Along with the books, there are interactive applications that not only help create music, but understand it.
Chord Superstructures
Neighboring Chords
3D Book
And they are constantly being updated :)
All books include example videos to listen to and bring the explanations to life.
For all instruments:Harmonic and melodic. Not just for guitar or piano.
No sheet music:Everything is explained visually with diagrams, arrows, and colors.
Permanent access + updates:Buy once and receive all future versions.
Self-explanatory diagrams:The graphics speak for themselves, but each one includes a written explanation.
What you'll find
✓
Arrows, colors, and Magic Glue
I explain the arrow and color code and the idea that holds the whole book together, Magic Glue: the melody is the glue that joins any chord to any other. Only triads and dominants, in chord symbols, no sheet music.
✓
Proximity range and tonal functions
I sort all the chords from closest to farthest from the C chord according to the notes they share, build the pyramid, and show you the tonal functions: tonic, subdominant, and dominant.
✓
Major, minor, and the circle of fifths
With just two chord types I show you different ways to organize them: the circle of fifths, the chromatic circle, the circle of seconds, and the circle of major thirds. That's where pivot chord modulation shows up.
✓
Secondary dominants and chains of dominants
I add one more chord type, and out come secondary dominants, the chain of dominants, and the 2 → 5 → 1 in every key. I also show you the difference between a parallel key and a relative key.
✓
Diminished and augmented
I clear up the difference between diminished, half-diminished, and diminished seventh, and I use the symmetry of the dim7 to move from one key to another. With the augmented chords I get to the whole-tone scale and to the augmented chord as a dominant.
✓
Bridges and tritone substitution
Bridges are for modulating smoothly: the same chord belongs to several keys. I close with tritone substitution, for example swapping G7 for Db7, and with five example progressions in different genres.
Book details
- Author
- Brian Callipari
- Format
- PDF (digital book). There's also a print edition, in Spanish only.
- Pages
- 153
- Languages
- Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Turkish, and Japanese
- Who it's for
- It's for you if you can play major, minor, diminished, augmented, and dominant seventh chords, and follow arrows; it helps to know what a scale is and what a dominant is.
What musicians are saying
Hey Brian, just wanted to reach out. I studied music composition at Berklee and I genuinely wish I had your books back then. Not because my professors were bad, but because your visual approach would have cut my learning curve in HALF. Picked up Tensions Illustrated last week and it's brilliant. The way you map out tensions over chord types is something I haven't seen anyone else do this clearly. Respect man.
Brian I have to be honest with you. I almost didn't buy your books because I've wasted SO much money on music theory courses and books that promised everything and delivered nothing. Bought Harmony Illustrated on a whim and I literally sat there with my mouth open. After 20+ years of playing guitar I finally see the bigger picture. This is not an exaggeration. You cracked the code man
THE COLORS. Thats what gets me. The way you use color to show relationships between notes and chords... my brain just GETS it now. Bought all of them btw 😅
Bro I showed your Harmony Illustrated to my guitar teacher and he literally ordered a copy for himself on the spot 😂 said he wished he had something like this when he was studying. Thats the best review I can give you honestly
Frequently asked questions
Stay in the loop
Leave me your email and I'll let you know about anything new in the collection.
Sign up and I'll send you the book sample (12 pages), plus emails with news and discounts. You can unsubscribe whenever you want.