Beginning Harmony

In this course we will look at how notes are combined to make chords, and what series of chords work best. From the very start you will be composing! To make sense of this course you need to be able t

o read music in the bass and treble clefs, and have a basic understanding of meter (2/4, ¾, 5/8 etc.) and scales (major and minor and chromatic). You must have access to a keyboard and be able to play it (virtuosity not required!). We will use two texts that can be downloaded for free from the internet. These will be supplemented with written assignments, ear-training, and sight-singing. The ear-training is extremely important: we need to be sensitive to the character of sounds in order to hear how and why one chord follows another. You will make the most progress if you can meet with me twice a week. Please let me know 24 or more hours before a lesson if you need to cancel or reschedule. It is Tissimo policy to impose a penalty if you fail to follow this guideline.