Harmony, tonality, scales, modes and other ways of organising pitch

What this note covers

1. Melody is horizontal; harmony is simultaneous pitch
2. Tonality is organised around perceived pitch relationships
3. Scales and modes are ordered pitch collections
4. Consonance, dissonance and harmonic tension are contextual
5. Pedals, drones and ostinati organise harmony differently
6. Worked pitch analysis across a complete excerpt
7. 7. Worked harmonic reading: centre, pedal, dissonance and release
8. 8. Modal and tonal caution: what the evidence can establish

8 sections · 10 key terms & formulas · 6 common mistakes