Lotus Music The Harmonizer User manual
The Harmonizer TM
User Manual
and
Theory Guide
Lotus Music
Copyright © 2004 Lotus Music. All rights reserved.
30-Day Limited Warranty
This product is warranted by Lotus Music against manufaturing defects in material
and workmanship under normal use for thirty (30) days from the date of purchase. In
the event of a product defect during the warranty period, return the product to the
address below with a receipt or proof of purchase. Sender is responsible for shipping
costs. Lotus Music will, at its option, repair or replace the product and deliver it at no
charge (except for shipping). This warranty does not cover damage caused by liq-
uids, heat, abuse, accident, misuse, alteration, or abnormal usage.
Lotus Music, 503 Walsh St.
Austin, TX 78703
Your satisfaction is important to us.
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To ensure enjoyment of your Lotus Music Harmonizer for a long time:
• Keep your Harmonizer dry.
• Keep your Harmonizer away from excessive heat.
• Handle your Harnonizer gently. Do not use force.
• Keep your Harmonizer away from dirt and dust.
KKeeyyttooMMuussiiccaallSSyymmbboollss
CDEFGABCDEFGABC
> = sharp, ex: G#
< = flat, ex: B<
` = natural, ex: F`
[ = diminished chord, ex: D[7
] = half-diminished chord, ex: F]7
| = augmented chord, ex: A|7
dom = dominant chord, ex: Gdom7
maj = major chord, ex: Cmaj7
\ = major chord, ex: C\7
^ = minor chord, ex: D^7
m = minor chord, ex: Dm7
Table of Contents
Introduction........................................
Major & Minor Scales.........................
Key Designator
Names of Modes
Triad Chords
Fourth-Note Extensions
Chord Note Extensions
Scale Degrees
Intervals
Chord Names
Parallel Minor Scale
Common Chord Substitutions.........
Chord Degrees
Name and Function
Substitute Chord
Chord Progression Map....................
Progression Formulas
Tonic Chord
Harmonic Paths
Melodic Minor Scale..........................
Harmonic Minor Scale.......................
Improvising........................................
Pivot Chord Modulation....................
Circle of Fifths...................................
Key Transposer..................................
Enharmonics.......................................
5
6
6
8
9
9
10
10
12
14
18
20
21
21
23
26
26
27
27
28
30
31
32
34
37
39
4
Welcome to Lotus MusicTM
Lotus Music is dedicated to your musical learning and believes in making products that
will enlighten you to your own musical potential. The Harmonizer is designed to make
understanding the underlying structure of music easy. The Harmonizer is a great tool, but
you will not become a better musician unless you practice your instrument regularly.
Learning music is a wonderful journey and offers great personal rewards to those who
are ready to take the first step and stick with it. The Harmonizer is a tool which will help
you travel farther faster.
I wish you the best on your happy, musical journey and am grateful that you have chosen
Lotus Music as one of your guides. If you have any questions or comments regarding the
Harmonizer, I invite you to contact our company by fax, phone or email.
Tom Michero
President of Lotus Music
503 Walsh St.
Austin, Texas 78703
www.lotusmusic.com
tel./fax: (512) 472-8989
Introduction
The Harmonizer shows you important musical concepts every muscian should know.
This guide will help you understand these concepts and how they are presented on the
Harmonizer. This area of knowledge about musical concepts is called
music theory.
Understanding it allows you to make more expressive choices when composing or impro-
vising, and provides you a language to communicate with other musicians.
The Harmonizer shows you major and minor keys, the chords that belong to those keys,
the notes that make up those chords, chord progressions, and much more. The
Harmonizer presents music theory in a visual way which reinforces the training your ear
gets when you play your instrument. It also offers many technical answers to curious
musicians.
The Harmonizer is appropriate for musicians of all skill levels in the same way a calcula-
tor is appropriate for math students. For the beginner, the Harmonizer offers a basic
guide to scales and chords. For the more advanced musician, it is a reference tool that
can help them compose and improvise.
The Harmonizer consists of several sections. Each section is listed in the table of con-
tents of this guide.
5
Getting Started
The Harmonizer design consists of clear areas called windows arranged in a pattern that
displays musical information.
To operate, turn the Harmonizer by holding the clear cylinder in your right hand and the
black-banded end in your left. Then, twist your hands in opposite directions. You should
see letters representing the scale notes appear and change in the windows of the clear
cylinder.
Continue to twist the Harmonizer until the letter indicating the key, chord, or note you
want to know about appears in one of the appropriate windows. The Harmonizer’s layout
will then reveal information you need to know for composing and improvising.
This guide describes some common music theory concepts and demonstrates how to
use each section of the Harmonizer. For a deeper understanding of music theory, you
may elect to consult a music teacher or a textbook on the subject.
The Harmonizer is designed to demonstrate musical concepts without the use of tradi-
tional musical notation, though being able to read music is certainly helpful.
Table of contents
