Название: Harmony for Computer Musicians: Second Edition
Автор: Michael Hewitt
Издательство: Stereo Output
Год: 2026
Страниц: 384
Язык: английский
Формат: epub
Размер: 48.9 MB

Harmony for Computer Musicians: Second Edition is the definitive deep dive for the computer musician who is ready to get serious. Building on the foundations of theory and composition, this book focuses on the single most important element for adding depth, colour, and emotional power to your music: harmony.

Yet this is not all. Software emulations became favoured post-millennium, providing new options for music producers. Taking advantage of Steinberg’s Virtual Studio Technology (VST) interface, a good example is the Korg Legacy collection, which features software versions of Korg’s classic Wavestation and M1 Synthesizers. Other notable examples are the availability of software emulations of Roland’s TB-303, TR-808 and Sequential Circuits’ Prophet-5. Adding to this the advancing development of VST effects plug-ins such as compressors, reverb, delay, etc. means that a home music producer can now gain access to a large rack of synthesizers, samplers and FX devices on their computer which had previously only been available in expensive hardware forms.

One of the remarkable features of all this is the relative affordability of the setup. Because of this affordability, the means of production of high-quality and professional-sounding music tracks has now been placed into the price range of the ordinary person. As a result, the number of people involved in the music production community has surged considerably. Indeed, there are now millions of people worldwide who are producing their own music on their computers. There is a new type of musician in the world. A type of musician that may even outnumber all other types of musician. This is the computer musician – a person who uses their own computer as a musical instrument and production device.

This is your masterclass in the why and how of harmonic movement:

Perfect the foundations of functional harmony: Instead of working by trial and error, establish a thorough understanding of the traditional tonal system -building logical chord progressions that give your tracks a clear sense of direction.
Master voice leading and chord writing: Learn the principles of connecting one chord to another smoothly, discovering how to properly voice chords using inversions, spacing, and doubling - making your arrangements sound clean, intentional, and massive.
Bring progressions to life with melodic decoration: Move beyond plain chords by introducing mobility and tension to your harmonic textures. Master the use of passing notes, suspensions, auxiliaries, anticipations, and arpeggiations to breathe life into your arrangements and move beyond gridlocked MIDI chords.
Expand your vocabulary with extended chords: Go beyond basic triads to construct, voice, and resolve seventh, ninth, eleventh, and complex thirteenth chords. Unlock both the traditional resolutions and modern jazz approaches used by top-tier producers.
Create journeys through modulation: Break out of four-bar loops by mastering the art of travelling between keys. Learn to navigate key changes confidently using diatonic pivot chords, chromatic alterations, and more - creating song sections that develop and evolve.
Discover advanced chromatic and modal textures: Stand out from producers using the same old harmonic textures by introducing new colours to your tracks using secondary dominants, tritone substitutions, and augmented sixth chords.

For the computer musician who is ready to write with clarity, purpose, and originality, the Second Edition of Harmony for Computer Musicians is your blueprint for better tracks.

Contents: