Sources and Further Reading

Curriculum Contributions

This is a living document. The people below shaped the material through live instruction, session contributions, and editorial work at Beat Kitchen School.

Date	Contributor	Role
2022–present	Nathan Rosenberg	Guide author — original curriculum, harmonic series through blues and modes
Jan 2023–Apr 2025	Nathan Rosenberg	Class (MBE/MUS_e, 16 cohorts) — 118 sessions
Apr 2025–Feb 2026	Nathan Rosenberg	Class (MBE, 2 cohorts) — 17 sessions
Feb 2023	Shane Mickelsen	Guest session — MBE cohort
Apr 2025	Scott Hampton	Guest session — MBE cohort
Jan 2026	Cinnamontal	Ear Training Gym — learning pop songs quickly, voice leading
May 2025	Shane Mickelsen	Office Hours — ii V I inversions
2026	Nathan Rosenberg	Current revision — chapter rewrites, session integration

Glossary

42 terms collected from across this guide. Updated automatically as chapters are written.

Arrangement

The creative decisions about which instruments play what, when, and how in a piece of music Ch. 13

Augmented

A chord quality built from major thirds that creates a floating, unresolved sound Ch. 9

Borrowed Chord

A chord taken from the parallel major or minor key to add color without fully modulating Ch. 7

Bridge

A contrasting section that breaks the verse-chorus pattern, often with new harmonic or melodic material Ch. 5

Cadence

A chord progression that signals a phrase ending — creates a sense of arrival or pause Ch. 6

Chord

Three or more notes sounded together, built by stacking intervals Ch. 2

Chord Progression

A sequence of chords played in order that creates harmonic movement Ch. 7

Chorus

The repeated section that carries the central hook or message of a song Ch. 5

Common Tone

A note shared between two consecutive chords — held or repeated to create smooth transitions Ch. 8

Diatonic

Notes or chords that belong to the current key without any alterations Ch. 3

Diminished

A chord quality built from minor thirds that creates instability and tension Ch. 4

Dominant

The V chord in a key — creates the strongest pull back to the tonic Ch. 4

Dorian

The second mode — a minor scale with a raised sixth, common in jazz and funk Ch. 11

Dynamics

Variations in loudness across a piece that create emotional shape and contrast Ch. 13

Extension

Notes added above the seventh of a chord — ninths, elevenths, thirteenths — that add color and complexity Ch. 9

Interval

The distance in pitch between two notes, measured in semitones or scale degrees Ch. 1

Inversion

A chord voicing where a note other than the root is the lowest pitch Ch. 8

Ionian

The first mode — identical to the major scale Ch. 11

Key

The tonal center of a piece — the scale and root note that everything gravitates toward Ch. 3

Major

A chord or scale quality that sounds bright or resolved, built with a major third (4 semitones) from the root Ch. 2

Minor

A chord or scale quality that sounds darker or more tense, built with a minor third (3 semitones) from the root Ch. 2

Mixolydian

The fifth mode — a major scale with a lowered seventh, common in blues and rock Ch. 11

Mode

A scale derived by starting on a different degree of a parent scale — each mode has a distinct character Ch. 11

Octave

The interval between one pitch and the next pitch with double or half its frequency — sounds like the same note higher or lower Ch. 1

Pitch

The perceived frequency of a sound — how high or low a note sounds Ch. 1

Relative Minor

The minor key that shares all the same notes as a given major key, starting from the sixth degree Ch. 6

Roman Numeral Analysis

A system for labeling chords by their position in a key — uppercase for major, lowercase for minor Ch. 3

Root

The foundational note of a chord — the note the chord is named after Ch. 2

Scale

An ordered set of notes within an octave that defines the tonal material for a piece of music Ch. 1

Semitone

The smallest interval in Western music — the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano Ch. 1

Seventh Chord

A four-note chord adding the seventh scale degree above the root to a triad Ch. 4

Song Form

The structural blueprint of a song — the order and repetition of its sections Ch. 5

Suspension

A chord where the third is replaced by the second or fourth, creating tension that resolves when the third returns Ch. 9

Swing

A rhythmic feel where pairs of eighth notes are played with a long-short pattern instead of evenly Ch. 10

Syncopation

Rhythmic emphasis on normally weak beats or off-beats, creating forward motion and groove Ch. 10

Tempo

The speed of the pulse in a piece of music, measured in beats per minute Ch. 10

Texture

The density and layering of sounds in a section — thin (few elements) to thick (many layers) Ch. 13

Time Signature

A notation indicating how many beats per measure and which note value gets one beat Ch. 10

Tonic

The home note of a key — the pitch that feels most resolved and stable Ch. 6

Triad

A three-note chord built from a root, third, and fifth Ch. 2

Verse

A recurring section of a song with the same melody but different lyrics each time Ch. 5

Voice Leading

The art of moving individual notes smoothly from one chord to the next, minimizing large jumps Ch. 8