Level 4: Accord Construction

Read our accord reference, then learn to hear an accord for yourself: a listening exercise and knowledge check that open the formulation stage of the course.

20 min · Exercise: Listen for the moment two become one

The core exercise of accord building: pair two materials, weigh small mixtures by a set method, and record what each one does to the other over time.

25 min · Exercise: Three pair studies

How to find the right ratio between two materials: build a ladder of mixtures, narrow it in a second round, and allow for materials of very different strength.

25 min · Exercise: Find one balance point in two rounds

Why some accords work by similarity and others by tension: how to use contrasting materials on purpose, and how to test a contrast before you trust it.

20 min · Exercise: Build one complement and one contrast

Use our guide to backbone, modifier and blender materials, then test the idea on a real formula from the library by sorting its lines by the role each plays.

20 min · Exercise: Sort one published formula by role

Build a rose accord in timed rounds: start from its alcohols, add one idea at a time, and record what each change does. A bench exercise to pair with our guide.

20 min · Exercise: Build a rose in four rounds

Build a jasmine accord in rounds: fruity ester, airy Hedione, then traces of indole and jasmone, learning how a tiny animalic dose changes a floral's character.

20 min · Exercise: Build a jasmine in four rounds

Read our white floral accord guide, then compare your jasmine with tuberose and gardenia structures from the library to find what separates the white flowers.

20 min · Exercise: Read three white florals side by side

Use our lily of the valley accord guide to see how a banned material changes a whole family, then plan a muguet on paper from materials that remain available.

20 min · Exercise: Plan a muguet around a restriction

Read our guide to powdery notes, then compare alpha- and beta-ionone with orris-type materials on strips to hear what makes a smell seem powdery.

20 min · Exercise: Compare ionones with a powdery base

Build a citrus accord and face its central problem: citrus fades fast. Compare oils, add support in rounds, and time what remains on the strip at each stage.

20 min · Exercise: Build a citrus and time it

Read our guide to green notes, then use a powerful green material as a modifier: ladder it into a floral at very low levels and find where it adds realism.

20 min · Exercise: Ladder a green note into a floral

Build a fougère in rounds from lavender, coumarin and a mossy base, and see how a family built on contrast depends on materials that are now restricted.

20 min · Exercise: Build a fougère in three rounds

Use our aquatic notes guide, then test a marine material at very low dose. Learn why such materials need extreme dilution, and how a trace changes an accord.

20 min · Exercise: Serial-dilute a marine material

Build an amber accord from labdanum, benzoin and vanilla notes in rounds, and practice the hard part of warm accords: keeping them from turning to syrup.

20 min · Exercise: Build an amber in three rounds

Build a woody accord by layering dry, creamy, smoky and transparent woods, and learn why low-odor materials need comparison and woods need days to judge.

20 min · Exercise: Build a woody accord in layers

Musks are the hardest materials to judge by nose, since many people barely smell some of them. Learn to blend several, test yourself and dose them safely.

20 min · Exercise: Musk sensitivity test and blend

Build the citrus, labdanum and moss structure of a chypre in rounds, then rebuild it without oakmoss to see what a restriction costs and what you can do.

20 min · Exercise: Two chypres, one with moss and one without

Build an edible-smelling accord with vanilla notes, caramel materials and lactones, and keep it from smelling like a candle by using low doses and contrast.

20 min · Exercise: Build a gourmand with a non-food twist

Read our leather accord guide, then read published leather structures and test a smoky material at trace level, learning why it needs the lightest touch.

20 min · Exercise: Add a trace of smoke

A diagnostic guide for accords that smell muddy, flat, harsh or thin or that collapse overnight: find the cause by testing, not by adding more materials.

25 min · Exercise: Diagnose one failed accord

An accord you cannot remake is lost. Learn what to record for each version, how to name versions, and how to state an accord in parts of pure material.

15 min · Exercise: Rewrite one accord from your notes

How to use your accords as building blocks: pre-blended or expanded line by line, how the arithmetic works each way, and the Level 4 accord project.

20 min · Exercise: The Level 4 project: an accord portfolio