Theory prison.

 

It's jazz prison so Foster an I could share the same bed :D

 

Last edited: May 26, 2018

"Music theory" is there for you to learn from the most basic fundamentals through to advanced nuances. Once you learn the framework, you BREAK it - or, disobey it (...to a point) intentionally.

 

Yes! This is a good example.

Something between free tonality and Atonality. Almost complete freedom to respect the ear for the final judgment. You can go beyond that too ... .

 

I exactly made this thread to reject that. Anyway, thanks!

 

Of course you can connect anything you want, but if it is important to you (creating the consequence), how it sounds to others you will probably end up using the rules. That is why they were created. If that is not important to you, then you don't really care about consequences, and anything else being said is moot.

 

In talking, everyone says that (about rules, etc.) but in practice, everything becomes possible with just slight alterations.

 

I'm in the process of creating a chord option chart that will be transposable for each key. It's much more involved than I anticipated but hopefully in the end I have a cool cheat-sheet that will make it easier for me to select chords. If I ever finish it I would gladly share . . . or better yet . . . maybe someone with a bit more theory experience can help me make this thing an amazing tool. ;-)

 

Well, regardless of key etc., I think that the most basic rules for connecting anything are

1.) smooth voice leading
2.) voice range rules.
- know the range for each of the 4 standard SATB parts
- research ranges for concert instruments (violin, viola, woodwinds, sax, etc...) (helpful and gives perspective for everything else like MOOG synths, whatever)
- apply above knowledge to sequencing your synths bass, lead melodies, chord comping, etc which is A LOT less mentally tasking than orchestral scoring.

 

Just putting chords together and hoping for success without a melody or an idea for a piece is like furiously masterbating in front of a mirror while someone who loves you is in the same room as you and wishing to express and share their spiritual and physical love, and you not even noticing that they are right there next to you and begging for attention.

 

https://monoskop.org/images/8/84/Schoenberg_Arnold_Theory_of_Harmony_1983.pdf

 

It just provides the underlying harmonic structure of your song. After its establishment, you can add other parts over or below it as you usually do or totally remove it at the end. These arbitrarily connections are for making complication.

There are other methods of composition too but this thread is not for them.

 

Funny, foster-typical question!

Of course it is possible, I once wrote a software application that did just that.
It played completely randomly generated, 3- to 6-voice chords endlessly behind each other.
The consequences? Shocking!
The CIA stole the program from me and used it in Guantanamo instead of waterboarding...

 

In order to break the rules, I think you should first understand what they are.

 

I know a lot but in practice, decisions are based on different unplanned situations.

 

Ok but if it is slightly altered that means you are paying attention to the rules in the first place, otherwise you would not know it's slightly altered, so in essence you are still paying attention to the rules. The rules are not strict. I think most rules allow slight alterations. It's still using the guidelines (or rules). These guidelines are based on what works when listened to. That's what I am saying here. If it is not important to you whether or not the listeners like it (the consequence), then you just do your own thing. If it is important to you that people want to listen to your progressions I advise embracing these guidelines. They are based on "what works". You can do what you want of course, but if you care about consequences (people liking your work) you will at least loosely follow them. Formulas or suggestions, or guidelines, are just that. Suggestions, for success. Most producers WANT people to like their work so they tend to follow at least roughly what works for others. Guidelines.

 

Would you please tell us:

1- How do you exactly follow those guidelines in your compositions?
2- How do you find out which guideline for which part of your works and how do you apply them?
3- How many guidelines have you included in your reminder list? Do you respect them in priority? What are your priorities?

 

@foster911
IMHO you are getting this "peculiar" answers because your Q is somehow "off"..
(some points on how the subject is taught on a pretty high level..)
- anything goes, there is no "wrong" (not so long ago we had composers/performers from Japan that wanted to pour water in the piano and then get on it with a chainsaw.. Offended by the fact, we didn't want to sacrifice a nice Steinway, they cancelled the concert :/)
- there is no "key" or "chords", the way today music is written (e.g. no sharps or flats at the beginning of staves - not saying it's wrong, and people still say "this is in a key of..", especially for simple and/or pop music.)
- "Mode", modus is more of the guideline nowadays, if you want one (this is to break free from composing the "Wiener Klassik" way - e.g., let's do the 1st theme on tonic, then the 2nd on dominant, aso..) Composers are supposed to be "less afraid" to modulate freely.
- ..now, I can't go on, because YOU are pushing everything back in history and making it obsolete with your question.

- bonus 1: "theory" is considered vertical analysis of a single composer's work. Obviously, because there are/were so many, there is no theory of how to compose. Do the analysis, get the theory out and use/abuse/ditch it.. Theory dictates nothing - composition byproduct.
- bonus 2: ..ssh, classified. Biggest world conservatoire professors generally don't like jazz ..that's why there are jazz "departments";)

hope some of that helps..

Edit, so I hopefully don't get crucified: to all jazz enthusiasts; one of my first vinyls I bought was Miles D Tutu. And listening to that was kind like seeing-a-UFO-landing mindblowing experience.

 

Last edited: May 26, 2018

Well that's a totally different subject. This is actually one of my own weaknesses (good chord progressions), and to be honest I quite often use someone else's chord progression, which is the ultimate in using suggested chording. I am weak in this area, but I have come to realize there is a reason for these formulas in general. People might be able to say WHY using music theory, but that is not me. I tend to go by ear, and the ear of the listener. Not being able to do well with chord progressions myself, actually supports what I am saying. I have tried enough bad progressions, to know what does not work.