Music Composition with the Piano

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Free Online Course: Music Composition with the Piano provided by Skillshare is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 8 hours worth of material. The course is taught in English and is free of charge. Music Composition with the Piano is taught by Jack Vaughan.

Overview
  • Unleash your composing & songwriting with tools to unblock the writing process and generate material at the piano with ease, whether you're a beginner or intermediate at piano & music theory. 

    The course consists of four core elements: 

    • Piano technique, theory & arrangement.
    • Fundamental & advanced harmony & music theory.
    • Compositional techniques and strategies 
    • Piano chords, progressions and songwriting

    What you will learn. 

    • Express yourself and your musical ideas fluently, at the keyboard and DAW
    • Use extended music theory without reading a line of music
    • Compose different styles of music; filmic, classical, jazz and mainstream through a fundamental understanding of harmony
    • Build interesting chord progressions

Syllabus
    • Introduction
    • Overview of the Course
    • Resources
    • The Grid
    • The Chromatic Scale
    • Creating a Major Key
    • Creating Chords Inside of a Key
    • Naming Notes on the Piano
    • Ambient Track Assignment
    • Ambient Track Example
    • Establishing 'Gravity' With Keys
    • The Circle of fifths Major Key Gravity
    • Creating a Minor Scale and Key
    • Circle of fifths Minor Key Gravity
    • Learning all Keys
    • Assignment Transposing Chords & Melodies
    • Get Composing!
    • Technique & Fluency at the Piano
    • Hand positions & Fingerings
    • Wandering Hands Backing Tracks
    • Assignment - Wandering Hands Track
    • Wandering Hands Example Track
    • Introduction to Chords in a Key - Diatonic Harmony
    • Analysing 1000+ Tunes
    • Common Chord Progressions and Conventions
    • 30% Different - Changing Standard Chord Progressions
    • Chord 5 in a Minor Key
    • Harmony Cheat Sheet: Stage 1
    • Tension & Resolution
    • Chord tones
    • Non Chord Tones
    • The Feelings of Different Intervals
    • Layering & Overlapping
    • Non diatonic Tones
    • The Pentatonic Scale
    • Patterns - The Way to think about your music
    • Assignment - Melody Writing
    • Example - Melody Writing
    • Roman Numerals in Analysis
    • Harmonic Structure
    • Repeating Harmony
    • Repeating Harmony Example
    • Small Changes in Harmony
    • Varying Your Bass Lines
    • Modulation - New Centres of Gravity
    • Assignment - Composing 3 different sections
    • 3 Different Sections Example Track
    • Introduction to Voicing
    • Arpeggiation
    • Examples of Arpeggiation in Context
    • Closed & Open Position Chords
    • Chord Inversions
    • Doubling Notes
    • Dropping Notes
    • Voice Leading
    • Grace Notes
    • Accompaniment Singers Assignment
    • Accompaniment for Singers Example
    • Orchestral String Writing Assignment
    • Orchestral String Writing Example
    • Example of Voice Leading
    • Harmony Cheat Sheet Level 2
    • Bass Lines Introduction Supporting the Harmony
    • Voice Leading & Passing Notes
    • Bass Line Riffs
    • Introduction to Chords from Scratch
    • In Depth Chords from Scratch
    • How to Create Triads from Scratch
    • Suspension Chords
    • Working out the Key of a Song
    • Modulation & Secondary Dominants
    • Pushing Out of the Key Example Track
    • Introduction to Upper Structures
    • Creating 7th Chords from Scratch
    • Diminished & Augmented & 7th Chords
    • Creating 9th Chords from Scratch
    • Creating 11ths 13th Chords from Scratch
    • Upper Structure Assignments
    • Upper Structure Composing Example
    • How to Read Chords and Chord Symbols
    • Harmony Cheat sheet Level 3
    • Where do I Start? Generating material with rules
    • Patterns, Patterns, Patterns
    • Problem Solving
    • Introduction to Harmonic Rhythm
    • Passing chords & Reharmonisation
    • Reharmonisation Assignment
    • Melodic Rhythm
    • Phrasing & Space
    • Phrasing and Melodic Rhythm Assignment
    • Standard Accompaniment Patterns (with commentary)
    • Standard Accompaniment Patterns (no commentary)
    • Musical Layers & Alignment
    • Musical Alignment Example
    • The Chord Progression Bible
    • What Scales go with What Chords?
    • The Blues Scale
    • Harmonic & Melodic Minor Scale
    • The Scale Omnibus
    • Paired Pentatonics
    • Modes
    • Introduction to Chord Relationships
    • Chord Relationship & Arpeggiation Assignment
    • Chord Relationship & Arpeggiation Example
    • Writing Themes
    • Conclusion of the Course