Learning Jazz Harmony the Berklee Way: Deconstructing ‘Misty’ – Part 1If you’re a songwriter or a musician, you may have come across the term “harmony” before. But do you know what it means? Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes, creating chords that give a sense of structure and tonality to a piece of music. In jazz, harmony is the best tool that we have for songwriting, yet it’s often neglected by many songwriters and musicians. In this blog post, we’ll explore jazz harmony and how you can use it to play, improvise, arrange or even write music.

To start, let’s take a look at the harmony in the jazz standard “Misty”. The song is in the key of Eb major, and the first chord is an Imaj7 (Ebmaj7). The next chord is a IVmaj7 (Abmaj7), which is a target chord approached by way of its 2-5. This is where the Berklee College of Music’s method of harmonic analysis comes in handy, using arrows and brackets to show the progression harmonically, without any chord symbols.

By studying the harmony of “Misty” from this perspective, we can clearly see that this is a secondary 2-5-1, where the target is not the I of the key. Instead, the ii/IV and the V7/IV are called secondary functions, because they target a primary function. The ii prepares the target by positioning the listener in the subdominant of that target, which then goes to the V in the dominant region which in turn, desperately wants to resolve to the target.

An important aspect of the 2-5-1 is that harmony follows the expected path of resolution towards a target. The ii chord prepares the target by positioning the listener in the subdominant of that target, which then goes to the V in the dominant region which in turn, desperately wants to resolve to the target. Also, the 2-5-1 creates the strongest bass movement of two consecutive perfect fifths.

Using this method of contextual deduction, we can work our way backwards from the target to determine the 2-5-1 progression. For example, in the case of Eb, the ii is Fm7, which would make our progression Gm7 to C7 to Fm7. If the target is the I (Eb), we would have Fm7 Bb7 to Eb, a primary 2-5-1.

Throughout “Misty”, we can see several 2-5-1 progressions using this method of analysis. It’s essential to consider the target when dealing with harmony, and always work backwards from there.

The 2-5-1 progression is crucial to understanding and playing jazz. It creates tension and release, and adds a sense of movement and resolution to a piece of music. By studying the harmony of great jazz standards like “Misty”, you can learn a bunch of new concepts that you can apply to your own process.

In conclusion, harmony is the best tool that we have for songwriting, and it’s important to study and understand it to become a better musician. By using the Berklee method of harmonic analysis, we can learn how to look at the progression harmonically, and study the different techniques used in jazz music. Whether you’re playing, improvising, arranging, or writing music, understanding jazz harmony can help you take your music to the next level.

If you want a workbook with harmony worksheets containing more than 1300 Jazz Standards to study and work on, check out The Ultimate Jazz Harmony Workbooks Bundle by mDecks Music

And if you want all Jazz Standards fully analyzed (with chord symbols, chord-scales, and arrows & brackets) check out The Jazz Standards Progressions Book by mDecks Music

If you want to learn more about the harmony in ‘Misty’ you can check out part 2: Learning Jazz Harmony the Berklee Way: Deconstructing ‘Misty’ – Part 2

Green Oak Software Offers FREE Delay And Chorus Plugins
Green Oak Software releases free Tungsten and Cesium plugins for Windows and macOS. Old plugin fanatics are no doubt familiar with Green Oak Software. Crystal has been an astounding freeware synth for quite some time. Green Oak Software is back with a couple of new goodies for effects fanatics: a creative delay and a workhorse [...]
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Sébastien Noël Kick Drum Generator A simple way to generate synthesized kick drum sounds on the web. Adjust a few settings such as tuning, pitch decay, release and gain, and get a bass drum sound that you can export as a... Read More

SXSW is here: 22 places I plan to be from 5 minutes to 5 hours! [Kosha Dillz]It’s that time of the year. You know the time because you can feel the stress. It is the time when everyone gets their Austin vintage clothing from the year before to post. Continue reading
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Blast Delay Is FREE With Any Purchase @ ADSR Sounds
ADSR Sounds offer the Blast Delay plugin by Audio Blast as a FREE add-on with any purchase this month. Blast Delay, the VST plugin developed by Audio Blast, is a versatile and intuitive tool for adding delay effects to your music. Blast Delay First Impressions What makes Blast Delay special is its built-in parameter sequencer, [...]
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Here is a music release tip for 2023.
#Release #Music #Distribution

Tukan Studios Releases FREE Dynamic EQ For Reaper
Tukan Studios release Dynamic EQ, a free dynamic equalizer plugin for Cockos Reaper. As a long-time Reaper user, there is certainly quite a lot to like about the platform. The DAW is heavily extensible and allows developers and other enterprising individuals to leverage the robust scripting support to create their own plugins. Tukan Studios is [...]
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Heavyocity Uncharted 88 Introducing Uncharted 88, a new breed of deeply sampled and mysteriously edgy organic percussion that will get inside your head. The Heavyocity team broke down a piano to its rawest, most... Read More

Artists Made $100,000,000 in Sales on Their WebsiteNow of course you’re wondering if in 2023 you need a website when you’ve got Instagram, Spotify, Facebook and TikTok.

The short answer is yes. Yes, you absolutely need a website in 2023.

New Pro Tools Scripting SDK Avid have released a Software Development Kit that will allow developers to create apps that automate repetitive tasks within the latest version of Pro Tools. 

Getting It Done: The week in D.I.Y & Indie MusicLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to use AI for your music career, social media don’ts, and more… How to take care. Continue reading
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CCC Will Present Webinar "Building An Artist's Team"On Feb. 21st, 2:30 - 3:30 PST, the California Copyright Conference will present a panel that features opinions from managers, artists, lawyers, booking agents, and more. Get your notepad ready for an exciting rundown of what locking down a new musical artist’s foundational teammates look like from multiple perspectives. If you’ve been scratching your brain on how to break through the TikTok algorithm, asking yourself if you’re ready for a manager, if you are wanting to become a manager and wondering how to find great talent to work with, perplexed on how new artists are booked on large tours/festival runs, and wanting some opinions on where the music industry is headed from some ‘new on the scene’ heavy industry hitters, this one is for you! Moderator: Taylor Le | Artist/Songwriter Panelists: Stevie Comanche | Manager at RAW Material Adam LaRue | Manager/CEO, LaRue Music/Artist Consultant MILES | Artist/SongwriterErin Workman | EVP Department Head & Faculty, Songwriting & Music Business, Los Angeles College of Music/A&R Consultant/Songwriter Advance Registration: CCC Members $0 per person | Non-members $5 per person– No refunds –Stick around for the "after hour, happy hour" chat following the webinar! Catch up and network with the CCC community from thecomfort of your own couch!This webinar is sponsored by Attention Attorneys: This virtual activity has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education Credit by the State Bar of California in the amount of one (1) hour. Following this virtual webinar, we will verify your attendance via Zoom reporting and email your certificate of attendance to the email provided at registration.

Please register for this webinar by1:30pm PST on Tuesday, February 21st, 2023

CCC MEMBER & NON-MEMBER REGISTRATION

CD vs. Streaming: The answer to which did better in 2022 is not as simple as you thinkWe live in a streaming world — yet revenues from physical media (i.e., CDs and vinyl LPs) continue to grow every year. by Tony van Veen of Disc Makers Blog. Continue reading
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I asked ChatGPT how to market music & its advice was surprisingly goodI asked ChatGPT the best ways for indie musicians to promote their music, and the answers that it sent back is surprisingly good advice. Beyond adding in short videos, this. Continue reading
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When fundraising, anchor your company with the ‘why now?’ slideWhen talking to investors, you’re answering the what (product), why (mission), where (if relevant) and how (strategy and go-to-market). But founders often ignore another important question: Why now?
Why wouldn’t it have been possible to have built the company five years ago? Why would five years from now be too late? The answer is often related to something that is shifting and changing, either in the market or with the technology layer. Anchoring your company with a good “why now?” slide is a great addition to your story.
Successful companies usually have these things in common: They were the right company, solving the right problem at the right time. Think of all the startups that cropped up during the early years of the pandemic that were solving specific problems related to accessing health care or presenting meetings.
Showing that you know why you’re launching now as opposed to any other time will create a sense of urgency: Investors won’t want to miss out on a business that’s solving what they see as an immediate problem. It’s your job to highlight the ways your company can address those issues and why now is the right time to do so.
When fundraising, anchor your company with the ‘why now?’ slide by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch