Pitch axis theory

Pitch axis theory refers to a way of thinking about chord progressions and modes, that was heavily used and popularized (though not invented) by the guitarist Joe Satriani.

For inversion about a central pitch of a melody, see Inversion (music) § Pitch axis. For the Axis System in the music of Béla Bartók, see Axis system. For the term "pitch axes" as used by Joseph Schillinger, see Schillinger System.

When composing using this concept, the pitch axis is simply a chosen note (a specific pitch), which is thought of as the tonic for a sequence of chords, which must all have this pitch as their root note. However, the other notes in each chord may be drawn from completely different keys. A mode (or any other scale) is chosen that fits with each chord, and also has the "pitch axis" as its root note. This sequence of scales is then used for creating a melody or improvising a solo.

The term "pitch axis theory" has been criticized as misleading, as the above techniques do not represent a separate theory of music, and simply refer to the application of scales — according to standard music theory — over the common technique of a pedal point chord progression. However, the approach has also been praised as a useful compositional tool and perspective, which encourages experimentation with frequent key shifts and movements between parallel scales.

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