The secret grammar of music
Guest post by Dale McGowan. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper.
I was 13 when I saw my brother’s college music theory textbook sitting on a table — Walter Piston’s Harmony. I had played clarinet and sax for a while, even did some arranging for jazz band. So I knew a little theory, but I was barely out of the blocks.
When I picked up the book, it fell open to a section called “Table of Usual Root Progressions.” Clickbait! I traced the words with a trembling finger:
(That’s an actual scan of the actual line in the actual book.)
Whoa.