obias Wrenfield
Music theory is not a gate that separates trained musicians from everyone else. It is a set of tools — some old, some contested — for understanding what is already happening when sound becomes music.
Tobias writes about harmony, structure, and the gaps between formal theory and actual musical practice. His work at Unity Works began in 2019 and has since focused on making rigorous analysis legible to working musicians and curious listeners alike.
What the writing actually covers
Most theory writing falls into two camps: textbook formalism that treats music as a series of rules, or pop-theory content that simplifies until the ideas no longer hold. Tobias works in the space between — where the rules are taken seriously enough to be questioned.
Areas explored across the publication
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01
Harmonic AnalysisRoman numeral analysis, secondary dominants, borrowed chords, and how harmonic rhythm shapes a listener's sense of movement.
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02
Counterpoint and Voice LeadingSpecies counterpoint as a discipline, and how its principles persist in jazz voicings, orchestral writing, and contemporary production.
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03
Rhythmic StructuresMetre, syncopation, polyrhythm, and the difference between what notation prescribes and what performers actually do with time.
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04
Modal FrameworksChurch modes, pentatonic systems, and the contested territory where tonal and post-tonal thinking overlap in practice.
A contributing voice
Callum edits the more technically demanding pieces and contributes occasional analysis of contemporary scores. He trained as a pianist and brings a performer's instinct for where theory descriptions diverge from lived musical experience.
