Advanced Music Theory: Harmony, Scales, and Progressions

Published: 2025-03-22 · Read time: 35 min · Level: Advanced

What matters for real playing

Focus on the tools you use daily at the keyboard: intervals, triads and sevenths, diatonic scales and modes, cadences, voice leading, and functional harmony (T–S–D relationships).

Intervals: measure distances by semitones
Chords: build in 3rds, learn inversions
Scales: major, natural/melodic/harmonic minor, modes

Cadences and progressions

Learn authentic (V–I), plagal (IV–I), deceptive (V–vi), and half cadences (…–V). Practice common progressions such as I–V–vi–IV or ii–V–I in several keys.