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Stuck Writing 4 Chords? How To Write Better Harmony

Inside the Score

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⠀ The Core Principles for Writing Better Harmony. A video for composers and musicians alike!

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00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Difficulty with Harmony
01:45 - The Problem with 'Chords'
04:05 - The Core Principle
06:32 - Chopin's Harmony
09:47 - Advanced Harmony and Wagner
10:55 - The Core Principle Revisited
11:12 - How to Use This When Composing

20 Comments

@Pedro_Larroza 5 years ago (edited)

The real harmony was the voices we led along the way.

@AlvaroALorite 5 years ago (edited)

I like the term of "tactical leap" for an expressive wide interval hahaha

@heydadi1 5 years ago

Yes! More please.
As a non-professional music enthusiast, with many years of playing and composing but with only basic level of formal musical education, I find these kind of "tips & tricks" very interesting and helpful. And the "homework" here is much less daunting to me than the composing month earlier this year.

@stephthealmighty268 5 years ago

FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT. I shared one of my compositions with a fellow composer and he said my music was 'better' that what he has ever wrote and he wanted me to teach him. BUT I DIDN'T LEARN HARMONY! I wanted to have each voice on its journey and path which would help me to paint the picture or tell the story as intended, that's all I did and it led to absolute beauty.

@johannpetersen3637 5 years ago (edited)

I am using Tchaikovsky’s “guide to the practical study of harmony” to study harmony, and up to this point, I wasn’t really being able to understand the book, because it is all about proper voice leading, but now that I saw this video, I begin to understand it

@jaiofficialmusic 5 years ago (edited)

Ladies and gentlemen, the future of music education. (A bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea). I also agree with Inside the Score, whenever I compose music, I try not to think too much on the chords but the voice leading. And that has helped me create more complex harmonies than what I usually perceive. Also yo Inside the Score, you better make a 2nd account and post your music. I love your choral piece!

@maxalain9948 5 years ago

10:29 I'm making breakfast, perhaps not paying as much attention I could and then out of nowhere I hear "sexual energy." That's a head turner lmao

@luisbreva6122 5 years ago

In other words; good counterpoint >> good harmony

@MathissLacueille 5 years ago (edited)

For those of you who are interested in listening to some famous examples of good voice leading, here are some pieces you might consider! (I wrote down the full name so that it’s easier for you to find)

- Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 27/2 • "Moonlight" - 1. Adagio sostenuto | Beethoven
- Prelude No.4 in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4 | Chopin
- Symphony No.3 in F major, Op. 90 - 3. Poco allegretto | Brahms
- Symphony No.6 in F major, Op. 68 - 2. Szene am Bach. Andante molto mosso | Beethoven
- Prelude No.6 in B minor, Op. 28 No. 6 | Chopin
- Prelude No.20 in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20 | Chopin
- Prelude No.1 in C major, BWV846 (from the Well-Tempered Clavier) | JS Bach
- Étude in C minor, Op. 25 No. 12, "Ocean" | Chopin
- Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 - 1. Allegro energico e passionato | Brahms
- Étude Op.10 No. 3 in E major, "Tristesse" | Chopin

Feel free to add your own examples!

@pablom.5698 5 years ago

"Harmony is a fairy tale told about counterpoint."
-Robert Gjerdigen

@JohannnesBrahms 5 years ago

In the evolution of Western music, chord consciousness evolved from voice leading. The best way to learn harmony is to follow this historical development and have a balanced view of voice leading and how this technique evolved into the consciousness of chord units. Some of the most beautifully expressive music derives from this balanced perspective of harmony. The blatant chords in the Prelude of Chopin are a perfect example of this perspective. Oscar knows his stuff!! And the puzzle of the Tristan chord is resolved by realizing that it is not a "chord" at all.

@dexiomine1232 5 years ago

So the real harmony was the voice leading we did along the way

@musicamaxima 5 years ago

I feel so lucky that at conservatory, my teachers insisted on teaching counterpoint before common practice. Great video!

@The8BitPianist 5 years ago

My composition teacher in his first lesson said to me. "Here's some wisdom: A composer's life is all dominants. The rest is voice leading."

@slubert 5 years ago

This starts like one of those YT comercials that tell you "im gonna tell you a secret, Hi! im John!" and never tell you anything. But you did!

@Ale-qf1pm 5 years ago

Never seen ur face before, you look like a rly friendly dude I'd have a beer with

@sadrabanisefid4228 5 years ago

This is the most useful channel I've subscribed to for the last few years. I was so done with YouTube's superficial content.
Thank you.

@joejtunes 5 years ago

I definitely agree with the idea that the chord names aren't important to musical expression, but they're still important in learning how the song works from the inside out. When you say "who cares what the chords are called?", I would say plenty of people do. Knowing the chords helps people not only have a guide on how to play the song in a simplified way, but it also shows us a lot about harmony's function in a piece. Also, I just like figuring them out 🤷‍♂️ Using chord progressions is a quick way to start writing when you don't know much about theory!

@scientificuniversalcommuni3080 5 years ago

I could recommend the books of Schoenberg (Schönberg) on harmony and general theory. They explain it very well, from the basics to highly advanced.

Also, I could recommend to study the music of Shostakovich. One of the greatest composers. There you can find much harmony that includes material from before his time and even till now. He was ahead of his time.