Overview

Welcome to Music Theory Level 1: Part Six

SATB Composition

In this course you will gain an understanding of composition using four parts – Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass (SATB). We will focus on the SATB writing style popular with composers, and essential to learning counterpoint. This course forms part of the complete Music Theory Fundamentals Guide.

This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to take their music career (or music interest) and turn it into a business. Whether you are an active musician, an aspiring musician, or an aspiring music manager or agent - this class is perfect for you.

For years I've been teaching Music Theory in the college classroom. My approach to music theory is to minimize the memorization. Most of these concepts you can learn by just understanding why chords behave in certain ways. Once you understand those concepts, you can find any scale, key, or chord that exists. Even invent your own. If you've tried to learn music theory before, or if you are just starting out - this series of courses is the perfect fit.

In Part 6: SATB Composition we will cover:

My approach to Music Theory
Tools of Counterpoint
Types of Motion in Counterpoint
18th Century Counterpoint
Chordal Dissonance
Cadences in Bass/Melody Accompaniment
Cadences in 4-Voice Accompaniment
Non-Chord Tones in 4-Voice Accompaniment
Suspensions in 4-Voice Accompaniment
Example Analysis Projects
Writing 4-Voice (SATB) Lines
SATB Notation
SATB Ranges
Voice Crossings
Doubling
T-D-T Phrasing
Establishing Tonic Areas
Establishing Dominant Areas
Resolving Leading Tones (in 4-Voice Accompaniment)
Harmonic Rhythm
Texture (in Song)
Worksheets and Music for Practice

You will not have another opportunity to learn Music Theory in a more comprehensive way than this. All the tools you need to successfully learn Music Theory are included in this course and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.

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Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

⇢ "It seems like every little detail is being

covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows the complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not

taking this course earlier." - M. Shah

⇢ "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce

⇢ "Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth

⇢ "VERY COOL. I've waiting for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury

⇢ "I am learning LOTS! And I really like having the worksheets!" - A. Deichsel

⇢ "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips!" - J. Pook

⇢ "Jason is really quick and great with

questions, always a great resource for an online class!" M. Smith

Syllabus

Melodic Embellishment (in Chorale Textures)

Next, let's look at some of the melodic embellishments we can use. Most of them will be familiar, but with a few new exceptions.

More with Cadences

Now that we are fully into 4-voice counterpoint, let's take another look at cadences and how to use them.

Phrasing in SATB Composition

We are starting to move from small counterpoint examples to full "songs" now. And because of that, it is time to start thinking about something called Phrasing.

SATB Composition

We've worked with two voices for awhile now. You can think of those as the S and the B, and now we are going up to four voices, adding the A and the T of SATB.

Composing in an 18th Century Style

To get us started here, we need to look at a (sort of) new style of counterpoint, one we call 18th Century Counterpoint.

Harmonizing Melodies + Wrap Up

There are a lot of considerations to think about when harmonizing a melody. Here we will get started with some of the basics: Harmonic Rhythm and Texture.

Voice-Leading on the Dominant

When we are working with 4 voices, we have a few special concerns with the dominant.

Getting Started

Before we jump in, let's learn a little bit about how we are going to learn. There are a few free tools I like to use that will help you learn music theory.