The Secret Music Formula They Don't Want You to Know: Orbital Interval Theory

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Intervals As Orbital Vectors
What Is Orbital Interval Theory? This sounds like a complicated subject, but in fact, this is a concept which will help you simplify your view of the piano.

A Traditional View Of Intervals
When we learn music theory, we learn about 3rds, 5ths, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and so we can think of intervals as an ascending number in relation to the note that’s called the 1.

However, this is a very linear way of describing something that is not linear at all.

Viewing Intervals As Orbital Vectors
An orbital vector is something that instead of being progressively father away, it reaches a point and turns around. If we look at the note “C” as our ‘centre of gravity’, when we reach the 5th above, we can also see this as a 4th below.

Jovino demonstrates how you can applying this logic to common cadences such as the 251, 36251, and 4736251.

0:00 Resolution & Cadence
2:53 Gravity In Music
4:01 Orbital Interval Theory
7:35 Chord Progression Demonstrations

[ant_adlibs]

As an educator, myself I find this very well expressed. Well done

[chasjazzz]

This was Awesome, its was a Circle of 2-5-1 w/a passing tone or two....Thats how I seen it. I enjoyed it so much makes me wanna join. Thank U!

[danhmap]

Wow I have learn so much about how a C major progression can stretch. Would you do a clip about a minor progression using orbital theory? Much appreciate.

[KenZ]

Very nice! appreciated your sharing so much.

[GADFLY]

This is very helpful for me. I'm a beginner trying to arrange "Finlandia" in an interesting way. I was starting out just using 7th chords for the first 16 measures, but then I got stuck. This has given me some ideas to help me make this more interesting to hear. Tudo bem. Muito obrigado!

[mAArsus]

Amazing, I’m figuring out how to use it

[fatimabarreto]

Oi, professor, que legal ver você mostrando a beleza da nossa música!

[BRAM]

Very nice.. I always thought of it as the notes are in a spider web. Their intervalolic relationship never change, orbital has maybe a better feel because of motion as apposed to stuck in a web. I will have to look but was hoping for insite of chord function using this idea of orbital intervals. Great vid ..

[nicolaslg]

Very interesting. Could this idea of tonal gravity be applied to writing melodies? Or is it only useful for chord progressions?

[jimkangas]

making me think of negative harmony now...

[martyh.]

awesome. the circle of life, eh i meant 5

[emery]

So in other words the tritone takes you anywhere while everything else orbits around each other in a quartal/quintal relationship