Open Q&A with Richard Coles
Have burning questions about music theory? Join our Q&A Session with Richard Coles, one of our Approved Teachers, to unlock the secrets of music theory!
Wednesday 19th June 2024
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Post your questions in advance here.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello everyone. Live class starts in 55 minutes. I look forward to seeing you there. Richard
This was a great session. Many of today’s questions touched foggy areas that have been rolling around my mind. And thank you for posting the video of today’s class so quickly! I couldn’t stay for overtime, and was thrilled to view the rest of the session while everything is fresh in my mind. Looking forward to Richard’s supporting materials. 
Thank you for the positive response and kind feedback in regard to live club #7.
I have just spent additional time adding to the notes, including some ‘homework’ questions for you to try haha.
I also removed all of the orange borders because nobody wants to print 65 pages each with huge blocks of orange ink needed right!
They are now ready for final check prior to being published soon.
Here is my topic on the Circle of Fifths The Circle of Fifths - where does it come from, where does it go?
I would like to think you will all avidly read every word and become converts to the Cof5ths like me.
I’m realistic enough to expect some of you will swerve the challenge of reading and understanding my lengthy dissertation! 
Here is my topic on borrowed chords too. Using borrowed chords - introduction + examples
It arose due to the Cof5ths topic. It is not as long to read and contains ten examples of progressions with borrowed chords plus TAB and audio tracks too.
I would like to start on the next instalment of borrowed chords - secondary dominants - but I haven’t made the time for that so it is still a small seed resting in the back of my mind.
Great session yesterday Richard. Some good questions and I enjoyed the way you dealt with them in both visual aids and audio examples. I closed my browser down a bit to quickly so missed the usual feedback page, add a 
to the metrics.
Thanks for you time and thanks to @FannyJustinGuitar for riding shotgun.
Richard @Richard_close2u
Thanks for picking and answering my question on double and half time. The explanation was excellent and clear, demonstrating it with guitar worked well.
The format with questions in advance, so there is time to prepare a response and also link related questions worked well.
Michael
PS An apology I missed the live session but have a good guitar related excuse. As the weather was half decent the guitar club decide to meet at the beach and play through some songs for our enjoyment and hopefully for those passing by.
Michael @MAT1953, thanks for asking that question! It is one that I’ve been chewing on for a while. And of course, Richard’s explanation was crystal clear.
Thanks a lot for this engaging session yesterday. This was the first time I joined such an event and every minute was worth it. I especially liked how the whole thing had an arc that led smoothly from the simpler to the more complicated topics. I hope Richard will do some more live classes like this.
On a sidenote, Justin talked about secondary dominants at the 1st live class and for me that was a seeing-the-magic-at-work moment.
Hi Richard, do you happen to have this topic in .pdf or some document format? I guess I’m paper trained and prefer reading from a physical copy. If you don’t have that, do you have any objections to me compiling one of my own?
Hi Richard,
I checked the PDF file and found 2 typos in there.
Page 32:
C should be the III chord here.
Page 55:
The Bb chord here is a bIII (flat major 3). The III chord would be B.
Hi Judi.
I’m guilty of never making the time to properly create a ‘booklet’ of the topic. It exists as topic format here and as fragments and dozens of separate images on my computer only I’m afraid.
I have joked once or twice about getting it properly done, published and making it universally available - at a commensurate fee haha!
Knock yourself out if you want to do some editing.
SHAZBOT
Thanks for checking Jozsef.
Corrections will be made asap.
Richard
Certainly no joke Richard.
The material you have dispensed to this community just in the 4 years I have been here has always been of impeccable quality, both in terms of content, and presentation; at least equal to anything available anywhere; superior in many ways. I imagine you have much more as well.
Your teachings have been a crucial element for me, particularly in music theory; in effect a companion to my study in Justin’s PMT. Countless times your articles and presentations clarified, solidified, and expanded on concepts that were initially problematic for me.
I am certain the above would be the experience of numerous others here.
There would definitely be a professional, high quality book there, appreciated by many.
Cheers, Shane
Judi @judi
Yes it is one of the things that beginners like me come across when you step outside Justin’s safe space. Having looked on the internet I had sort of come to an understand what it meant but wasn’t totally sure.
I had decided to post it as a topic and was just composing the words on my head when Richard’s Q&A appeared, a bit of a coincidence but a useful one nevertheless. As you say Richard’s explanation was very clear.
Michael
Richard
Just finished watching the recording (so useful to have the recordings now for the clubs) and just wanted to echo the thanks for such another useful session.
You really do make theory interesting. Didn’t think the Circle of Fifths could be so fascinating! So I’m going to watch it again.
And as for the work you have put into the 65 page resources….
Richard
Justin in case anyone missed it.
The recording of this session is available here.
Also, thanks to eagle-eyed proof-reader @Jozsef the resources which were initially available have been rewritten with corrections made.
You’re welcome. I also support the idea of collecting your thematic threads into PDFs or “books”, though I can see the potential in audiobooks/video series as well
Hi Richard, have been behind and now catching up with MTLC 7, what a great session, never realised the circle of Fifths could give so much. Great session and quality resources, thank you
Thanks so much Angus - and welcome to the Community too.
