Organic Music Theory with Ben Schwendener
Incorporating an alternate perspective into your pedagogical and creative repertoire.
The idea that chords are modes organized on and around the 12 keys formed the theoretical basis for the Modal Period of Jazz, epitomized by Miles Davis' ‘Kind of Blue’ album of 1959. The late great composer and bandleader George Russell brought this to light with his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. In this introduction, Schwendener clearly explains and demonstrates how to apply the principle of ‘Tonal Gravity’, and how it supports and underlies creative choice in western music.
This class is now not only for teachers, but any interested students as well.
Ben is nothing short of brilliant. He has complete mastery of every possible key and modality, and plays in all of them fluently by improvisation. He is your go-to guy for help with harmony if you are composing something.
This was a fun and fascinating class! It challenged me to think in new ways about a subject I'd thought I understood thoroughly, and was a surprising and refreshing stretch. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, Ben!
Ben is an exceptional, outstanding teacher! I would recommend his class to anyone who is looking to deepen their understanding of organic music theory or music theory in general!
…aiming to broaden their musical experience, Schwendener goes the improvisational route, indicating even to the youngest students that their musical instincts are worthwhile and relevant.
…composition, improvisation, theory, technique and performance - all integrated into a single holistic, experience-based learning approach.
This serious and systematic theory about musical composition matches a drive to dig down until the pieces underlying any field intuitively fit together. It enables people to improvise and create new forms that respect the particularities of their materials.
ABOUT BEN SCHWENDENER
Composer / pianist Ben Schwendener sustains a unique voice in contemporary creative music and is a leading authority on George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, which he assisted Russell in teaching at the New England Conservatory from 1986 to 2004. After Russell’s retirement, he has continued to teach the LCC at NEC to this day. He was (from 1986 on) an editorial assistant to the late George Russell, and is a certified teacher (and while Russell was alive, of teachers) of the Lydian Chromatic Concept, and has given lectures, workshops and seminars at Universities around the USA and at institutions around the world.
Schwendener has helped to establish a new direction in natural pedagogy and dialogue-based arts education, establishing Organic Music Theory and Universal Musical Elements as primary creative sources.
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WHEN
The next session is Thursday, June 4, at 2 pm EDT | 11 am PDT | 6 pm GMT.
AGE RANGE
Adults
HOW IT WORKS
Students can connect to the online platform using a tablet or computer with reliable internet. To actively participate online students also need a webcam with microphone. This live online class is capped at 20 students. The class is covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
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