirds we write down the 3 consecutive notes in the circle, and ta-da! Job done!

Minor scale chord formula

As we already learned from the circle of fifths and relative keys, the relative minor scales follow their relative major scales however starting from the 6th note.

The 6th note in the major scale formula is a minor, the 7th is a diminished. This would be the minor scales 1st and 2nd.

Here’s the minor scale chord formula:

1 – Minor | 2 – Diminished | 3 – Major | 4 – Minor | 5 – Minor | 6 – Major | 7 – Major

I’ve chosen F# minor as the example below because it is the relative minor of A major.

We can see that each note still has the same chord prefix, the only change is the order.

Then using the circle of thirds we write down the 3 consecutive notes in the circle, and ta-da! Job done again!

Therefore by understanding the notes in the scale, the circle of thirds and the major/minor formula, you can gather all the information you need to make music.

Right, now we understand the basics of chords and their position in the scale. How do we make music with them?

We make a chord progression!

Chord progressions

A chord progression is a series of chords played in a sequence.

The chords in a progression represent different harmonic functions, similar to the scale degrees. It takes your listener on a journey, making them feel the ups and downs, and feel the tension build and release.

The tonic chord (using the 1st note in the scale) always provides stability to a piece of music , and is usually the first chord used in a progression. It is often referred back to, and is ended with.

Think of it as a ‘home’ chord.

Roman numeral analysis

Chords follow a roman numerical pattern.

From our A major example we’ve used a lot, each chord has a roman numeral attached to it, starting at 1 (I) and finishing at 7 (VII).

Major chords are capitalized, whereas minor and diminished chords are in lowercase.

• Major scale roman numerals: I – ii – iii – IV – V – vi – vii
• Minor scale roman numerals: i – ii – III – iv – v – VI – VII

The ‘tonal’ chord is the first chord in the scale, ours is A major.

These numbers represent its relationship with the ‘tonal’ chord in the piece of music.

Most common chord progressions

In Western music, here are the most common chord progressions (based on major scale roman numerals):

1. I – IV – V (1-4-5)

Has a sense of anticipation and open-endedness as you are going up the scale and getting further away from your tonic chord. It also has a strong sense of resolution when the 5th chord is followed by the tonic chord.

If you’re playing a major scale all chords will be major, giving a sense of uplifting happiness.

If you’re playing a minor scale all chords will be a minor, giving a sense of growing/increasing sadness.

2. I – vi – IV – V (1-6-4-5)

Has the same resolution feeling similar to the I – IV – V chord progression but adding the 6th chord after the tonic adds an element of brightness to the chord progression.

If you’re in a major scale, the 6th will be a minor chord.

If you’re in a minor scale, the 6th will be a major chord.

3. I – V – vi – IV (1-5-6-4)

This chord progression has the same chords as example two, however the order has been rearranged.

There are many combinations you can make with these 4 chords alone such as:

• I – IV – V – vi (1-4-5-6)
• I – IV – vi – V (1-4-6-5)
• I – IV – I – V (1-4-1-5)
• I – V – IV – vi (1-5-4-6)
• I – vi – I – vi (1-6-1-6)

Remember, music is about experimentation and exploration!

If you’re a beginner, experimenting with the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th chords in a progression is perfect.

There we have it!

A beginner’s guide to understanding the basics of music theory.

It’s a lot to learn to begin with, and it can be daunting remembering a lot of new information.

The next step

So now you’ve learned the basics, what next?

Well if you’ve enjoyed learning about music theory and have a solid grasp on all the information from this beginner’s guide, then why stop?

There are so many more aspects of music theory to learn about such as; reading and writing sheet music, music modes, more chord prefixes, inversions, scales and emotions etc.

But either way, you can start making music now!

So if you want to make sweet music, just do the following:

• Choose a major or minor key depending on the mood of your song
• Find the notes in the scale to create a melody
• Create the chords and use a chord progression that best suits the mood
• And finally, go on a musical journey of self-expression

I hope you go on to create some awesome music!

Good luck, and get creating!

Further reading:

• How To Write A Song: Songwriting Basics
• Sheet Music Notation: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Nicola Bleu, the founder of Your Creative Aura is a songwriter and an online music educator, hoping to inspire others not to be afraid to express themselves creatively through music. She is also obsessed with penguins, loves horror films and tea.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Hybrid Phrase-Level Forms

John Peterson

Key Takeaways

• Possible beginnings are antecedents , presentations , or compound basic ideas .
• Possible endings are consequents ,  continuations , or  cadential endings .
• Although any beginning could be combined with any ending, some pairings are more common than others (see Example 7 ).

Chapter Playlist

What’s a hybrid form?

In The Phrase, Archetypes and Unique Forms , we looked at two phrase-level formal archetypes : the sentence and the period .

We found that these forms divide into two parts. A sentence divides into two subphrases : a presentation and a continuation. A period divides into two phrases : an antecedent and a consequent .

A hybrid form occurs when the beginning of one archetype is paired with the ending from another archetype. In Example 1 , an antecedent is followed by a continuation.

• It ends with a weaker cadence, whereas presentations don’t end with cadences.
• It has a basic idea followed by a contrasting idea , whereas presentations have a basic idea followed by a repetition of the basic idea.
• Rather than beginning as consequents do with a basic idea, it begins with fragmentation , which is characteristic of continuations.
• It begins with a feeling of instability created by the dominant that continues after the half cadence, rather than the stability that’s typical of a consequent’s beginning.

So far, we know two beginnings (presentation and antecedent) and two endings (continuation and consequent), but there’s actually one more possible beginning ( compound basic idea ) and one more possible ending ( cadential ). Below, we’ll outline these new beginnings and endings and provide ways to help distinguish between them.

New: The Compound Basic Idea (c.b.i.)

A compound basic idea (c.b.i.) is an antecedent without a cadence, as seen in Example 2 . [1]

• It contains a basic idea followed by a contrasting idea.
• It doesn’t end with a cadence. Notice how the bass sits on G across mm. 3–4: although the melody comes to a point of rest, the lack of harmonic motion in the bass evades the half cadence (HC) that might have appeared there.

Summary: The Three Beginning Types

The three beginnings that appear in hybrid phrase-level forms are antecedent, compound basic idea, and presentation. Example 3 provides a summary of the characteristics that differentiate each of these beginnings.

Example 3. Characteristics that differentiate beginnings.

New: Cadential (cad.)

A cadential (cad.) ending harmonizes a particular bass pattern (demonstrated in  Example 4 ). [2]

The core bass pattern is mi–fa–sol–do [latex](\hat3-\hat4-\hat5-\hat1)[/latex]. [3] The common harmonization of each of these notes is:

• mi  [latex](\hat3)[/latex]: I 6
• fa  [latex](\hat4)[/latex]: ii 6 or IV
• sol  [latex](\hat5)[/latex]: V (7) (often elaborated with cadential [latex]^6_4[/latex])
• do  [latex](\hat1)[/latex]: I

This core mi–fa–sol–do   [latex](\hat3-\hat4-\hat5-\hat1)[/latex] bass line may be embellished. A common embellishment is to tonicize the dominant by adding fi  before sol ([latex](\uparrow\hat4-\hat5)[/latex], making the bass line mi–fa–fi–sol–do   [latex](\hat3-\hat4-\uparrow\hat4-\hat5-\hat1)[/latex].

The clearest cadential endings are four measures long with one bass note per measure.

Summary: The Three Ending Types

The three endings that appear in hybrid phrase-level forms are consequent, continuation, and cadential. Example 5 provides a summary of the characteristics that differentiate each of these endings.

Example 5. Characteristics that differentiate endings.

Hybrid Possibilities and Examples

The three possible beginnings and three possible endings are shown in Example 6. While any beginning on the left could be paired with any ending on the right, Example 7 shows that there are some pairings that are more common than others.

Below, we provide examples for all hybrids in the “slightly less common” and “occasional” categories ( Examples 8–12 ). We already provided examples of the period and sentence in The Phrase, Archetypes, and Unique Forms .

The examples we provide in this chapter are all eight-measure archetypes, but as we show in the next chapter, these forms can be any length.

Example 6. Possible beginnings and endings. Any beginning on the left can theoretically pair with any ending on the right.

Example 7. Pairings of beginnings and endings sorted by degree of commonality.

Listening to Phrase-level Forms

With so many possibilities, it might seem overwhelming to try to sort through the various possibilities. Example 13 offers a suggested listening strategy that can help determine what kind of beginning and ending you’re hearing.

• Caplin, William Earl. 2013. Analyzing Classical Form: An Approach for the Classroom . New York: Oxford University Press.
• Analyzing hybrid forms ( .pdf , .docx ). Provides excerpts and asks students to indicate which term best describes the first and second half of each. Optional harmonic analysis included.  Worksheet playlist
• Analyzing forms with multiple possibilities ( .pdf , .docx ). Asks students to identify preferred and plausible alternative interpretations for several excerpts. Also includes band music.  Worksheet playlist
• Composing phrase-level forms ( .pdf , .docx ). Asks students to compose a phrase-level form given a description. Provides a basic idea bank to give students a start.

Media Attributions

• Example_001_Ant+Cont © John Peterson and Megan Lavengood is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
• Example_002a_compound_basic_idea © John Peterson and Megan Lavengood is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
• Example_004a_cadential © John Peterson and Megan Lavengood is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
• Example_013a_Listening_Diagram_Caplin © John Peterson and Megan Lavengood is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
• What is "compound" about the compound basic idea? It often functions as the basic idea of a large sentence, one that is sixteen measures in length, where the presentation is eight measures long and comprises two c.b.i. units. It's "compound" in the sense that these large basic ideas are themselves composed of two units: a b.i. and a c.i. ↵
• What is the difference between a cadential idea and cadential ending ? The cadential idea comes at the end of a continuation, and essentially, the cadential ending is like the cadential idea being expanded to four measures and replacing the continuation. That means that "cadential" can occur at two formal levels: the idea level and the subphrase level. ↵
• This can also occur in minor, of course, as me–fa–sol–do [latex](\downarrow\hat3-\hat4-\hat5-\hat1)[/latex]. ↵

A phrase form that combines aspects of the sentence and the period into one phrase-level form.

A phrase consisting of a basic idea followed by a contrasting idea that ends with a weak cadence.

A subphrase consisting of a basic idea and its repetition. Presentations don't usually end with cadences.

A compound basic idea (c.b.i.) is an antecedent without a cadence. It consists of a basic idea followed by a contrasting idea.

A phrase consisting of a basic idea followed by a contrasting idea that ends with a strong cadence. It usually forms the second half of a phrase-level form.

A subphrase that features a mix of any of the following: fragmentation, increase in harmonic rhythm, increase in surface rhythm, or sequences. Continuations end with a cadence and are usually found in the second half of a theme.

One of the three common ending types. Its distinguishing characteristic is its bass line: mi–fa–sol–do (3̂–4̂–5̂–1̂), which may be elaborated with chromaticism.

Phrases that are "archetypal" or that follow an archetype are related to the sentence, the period, or one of the hybrid phrase-level forms.

A special kind of phrase consisting of a presentation and a continuation.

A phrase-level form that consists of two phrases: an antecedent and a consequent.

A unit in some phrase-level forms that is one level smaller than a phrase, but one level larger than an idea.

A relatively complete musical thought that exhibits trajectory toward a goal (often a cadence).

Basic ideas are short units that are typically associated with beginnings. They don't usually end with cadences, and they often establish tonic. They are the first units we hear in a presentation, an antecedent, a consequent, and a compound basic idea.

A small unit that contrasts with the material that came immediately before it, usually in terms of contour. It's featured in the antecedent and the compound basic idea.

Making unit sizes smaller than the previously established size. For example, if units had previously been two measures long, fragments might be one measure long.

A kind of inconclusive cadence that occurs when a phrase ends on V. Occasionally, particularly in Romantic music, the final chord of a half cadence will be V⁷.

A core bass pattern is the basic series of notes that defines a common progression. This series of notes may be embellished with other, less important notes, but the pattern is still recognizable because the basic series is still present.

The process by which a non-tonic triad is made to sound like a temporary tonic. It involves the use of secondary dominant or leading-tone chords.

OPEN MUSIC THEORY Copyright © 2023 by John Peterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Art of Composing

Let's learn to compose together.

What is a Phrase in Music?

October 3, 2011 By Jon Brantingham 17 Comments

Categorizing music by form, is hierarchical in nature.

At the smallest usable scale is the motive or motif. The motive is usually a few beats, and gives you small characteristic atoms of music to play with.

At the next size up, is a two measure segment called an idea . This is a technical term. That brings us to phrases.

A phrase in music, is a four measure segment, made up two ideas.

There are different ways of writing your phrases, and they combine into different kinds of larger 8 and 16 measure themes.

Keep in mind, the term phrase in music can mean several different things, depending on what theoretical lens you are looking through. Any definition of a phrase is just a metaphor, and often definitions fall flat of the great amount of ways you can create phrases in music.

So why care about musical phrases? Because they are the vehicle that we will use to unlock our latent creativity . Understanding their use will allow you to write your music with a new sense of clarity and fluency that may have been lacking before.

Theme Types and Musical Phrases

A small musical phrase on its own, doesn’t mean much. It has to be combined with other musical phrases. No one ever said, “I did it! I finally composed Phrase No. 1!” The phrase is just a part of the big picture. The next step in the big picture is the Theme . Let’s examine the most important theme types: Sentence, Period, Small Binary and Small Ternary . They all share commonalities, but they also have some striking differences. For an in-depth discussion of this, check out Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven , by William Caplin. In this post, we’ll take a look at the Sentence, and then few posts, we’ll follow up with the Period, Small Binary and Small Ternary.

The Sentence

What is a musical sentence? In its most simplest sense, the musical sentence is an 8 measure theme , that consists of two different phrases . Each phrase accomplishes different formal functions . The overall purpose of a sentence is to help establish a tonality and to present the basic material that a composition is made of. The music sentence is a vehicle for presenting your ideas. It accomplishes the “ formal functions ” of presentation, continuation and cadential .

The archetypal sentence, consists of two, 4 bar phrases. These are the presentation phrase, and continuation phrase. Contained within the continuation phrase, is the cadence.

The Presentation Phrase

This musical phrase normally establishes the tonic, or the home key . It states a basic idea . This basic idea can have any number of motives, but you don’t want to overwhelm your listeners with confusion, so normally you will have one or two motives at most. After the basic idea is stated, it is normally repeated . In order for this repetition to establish the home key better, it will have to fall into one of three categories: exact, statement-response, or model-sequence .

Exact Repetition

This is just as it sounds. You have an exact copy of the basic idea.

Model-Sequence

This type of repetition is usually transposition of the melody up or down in diatonic sequence. It is called model sequence because the first statement is considered the model, the second – the sequence.

Statement-Response

This is probably the most common type of repetition in a sentence, especially an opening sentence. The basic idea is stated, and although is a fully contained unit, it has a force that wants to continue. Stating the basic idea in tonic, the best way to move it along and establish the home key even more, is to restate the basic idea in  dominant . Normally, the melody only changes enough to fit the new harmony, and is not drastically changed in terms of where it sits on the staff or range. This also gives the sense of a response to the first statement. Let’s also continue on with the rest of the sentence.

 Continuation Phrase

After the presentation phrase, we follow up the music sentence with a continuation phrase. The continuation phrase can have the same types of repetition as the presentation phrase, but it also has some other unique characteristics. These are: Harmonic Acceleration, Fragmentation, Liquidation and a Cadential Idea .

• Harmonic Acceleration

This is speeding up the time change of the underlying harmony. In the presentation phrase, the harmonic speed is one chord for two bars. In the continuation it starts as one chord per bar, and then speeds up in bar 7 to two chords per bar.

• Fragmentation

This is basically what it sounds like. You break up the basic idea into smaller fragments, usually one of the unique motives. You can use this for the repetition.

• Liquidation

If you take a look at bar 7, you’ll notice that the melody starts to get very simple, leading into two half-notes. This is called liquidation, and it is “stripping away” the uniqueness of the melody and simplifying it.

• Cadential Idea

This is basically ending your theme with a cadence. In this case, I chose to leave it open with a half-cadence. Normally you would not end your first sentence on an authentic cadence, unless you had a half-cadence within the presentation phrase.

Put It All Together, and You Got Yourself a Musical Stew

That pretty much covers the sentence. Listen to the complete sentence one more time, but this time, close your eyes, and see if you can hear the different parts. Its a good test. If you have trouble, check out the review of terms below.

In this post, we introduced the idea of musical phrases being the basis of the basic  theme types :

• Small Binary
• Small Ternary
• Presentation Phrase
• Continuation Phrase
• Repetition: Exact, Model-Sequence, Statement-Response

In the next post, we’ll look at the period, and how it differs from a sentence. If you missed the first post on phrases, check out Warning: The Composing Secret Mozart Didn’t Want You To Know .

Don’t forget to catch up on the entire Symphony of Enlightenment Series .

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Make sure you leave a comment below the post.

Related posts:

• Musical Periods Unleashed!
• Small Ternary Form
• Warning: The Composing Secret Mozart Didn’t Want You To Know
• Composing with Small Binary Form: An Introduction for Composers

About Jon Brantingham

I am a film composer, and lover of music theory. I have spent many years figuring out the tools and techniques that actually work for composers, and now I want to teach them to you.

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Reader Interactions

September 23, 2019 at 3:56 am

hello, which piece is this theme from, or did you compose it yourself ?

September 23, 2019 at 12:50 pm

I wrote it.

February 22, 2018 at 8:51 pm

Can you explain to me the exact, statement-response, or model-sequenc of the Presentation phrase?

Thank you!!!

November 14, 2018 at 7:13 pm

I understand, A single note is just a boring motif.

March 29, 2017 at 6:43 am

Firstly, thank you so much for your insight to composing. May I suggest an edit for this article? In the graphs above, the top of the first graph is 40, while the top of the second is 100; which at first glace makes TV look the same as Form when moving from graph 1 to graph 2. I believe the contrast and your point would be better served if both graphs had 100 as the top.

March 30, 2017 at 7:52 am

Thanks, but the graphs are meant to be more of a tongue-in-cheek images, not really representing any specific data. Just to get the point across that restrictions help you compose.

February 1, 2017 at 10:28 pm

I’m glad you made this. My textbook didn’t make this clear enough. But between this lesson and my book, I understand clearly.

February 3, 2017 at 11:43 am

June 4, 2015 at 11:27 pm

Just came across this lesson and found it to be very inspiring. Thank you!

June 5, 2015 at 8:41 am

November 12, 2014 at 11:24 am

Ahh if we put two quater notes and two 16 notes in 4/4 then whats the correct notes to put in??

November 17, 2014 at 11:07 am

Manish, I am a little confused about what you are asking here.

May 18, 2014 at 6:33 pm

The phrase I composed is very similar, but a few differences. I find the phrase works very well even with out a continuation phrase, but then it might fit better into a musical period.

March 18, 2014 at 7:29 am

My pleasure.

March 22, 2013 at 6:21 pm

Well I’m not much of a musician, but I keep dedicating time to learn more about all of the music which I spend listening to, days in, days out. The repetition phrase in the strictest kind of “classical form” seldom includes any kind of change in musical material OTHER THAN those which are responses to effects of transposition and/or other harmonical “stuff”, while Beethoven already likes to give a life of its own to at least one of these dimensions (pitch, rhythm, color, dynamic) during the repetition phrase, (the opening phrases of Symphony 8, no?). All later composers have done is just gone further down this path, taking it all the way to the point where all of the dimensions are completely independent of any other of the dimensions, even where they have appeared to have regressed (e. g. Charles Wuorinen) to a more steady beat compared to their predecessors (e. g. Stravinsky, Elliott Carter).

I think Schubert, by the way, may be more conservative than Beethoven… well at least concerning my favorite Schubert sonatatas. People just think Schubert is more romantic than Beethoven because he likes to fool around with the harmony, e. g. D. 960??

November 21, 2012 at 11:16 pm

So what about more drastic changes in the repetition? Those, which are heard increasingly more often as we get to modern music. We now only have a description of statement-response, where the different elements of music – pitch, rhythm, register, timbre and dynamics – are being repeated with a high degree of synchronicity, as opposed to asynchrous repetition of each element.

November 22, 2012 at 6:44 am

That is a good point. What I am describing here is classical form . This means that it is basically a description of what Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven were doing… roughly. But it is a framework, and really, a way of thinking about composing that could be transplanted onto many different styles. My goal is not to be exhaustive, but to be clear. I would be interested in hearing how you would take this, and push it into other genres. I personally have seen this framework in jazz quite a bit.

Thanks for the input.

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