Hack Music Theory, Part 1

Six centuries ago, along came the mad scientist genius John Dunstaple. Okay, he wasn’t really mad and he wasn’t really a scientist either: he was a composer and astrologer. But he was definitely a genius. And yes, this is the same John Dunstaple we met in chapter 3. No exaggeration, J.D. changed music forever. Bear in mind that coming straight out of centuries of perfect intervals, his never-before-heard magic 3rds sounded way more intense than they do now. Play your mum or your nan some proper metal – maybe a little Emperor – and I reckon they’d react kinda like the people did six hundred years ago upon first hearing triads. Extreme!

they’re calledrelatives, or relative scales.

Key thescale in use (e.g. a melody in the A minor scale is in thekey of A minor)