FACT: In classical music, chord progressions are a byproduct of contrapuntal gestures. As a Paris Conservatory professor once said, “Harmony is a fairy tale told about counterpoint.” This is no “chicken or egg” question. For more than 500 years, beginning with medieval chant, European musicians thought in terms of melodic lines. It wasn’t until 1722 […]
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What Tolkien’s World Building Can Teach Composers
Among fantasy stories, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is renowned for the depth of its world building. Just to write the trilogy, Tolkien created extensive backstories, poems, maps, and even entire languages, including their calligraphies. Tolkien’s world is so thorough that, even when he doesn’t share the backstory in a given passage, it still […]
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