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tonebase Guitar Course

Harmony in Bach's Music

Taught by renowned guitarist 

Stephen Goss

Ever wondered how a great composer like J.S. Bach actually wrote his music? Steve Goss breaks down one of his most recognizable pieces, Prelude BWV 846 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and examines how Bach took a simple harmony and turned it into a work that would be played for centuries to come.<br><br>Steve opens the lesson with a brief overview of the three most common types of chords used in harmony: tonic, dominant, and pre-dominant. He then shows you common uses of these chords and how they fit into the larger “Diatonic Cycle.”<br><br>In the second half of the lesson, Steve walks through the chords from the Prelude and describes Bach’s harmonic intentions behind each, all the way up to the ending cadence.

  • checkmark icon
    Difficulty: 
    intermediate
  • checkmark icon
    Duration: 
    1
     hours
     hour
All courses on tonebase include subtitles in English and Spanish

Course Syllabus

Harmony in Bach's Music

Ever wondered how a great composer like J.S. Bach actually wrote his music? Steve Goss breaks down one of his most recognizable pieces, Prelude BWV 846 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and examines how Bach took a simple harmony and turned it into a work that would be played for centuries to come.

Steve opens the lesson with a brief overview of the three most common types of chords used in harmony: tonic, dominant, and pre-dominant. He then shows you common uses of these chords and how they fit into the larger “Diatonic Cycle.”

In the second half of the lesson, Steve walks through the chords from the Prelude and describes Bach’s harmonic intentions behind each, all the way up to the ending cadence.

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Stephen Goss
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Stephen Goss

Guitarist and composer Stephen Goss’s music receives hundreds of performances worldwide each year with recent projects featuring John Williams and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Stephen Goss

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