What is a drone?

In Western European music theory, often called "functional" harmony, a melody is accompanied by chords that follow specific rules. In elemental music theory, melodies are accompanied by open fifths. This accompaniment is called a "drone." Below are some examples of simple drones, using the notes C & G*. These drones are meant to be improvised over - the only elemental scales where this will not work are mi-pentatonic and Locrian.

*If you would like to play in a different key or meter, simply click "Edit with Song Maker" and change the key and how the beats are split using the "Settings" button.

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Drones don't just have to drone on and on - they can be decorated with neighbor dones. For single-moving drones, either the top note or the bottom note can move to its neighbor.

As musicianship increases, drones can become more complex. For double moving drones, both notes can move to their neighbors. This causes parallel fifths - while these are forbidden in functional harmony, in elemental harmony they are essential.