: Use of "stable" or pleasant-sounding harmonies.
Tymoczko argues that Western music is not defined by a narrow "common practice" period (1680–1850). Instead, he proposes an spanning from the late Middle Ages to contemporary jazz and rock. By analyzing composers from Bach and Mozart to Miles Davis and the Beatles, he demonstrates that they all navigate the same geometric landscape to create "pleasing" sounds. 📐 The Five Principles of Tonality A Geometry of Music: Harmony and Counterpoint i...
: Melodies move primarily by short distances (steps). : Use of "stable" or pleasant-sounding harmonies
: One note is perceived as more stable than the others (a "home" key). By analyzing composers from Bach and Mozart to
: Efficient voice leading (moving from one chord to another with minimal change) corresponds to short distances in geometric space.
: Progressions use chords that are structurally similar to one another.
Dmitri Tymoczko's (2011) provides a rational foundation for tonality by representing musical chords and scales as points in multidimensional geometric spaces. 🎵 The "Extended Common Practice"