Explore how modes extend the major and minor scales by reordering half steps and whole steps, adding color and a contemplative emotion beyond happy or sad.

Explore how modes are diatonic scales used to build chords and how they differ from major and minor scales, identified in parallel and relative methods by rotating the major scale.

Trace the origins of the church modes from ancient Greece to early Christian chant, naming Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian and their cultural impact.

Explore the Ionian mode as the major scale, learn why we call it major and Ionian, and memorize the mode order from Ionian to Locrian to aid relative identification.

Learn that the Dorian mode is the second mode, rotated from C major or started from C minor with a raised sixth, yielding D Dorian and G Dorian.

Apply the relative identification to Phrygian as the third mode, rotate from C major to E Phrygian, and identify its flat-two within a minor-scale framework.

Explore the Lydian mode, the fourth major-scale mode, by rotating a C major scale to start on F, producing F Lydian with a raised fourth for a brighter sound.

Explore the mixolydian mode, the fifth mode of the C major scale, forming G mixolydian and lowering the seventh by a half step for bluesy color.

Explore the Aeolian mode, the sixth mode, and its relation to the relative minor, noting that Aeolian equals the minor scale and how to convert C major to C Aeolian.

Explore the Locrian mode, the seventh mode of the major scale, built from the seventh degree and featuring a lowered second and fifth for a tense, minor-toned, unresolved sound.

Explore modern uses of modes, from chant to contemporary practice, showing how composers weave between modes for a narrative color, with examples like the Simpsons theme.

Analyze the Simpsons theme to reveal its use of the lydian mode, raised fourth, and occasional key changes, highlighting Danny Elfman’s quirky modal writing and the role of sheet music.

Explore Josquin's missa pange lingua as a polyphonic mass for choir, analyze its Phrygian mode structure despite a three-flat key signature, and compare chant versus vocal recording clarity.

Examine how Dorian colors the melody in Eleanor Rigby while the accompaniment remains largely non-Dorian, shifting between G major or E minor with C major chords and subtle bluesy turns.

Learn the difference between melodic and harmonic intervals and master quick visual tricks to identify intervals, building on earlier interval concepts.

Identify intervals by sight with visual landmarks in the key of F, quickly spotting thirds, fifths, sevenths, seconds, fourths, sixths, and octaves using line and space cues.

Explore compound intervals beyond the octave, including ninths, tenths, elevenths, and twelfths, and master major, minor, and perfect interval quality in context.

Explore perfect intervals—unison, fourth, fifth, and octave—and how major, minor, and the second-interval exception appear in major and minor scales, with F major/minor examples.

Learn how interval inversions work: perfect intervals stay perfect; major invert to minor and minor invert to major. Use the nine rule (five to four, six to three) for identification.

Review the key interval concepts: melodic vs harmonic intervals, simple versus compound intervals up to the thirteenth, and inversion rules where sums equal nine; upcoming non-diatonic intervals expand beyond key.

Explore augmented and diminished intervals, including how double flats and double sharps alter pitch, and how these rare intervals contrast with major, minor, and perfect intervals.

The tritone, a diminished fifth or augmented fourth, splits the octave in half and appears in dominant seventh chords and in diatonic contexts like f to b in c major.

Explore enharmonic equivalents, notes that sound the same but are written differently, such as c-flat and b-natural, f and g double flats, and e-sharp.

Explains consonance and dissonance in intervals, defines perfect versus imperfect consonances and the special case of the fourth, notes dissonant intervals such as seconds, sevenths, and tritone, and mentions resolution.

Explore how dissonant intervals resolve to consonant states, from major seconds to unison or major third, to minor seconds, sevenths, and tritones, previewing counterpoint.

Explore interval classes as six categories of consonance and dissonance, including minor seconds, major sevenths, thirds, fourths, fifths, and tritones, with inversions illustrating their relationships.

Analyze vertical intervals in Bach's two-part inventions, identifying major seventh resolving to a minor sixth, fourths, fifths, and sixths, while considering rhythm, note durations, and counterpoint toward unison.

Explore counterpoint as two melodic lines that create harmony under clear rules, emphasizing voice leading, species, and the chess-like balance between tradition and creativity.

Explore first species counterpoint as the foundation of voice leading and harmony, using cantus firmus as a fixed line while sampling rules across the four species.

Create a melodic line connected by steps, skips, or leaps on a cantus firmus. Add a second line in first species counterpoint, with one leap allowed.

Explore first species melodic rules, including consonant intervals for leaps, forbidden minor sevenths, major sevenths, and tritone leaps, and shaping melodies with limited repeats and a tonic start and end.

Explore connecting harmonic intervals in two-part counterpoint, focusing on homorhythmic textures and diatonic interval analysis, with rules for melodic motion, cantus firmus direction, and avoiding dissonant intervals.

Explore the four kinds of contrapuntal motion—contrary, parallel, oblique, and similar—within counterpoint against cantus firmus, and understand rules for perfect and imperfect consonances.

Explore how parallel fifths and octaves arise in first species counterpoint, and learn to spot hidden octaves and hidden fifths even in contrary motion.

Develop first-species counterpoint by harmonizing a cantus firmus from the end to the beginning, ending in unison and using contrary motion toward a five chord resolving to the tonic.

Simplify contrapuntal rules by prioritizing contrary motion, staying in key, and avoiding seconds, sevenths, and parallel fifths or octaves; practice smooth voice leading through stepwise and skipped motions.

Explore Bach chorales through the Riemenschneider, a book of 371 four-part chorales for practice with interval, motion, harmony, and cantus firmus labeling.

Outline the rules of first species counterpoint, including opening and closing harmonic intervals, contrary motion, and the balance of perfect and imperfect consonances while avoiding parallels and dissonances.

Continue into music theory by exploring second, third, and fourth species counterpoint, four-part harmonies, and tonicization through modulation and key changes.

Celebrate the end of part 4 of music theory and invite learners to explore more courses, leave comments, and keep learning as they approach the first semester of college theory.

Explore second, third, and fifth species counterpoint and learn the core rules of music theory through practical exercises, worksheets, and expert feedback.

Discover essential music theory tools, including MuseScore and alternatives like Finale and Sibelius, plus pencil and staff paper, and learn to add a second staff for counterpoint.

Review the mode order from major to Locrian and how to derive each mode from a major scale, with C and D examples, plus first species counterpoint rules.

Explore first species counterpoint by adding a whole-note line to a cantus firmus, starting and ending on octave or unison. Emphasize contrary motion and avoid parallel fifths.

Explore how second species doubles notes per cantus firmus, producing a 2-to-1 relationship, and introduces new risks like parallel and hidden parallels, plus passing tones, intervals, metric accents, and diminutions.

Explore metric accents, placing the downbeat as the main note and using the offbeat (diminution) for allowed dissonant intervals such as seconds, sevenths, and ninths against a cantus firmus.

Master second species counterpoint by preparing and resolving dissonances by step. Step into and out of dissonances from consonant intervals, and allow offbeat tensions like second through ninth.

Recap the rules of second species counterpoint by applying all first species rules. Add metric accents, offbeat dissonances from specific intervals, and consonant leaps between five and six.