--- title: "To Learn The Sound with Dr. Guy Shkolnik (PhD in Bach, Music Theory Influencer)" description: "What makes a Beatles chord progression work? Why does that Stevie Wonder song sound the way it does? Music theorist and composer Dr. Guy Shkolnik joins the pod to breaks down all that good stuff and more: harmony, counterpoint, composition across all genres (even how Japanese music is different!!). With a PhD in music theory and a social media following built from deep-dive breakdowns (and years of university teaching under his belt including international Berklee College of Music associated harmony, counterpoint, and ear training classes), Guy knows how to make it “click.” Let’s dive deep in, follow the white rabbit, and find out why music works. (And why we love it!)" status: complete date: 2025-10-21 kind: guest guestSlugs: - guy-shkolnik listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/To-Learn-The-Sound-with-Dr--Guy-Shkolnik-PhD-in-Bach--Music-Theory-Influencer-e39q216" lmwUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JwRiild-EA" appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/to-learn-the-sound-with-dr-guy-shkolnik-phd-in-bach/id1567355195?i=1000732775537&uo=4" spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ejeDwLWV7hClXbMYFKfnC" youtubeUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znnc40iLHxU" topicsDiscussed: - "Music theory" - "Bass" - "Classical and orchestral music" - "Japan" - "Jazz" - "Songwriting" - "Theory in popular music" - "Translating theory to practice" - "The interplay of melody and harmony" - "Negative harmony concepts" - "Voice leading importance" - "Influence of classical on contemporary music inspirations" hostNote: | In this enlightening episode of **Love Music More**, we have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. **Guy Shkolnik**, a renowned music theorist and composer with a PhD focused on Bach. With a vibrant following on social media, Guy specializes in deep-dive analyses that demystify complex musical concepts and uncover the genius behind iconic songs across genres. In this episode, we explore a wealth of topics from harmony and counterpoint to the intricacies of composition, specifically how these elements differ even between cultural contexts like Western music and Japanese city pop. Guy's infectious passion for revealing the structure beneath beloved songs will inspire both musicians and music lovers alike to approach their craft with renewed curiosity and openness. We follow the white rabbit deeper into the world of music and what makes it resonate so profoundly with us! selectedMoments: - label: "Introduction and Background" startSec: 109 note: "Guy discusses his passion for music theory and the excitement of analyzing songs." - label: "Starting with Basic Chord Progressions" startSec: 271 note: "Guy talks about breaking down barriers for beginners in music theory." - label: "The Role of the Bass in Harmony" startSec: 455 note: "Discussion on how bass lines influence harmony in composition." - label: "Tendencies vs. Rules in Music Theory" startSec: 530 note: "Guy explains how music theory can be manipulated like grammatical tendencies." - label: "Chords and their Emotional Impact" startSec: 696 note: "Explaining how stability in chords affects musical emotion." - label: "Interplay Between Classical and Jazz" startSec: 862 note: "Guy shares insights on how classical training can enhance jazz composition." - label: "Understanding Negative Harmony" startSec: 2616 note: "Dissecting the concept of negative harmony and its practical applications." - label: "The Effect of Scale Choices on Emotion" startSec: 3365 note: "Discussing the feelings and atmospheres different scales can evoke." - label: "The Open-ended Nature of Music Theory" startSec: 3599 note: "Questioning how many keys exist and the abstract nature of keys in music." excerptQuotes: - text: "I've loved your deep dives into music theory and I was also totally obsessed with your little mini videos going through some of the Japanese city pop harmony." startSec: 112 reviewed: true - text: "Harmony is often taught but in isolation. You need to have that teacher or that system or someone that can translate this for you." startSec: 273 reviewed: true - text: "If you guys want to visit your friends here, okay, I'm fine with it, but for me, it's C. So that would be great for a song intro." startSec: 861 reviewed: true - text: "I avoid using the term rules because I know how people feel about it. It’s more like tendencies, just like with grammar." startSec: 532 reviewed: true - text: "The Beatles, for example, I was playing passing chords here or beautiful examples by Bach. These are passing chords, so what key is it in?" startSec: 697 reviewed: true - text: "When you're exposed to classical voice leading, it shows you better and maybe more elegant ways of doing things." startSec: 1020 reviewed: true - text: "The idea of negative harmony is like a mirror harmony, where you can see different sides of musical ideas." startSec: 2620 reviewed: true - text: "You can personalize it by adding semitones to only some of the keys and it makes it sound more organic." startSec: 3199 reviewed: true faq: - question: "Who is Dr. Guy Shkolnik and what is his expertise?" answer: "Dr. Guy Shkolnik is a music theorist and composer with a PhD in music theory, specializing in harmony, counterpoint, and composition. He is known for his engaging breakdowns of music theory concepts across different genres." - question: "What does negative harmony mean in music?" answer: "Negative harmony is a musical concept that explores the idea of mirroring chords across a tonal center, offering composers new and creative ways to approach harmonic progressions." - question: "How does music theory apply to popular music?" answer: "Music theory provides fundamental insights that can enhance creativity in writing popular music, allowing musicians to understand structures and emotional impacts behind their compositions." transcriptPublished: false draft: false ---