NeckSight / References & Sources

Transparency

References & Sources

Every explanation, exercise, and theory concept on NeckSight is built on a foundation of established music theory literature and peer-reviewed educational resources. This page lists all 24 sources used in researching our content.

All levels 22 sources Last updated May 2026

About Our Sources

Our commitment to accuracy

NeckSight's theory content is not written from memory — it is researched from authoritative books, university-level open courseware, and respected music education websites. Where a web source is available, we link to it directly so you can read the original material and go deeper. PDF and book sources are cited with full author and publisher information.

The content spans beginner concepts (the 12 chromatic notes, basic intervals) through advanced topics (tritone substitution, modal interchange, twelve-tone harmony). Sources were selected for accuracy, clarity, and depth — prioritizing academic institutions, professional educators, and established music theory communities over informal or anonymous content.

If you spot an error or have a suggested resource, please contact us.

Books & Academic Documents

These are full-length textbooks and university course documents used as primary references for harmonic theory, composition principles, and fretboard fundamentals.

  1. 1
    Advanced Music Theory Workbook (5th ed.) PDF Cratty, W. S., Megill, D. W., & Megill, D. D. (2003). Advanced music theory workbook (5th ed.). eMegill Publishing Company. ISBN: 0-9645285-6-8
  2. 2
    Music Theory Advanced 1 — MUSC 320 PDF Smey, D. (2026). Music theory advanced 1 (Version 1.96) [Course materials, MUSC 320, Spring 2026]. Manhattan University. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

Circle of Fifths

Sources covering the Circle of Fifths as a navigational and compositional tool — from key signatures through harmonic progressions and modal relationships.

  1. 3
    Circle of Fifths: The Key to Unlocking Harmonic Understanding Berklee Online
  2. 4
    Practicing Arpeggios with the Circle of Fifths Applied Guitar Theory
  3. 5
    Scales, Keys and Modes on the Circle of Fifths Ethan Hein — The Ethan Hein Blog
  4. 6
    The Circle Of Fifths Explained (With Free Printable PDF) Musiciangoods
  5. 7
    Simplified Circle of Fifths Chart PDF Musiciangoods. (n.d.). Simplified circle of fifths chart [PDF]. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0792/2519/2792/files/simplified_circle_of_fifths_chart.pdf

Chord Inversions & Voice Leading

References on how to connect chords smoothly through inversion and voice leading — the principles behind why some chord progressions feel effortless to play and others feel awkward.

  1. 8
    Chord Inversions (Triads) – Composing Music: From Theory to Practice Elliott Miles McKinley — Roger Williams University / Pressbooks
  2. 9
    Chord Inversions for Voice Leading The Jazz Resource
  3. 10
    Chord Inversions 101: How to Create Smooth Movement in Your Music Dean Salant — Native Instruments Blog
  4. 11
    How to Write Unique Chord Progressions with Voice Leading Bound to Divide — Production Music Live
  5. 12
    Voice Leading Guitar: How to Connect Chords Smoothly Daniel Weiss — WeissGuitar
  6. 13
    Voice Leading Paradigms for Harmony in Music Composition Berklee Online
  7. 14
    Integrated Music Theory — Lesson 7a: Diatonic Progressions Derived from Circle-of-Fifths Voice-Leading Integrated Music Theory — intmus.github.io

Melody, Motifs & Composition

Sources on building musical phrases: how to use chord tones as melodic anchors, how to develop motifs, and the principles of theme and variation.

  1. 15
    Advanced Melody Guide: Using Chord Tones, Motifs and More Connor O'Brien — EDMProd
  2. 16
    Composing a Theme and Variations – Music Composition & Theory Justin Rubin — University of Minnesota / Open Textbook Library
  3. 17
    Developing Motifs Stephen Berkemeier — Tabletop Composer
  4. 18
    How to Build a Melody from Chord Tones Shawn Leonhardt — Disc Makers Blog

Advanced Harmony

Resources covering jazz harmony extensions: tritone substitution, modal interchange, and the chromatic techniques that give advanced compositions their color.

  1. 19
    Tritone Substitution Guide: Master Solos Over Tritone Subs Learn Jazz Standards
  2. 20
    Tritone Substitution in Jazz: A Comprehensive Guide Josh Walsh — Jazz-Library
  3. 21
    Modal Interchange Complete Guide Gisela Paterno — WKMT Piano Studio, London

Video Resources

Video content used for practical demonstrations of theory concepts in performance context.

  1. 22
    The Circle of 5ths: A Musical Exercise — Part One Video Jordan Rudess — YouTube
Want to explore these topics on the fretboard?

Every concept referenced above — scales, modes, chords, voice leading, the Circle of Fifths — can be visualized interactively on NeckSight's fretboard tool.

Open the Fretboard Tool →

NeckSight © 2026 — Last updated May 2026