Solving Before Learning?

Hal Helms
Hal Helms
Sep 9, 2018 · 4 min read

Many years ago, I became interested in writing what is popularly called “classical music”. The problem was that I had no background in music and no understanding of music theory.

What I did have was a copy of Bach’s “Three Part Inventions” — music written for three voices (or parts). On a long trip, I studied the music, hoping to, I suppose, gain some key that would unlock the mystery of how one actually composes music.

First measure: Let’s see — one voice has a C, another an E, and the third a G. These were all stacked together so that each voice sounded…

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