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Signal Path Articles

What Is a Musical Phrase and How Do Cadences Define Its Beginning and Ending?

Musical Phrases and Cadences: How Harmony Creates Musical Structure

A melody can consist of a sequence of individual notes, but music becomes much more meaningful when those notes are organised into phrases.

… read more

How Can Electronic Musicians Use Authentic, Plagal, Deceptive and Half Cadences in Ambient and Generative Music?

Using Musical Cadences in Electronic and Ambient Music: Controlling Tension and Resolution

Cadences are traditionally associated with classical music and tonal harmony, but their… read more

What Are Plagal, Deceptive and Phrygian Cadences? 

Chord Formulas and Musical Examples

Plagal, Deceptive and Phrygian Cadences: Three Alternative Ways to Shape Harmonic Movement

Not every musical phrase needs to end with a conventional dominant-to-tonic resolution.

Tonal… read more

What Is the Difference Between Perfect Authentic, Imperfect Authentic and Half Cadences?

Authentic Cadences and Half Cadences: Understanding Harmonic Closure and Suspension

One of the most important distinctions in tonal harmony is the difference between a musical phrase that feels complete… read more

What Are the Six Main Types of Musical Cadences? 

Perfect, Imperfect, Half, Plagal, Deceptive and Phrygian

The Six Main Types of Musical Cadences: A Guide to Harmonic Endings

A musical cadence is much more than a sequence of two chords. It is one of the fundamental ways in which… read more

What Do Roman Numerals Mean in Music Theory? 

Understanding Chord Degrees and Seventh Chords

Roman Numeral Chord Notation: Understanding I, IV, V, ii and vi

When studying harmony, you will frequently encounter Roman numerals such as I, IV, V, ii and vi.

These symbols… read more

How Do Dominant Seventh Chords Work in Authentic, Half and Deceptive Cadences?

Seventh Chords in Cadences: Creating Harmonic Tension and Resolution

Seventh chords are particularly important when studying musical cadences. They introduce additional harmonic tension and can make the movement… read more

What Are the Seven Diatonic Seventh Chords in a Major Scale? 

Examples in C Major and D Major

Diatonic Seventh Chords: Building Chords Within a Major Scale

Understanding individual seventh chord types is only the beginning. The next step is learning how these chords occur… read more

What Are Seventh Chords? 

How to Build Major, Minor, Dominant and Half-Diminished Seventh Chords

Understanding Seventh Chords: Structure, Types and Harmonic Function

Seventh chords are among the most important building blocks of modern harmony. They extend the familiar three-note… read more

What modulation sources, LFO modes, envelopes, filters, effects and performance controls does Cherry Audio Harmonia offer, and how can they be combined for expressive and evolving synthesizer sounds?

Harmonia is more than an oscillator concept

The ability to combine eight frequency layers… read more