I’m excited about the new year for several reasons. Some of them are dorky — like the fact that 12 is one of my favorite numbers (you know, because there are 12 notes in the chromatic scale). And some of them are just downright cool — like the fact that we’ll be launching a number

This post is continued from “Consonance and Dissonance (Part 3)“ Using Color Music, we can actually see the pattern of consonant and dissonant intervals. And without a doubt, the connection between complementary colors and tritones is awesome. But we can see even more. For example, check out the gradation bar below. It highlights exactly what’s

This post is continued from “Consonance and Dissonance (Part 2)“ With Color Music, our spectrum of consonant and dissonant intervals starts to click. In the key of C, for example, we get a much better view of what this pattern is all about. Of course, these colors may seem random at first. But as you

This post is continued from “Consonance and Dissonance (Part 1)“ In music, consonant and dissonant intervals are super-important. Because they tell us which notes sound good together … and which notes sound bad. Using plain, old scale degrees, we can kind of see what these intervals look like—check it out. We just rearrange the 12

(… continued from “Color Code, part 3“) Looking at music through the letters and numbers is like wearing a pair of opaque glasses. If you can’t really see through the lenses, then what is the point? Ahhh … but this is where Color Music comes in. Because it finally solves our problem. Like a pair

  (… continued from “Color Code, part 2“) When we apply numbers to music, the poor fit becomes obvious. While the musical pattern repeats seamlessly, the number labels look choppy and awkward. And it gets worse because letters have this same problem. Like the number line, the alphabet is also a linear pattern. So when

(… continued from “Color Code, part 1“) The old, medieval system of notation was sloppy … at best. The reason, my friends, has to do with the difference between linear and cyclical patterns. (Yes, that sounds geeky and technical. But it actually makes a lot of sense.) You see, music is really all about cyclical patterns.

  !!! Warning: Music nerdery ahead !!! Okay, so I’ve already said that traditional notation is confusing. And that standard music symbols are too complicated. But the truth is, there’s even more to it. Because the letters and numbers musicians use aren’t just inconvenient—they are fundamentally flawed. And that’s why students continue to struggle. In

The key to learning music is to understand note patterns first—then the language of a musician. That way, we can truly understand how to make music. No confusion or distractions with strange words or terminology. Just pure immersion into what music is really all about—simple patterns. And what’s nice is these patterns are super simple. So

Traditional music methods aren’t all bad. Mainly, because they give us a common vocabulary—a shared language that musicians can use to communicate. Over the centuries, music nerds have created all sorts of handy words to describe sound. So that when we talk about “tonics,” or “sharp-fives,” or “E-flat,” you know what I mean. The trouble is, traditional methods start with