The Music Theory Cheat Sheet

The Music Theory Cheat Sheet was created primarily to help everyday musicians, songwriters, and composers quickly and efficiently learn the relationship between the modes of the major, natural minor, jazz minor (melodic minor), and harmonic minor scales, as well as have a readily-accessible view of all the modes of these scales in one place. When I was first introduced to modes they were shown to me based on the key of C major. While this was a helpful first step, I found it to be a very limited representation of how the modes interact. Without seeing them all in relationship to each other, and without reference material that placed them side-by-side in every key, it was hard to begin applying them to my compositions and performances.Enter... The Music Theory Cheat SheetIn the first section of TMTCS readers will find individual pages each with a chart dedicated to the major, natural minor, jazz minor and harmonic minor scales. Contained in each chart are the seven modes of the scale in every key -- beginning with C and ordered chromatically. Each mode contains the chord of each scale degree with the first extension (or seventh), as well as the notes contained within each chord. This section concludes with a chart containing every mode of the Major Scale in every key ordered by the Circle of Fifths.The second section of TMTCS contains a series of pages each with an individual chord progression with the chords listed in order in every key -- beginning with C and ordered chromatically. This section begins with simple, common chord progressions found in popular music and gradually gets more advanced, with chord progressions commonly found in jazz. Each chord listed includes the name of the chord, as well as the notes contained in the chord up to the seventh. Finally, there is a chart at the very end of the book containing all the Secondary Dominant and Secondary Diminished Seventh Resolutions in every key. It is my hope that this quick-reference guide will serve as a helpful tool for musicians of all skill levels, allowing them to incorporate a working knowledge of the modes and chord progressions contained in this book into their own work.