you are doing good!

now, note you cannot divorce that

(D7) the chord symbol in the tonic function in key of C major

is the information i outlined of what that chord symbol MEANS
D7 DF#AC

the entire instrument from low to high hilighted
notes DF#ACDF#ACDF#AC
and you have 3 main initial voicings types
drop2,drop3,drop2&4

a chord symbol is just a shortcut for that
* which set of notes are hilighted n the entire instrument octaves

and than every combination of them notes togther in any order as well as any combination of them notes one after another in melody.

a note collection.

now, there is another portion of information important to bring it all together.
the bass instrument works in a very specific way.
it outlines the root and 5th of the most basic chord in the Function.

key of C major
Tonic function.

(tonic)(tonic)(tonic)(tonic)

say a piano plays accompaniment of

F#min7b5/D7/Cmaj7/C6

* the F#min7b5 is a superimposition outlining the upper extensions of the Function
same for the D7

the bass instrument will be playing (* i am saying in general not as a rule)
CCGCGGCGCCGCGGCG
(Cmaj)(Cmaj)(Cmaj)/(Cmaj)

So, in Functional harmony
you have

Substitutions
SuperImpositions
Reharmonizations
Tonicizations
Modulations

these are integrated into the core of how the music works.

each instrument works in a unique way to spell the harmony

the bass for instance is going to play the R35 *mostly
of the most plain chord of that function

where as the accompaniment and vocal melody *or various solos

will use substitutions, and superimpositions.

so, if the key is C major
a tonic function chord rings

(tonic)

you play
D7 voicing on piano

the bass plays
C and G notes mostly

all layers add up to be

Cmaj13#11
CEGBDF#A

* and you don't have to play every extension

maybe the whole thing adds up to be

Cmaj 6/9
CEGAD

*if you play voicings of Amin pentatonic

nothing is accomplished by duplicating the same notes in different octaves accross instruments.

example you play CEG on piano
bass plays CEG octave lower
vocalist sings E

it is just very begginer plain and boring sounding.
*which you are totally allowed to do! haha

but, if instead
you play D7 on piano
bass plays CEG
vocalist sings F#

that is going to be a very bright emotionally rich and full sound

*Cmaj13#11

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2023

@MMJ2017 Would you please elaborate further on chord extensions and how they work in functional harmony?

If a complete and accurate explanation about chord extensions is not provided, talking about them in functional harmony will be futile. Why hasn't a wide-ranging book been written about chord extensions?

Chord extensions castrate the functional harmony and weaken their uni-interpretability.

 

This is basically a watered down version of the Riemannian theory. I wouldn't call it modern or contemporary.

 

I wonder why no theorist has entered the chord extensions territory. Why doesn't Hugo Riemann's theory cover chord extensions?

Why didn't he broaden his theory to encompass chord extensions?

 

When extensions, alterations, upper structures, etc. are added, making music becomes dealing with inventions and endless discoveries rather than following virgin functional idioms. Inventions that if you ask the composer why he did these things, he will not have any convincing explanation.

 

yes indeed the world is changing fast and we are getting older.... i am in a fortunate situation so i do not suffer needlessly....unlike many of our brothers and sisters around this little globe
it seems AI is trying to simulate human artistc endeavours n ow so that is a wild ride of more deception and false leads....when AI can do to me what oscar peterson did I will be worried hahaha
best jack

 

Convincing? Well that is the key word for that never happens when a TROLL jumps in a thread.

Who the fuck are you to "approve" anything. Go away TROLL.

 

Do you know what is the difference between these chords in relation to functional harmony?
7
7b5
7#5
7b9
7#9
7b5b9
7#5b9
9
9b5
9#5
.
.
.

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

yes! absolutely I will describe extensions :D

there are two portions of information we need to concentrate on to understand this.


there is a particular way ALL 12 notes work in a Key center related to the Tonic triad.

what we need to focus on is that
every chord symbol you are working with expands outwardly as a Fractal.

(tonicization)
any chord symbol represents I
step2 is (V7)/(I)
step 3 are the 3 functional blueprints we seen earlier

these relationships and information
happen when you use a chord for anything.

right now we will zoom into
(V7)/(I)

we will use to most simple case example to look at first.
Key of C major
and our concentration is on THE Tonic triad CEG Cmaj

we are going to look at how alll 12 notes work in relationship to this context.
* context is key of C major, Cmaj triad CEG
(V7)/(I)

see the (V7)/(I) symbol here?
in the following description we will see how each of the 12 notes work with C maj triad
example.
C is root of C major..............................(B/C),(C#/C)

^tells the note and it's relationship...........^here we have the first note is (V7) the 2nd note is (I)
in this example we have (B from G7 resolves to C of C major using Voice leading
in this example we also have (C#) the #11th of G7 resolving to C the root of C major
summary of information in this line.
the focus is our context of key of C major and C triad CEG
next, we are going to see how all 12 notes work on a CEG triad in this context.
* we get an expansion of (V7)/(I) as a basic tonicization.
we will see using voice leading how all 12 notes relate to our Ctriad tonic and our V7 dominant
lastly, we see how the voice leading notes next to our note resolve to it , if it is only a cmaj triad note but NOT a V7 note.
IF the note is compatible with Cmaj tiad and V7 that means the note just rings on through

* now pay attention because i have already write this at least twice before and i won't anymore after this...

what you are about to witness is how ANY particular chord is compatible with all 12 notes in music.
*we are using a particular example case here but this applies to ALL chords.


KEY of C major *
(V7)/(I)

C is root of C major (C#/C),(B/C)
C# is #11th of G7 (C#/C),(C#/D) *see how C# of G7 resolves up to D of Cmaj9?
D is 9th of Cmaj or 5th of G7 *it does not HAVE to resolve! it is a note for both of them
D# is b13th of G7 (D#/D),(D#/E) *see how D# of G7 resolves to D the 9th of Cmajor?
E is 3rd of C major or 13th of G7*it does not HAVE to resolve! it is a note for both of them
F is 7th of G7 (F/E),(F/F#) * see how F of G7 resolves to F# the #11th of C major?
F# is #11th of C major (F/F#),(G/F#) see how G of G7 resolves to F# of Cmajor?
G is root of G7 or 5th of C major *it does not HAVE to resolve! it is a note for both of them
G# is b9th of G7 (G#/G),(G#/A) *see how G# of G7 resolves to A of C6? (or Amin rel minor)
A is 6th of C major or 9th of G7*it does not HAVE to resolve! it is a note for both of them
A# is #9th of G7 (A#/A),(A#/B) * see how A# of G7 resolves to B of C major?
B is 3rd of G7 or 7th of Cmajor*it does not HAVE to resolve! it is a note for both of them
C is root of C major (B/C),(C#/C)

this shows us that.

1. all 12 notes work on any particular chord symbol ever chosen.
2. exactly how each of the 12 notes works
3.all the extensions and how they exactly work

 

in a Key center, ALL THREE functions Each contain every chord type.

we already looked at what a chord symbol is and what a chord symbol means.
example

key of C major
C6 CEGA chord
*MEANS the entire instrument hilighted in those notes as possibilities in any combination togther or apart
for the duration of the chord symbol in use.

the major 6th chord is also a Min7th chord
C6 =CEGA (Amin7 ACEG)
the Maj6 chord combines majtriad with rel min triad

C6 CEGA chord is a parental form which combines the CmajCEG and rel Amin ACE
G6 GBDE chord is a parental form which combines the GmajGBD and rel Emin EGB
F6 FACD chord is a parental form which combines the FmajFAC and rel Dmin DFA

we have 3 diatonic maj6th chords in C major KEY

we also have minor6th parental form
the Minor6th chord is also a Min7b5 chord

Dmin6 DFAB is also Bmin7b5BDFA *subdominant function in KEY of Cmaj
Amin6 ACEF# is also F#min7b5 F#ACE * Tonic function in the KEY of C maj

the Diminished 7th chord is a Parental Chord
built from stacking notes min3rd apart it is symmetrical
and it
MEANS 4 dominant chords that belong together

example.

key of Cmajor

Bdim7 BDFAb means 4 dominant chords that belong together in the KEY

G7 (V7/I) G7 to C maj.......GBDF.. G becomes G#..b9th of G7.....G#BDF (Bdim7)...to Cmaj
Db7(tritone sub to Cmaj....DbFAbB..Db vecomes D..b9th of Db7...DFAbB (Bdim7)..to Cmaj
E7 (V7/Imin) E7 to Amin *rel min....EG#BD..E becomes F.b9th of E7...FAbBD(Bdim7) to Amin
Bb7(Tritone sub to Amin.rel min.....BbDFAb..Bb becomes B..b9th of Bb7..BbDFAb(Bdim7) to Amin

1 single parental chord Bdim7 reprsents all 4 dominant chord relationships.

in the KEY of C major

we take C6 as tonic function CEGA
we take wholetone higher D6 DF#AB as upper extensions.

C6 + D6 = tonic function (Cmaj13#11 CEGBDF#A)
CEGA C6
DF#AB D6


next,

Bdim7 BDFG# as the dominant function as described above
we take wholetone Higher as our root notes of all 4 domiant chords.
C#dim7 C#,E,G,A#

*G HW diminished G,G#,A#,B,C#,D,E,F,G

we now have a combination of parental forms able to be used to express anything in the key of C major

*Cmaj13#11
D6 +C6

and

G half whole Diminished
*Bdim7 + C#dim7

 

*note an important portion of information!

every possibility of what you can do with 1 particular chord symbol is applicable to ALL chord symbols.

if you can build a particular melody for 1 triad say Cmaj CEG

you can build that melody for every chord which exists!
*once you build a melody up you can run it through all 12 keys from bright to dark
(cycle of fourths)
you can create all the permutations and variations!
you can add embellishment to contune building it outward.
you can take portions of two different melodies and combine them creating a new one.
all the information i am sharing will give you the keys of musical freedom.



we are going to cover building up an entire musical vocabulary using demonstrable information about the total set of musical relationships in a key center.

 

this is important!

i am going to ask you to partake in a physical directions!

create empty track in your DAW
make a project in 120bpm

we are going to use the KEY of C major
we are going to focus on the (tonic) function only

first, here is the information we will use

Key of C major TONIC FUNCTION chords
Cmaj7 C6
D7,D6
Emin7,G6
F#min7b5,Amin6
Gmaj7<G6
AminMAj,Cmaj7#5
Amin7,C6
Amin6,F#min7b5
Bmin7,D6


next directions...

using the above information

step 1.
Create a bassline of C quarter notes for entire duration ( can make into a Cmaj bassline if you want)
*spelling our context of Cmaj CEG TONIC function of our KEY
step2.

create Drop 2&4 voicings for EACH one of the above Voicings which each last for 2 seconds of time
on another track of piano in mid to upper register WHILE
the low bass C notes (or Cmaj bassline rings out)
*remember that drop2&4 voicings have 4 inversions PER octave! so build out 4 voicings of a chord per octave *so you can hear them and select which you like the sound of best to use

* remember THIS information in this entire thread is describing music istelf!
you have to hear what these relationships are!

after you have built all of this out spend a few mins per day listening to them all.
after a few days of ear training, begin to use the scafolding you built to create melodies.

 

I dont feel like replying to trolls this saturday morning, sorry

 

You repeat continuously:
F# is #11th of Cmajor
What do you mean by that?
Why do you insist to embed F# in C Major?

D7 is a dominant chord in the key of G. How do you assume D7 as tonic chord in the key of C?
Are you squeezing all the roles?

By what permission do you mix major and minor keys? In Functional Harmony, each key has its own character. With what analysis do you use the relativity between two major and minor keys to mix their notes?

By combining two major and its relative minor keys, you will have two tonic notes, which is not acceptable in tonality.

Another thing that caught my attention is your use of the word freedom. Is it the right thing to mix different ideas to harness the chromatic scale?

 

I tried the suggestion he gave. I guess that as long as you have C in your bass as a root note the upper extensions will add a character/color without obscuring the tonality or in this case, the tonic function. Some of them do sound very nice. Also, you can notice how the tension grows but not to the point that is too unstable (dissonant). He wasn't very explicit but I assume that this was at least one of the goals of the exercise. I will try to add some of the subdominant/dominant chord possibilities to "complete" the picture and see how it goes/sounds.

 

Last edited: Dec 3, 2023

So, I tried the following and it sounds a bit messy:
tonic/dominant

tonic -> C in the bass with 2&4 drop voicing = CF#DA (D7) - this is the one I chose
dominant -> G in the bass, again, 2&4 drop voicing = FBGD (G7) - this is the one I chose

When you listen to it, it becomes confusing as to what the actual "home" is. I dunno, maybe I am doing something wrong here. Also, I am assuming that the way you do inversions will have an impact on the sound. But technically, the primary consonance/dissonance should still be preserved. In my example though, G7 starts to feel more like a tonic chord

 

I have a feeling that in this thread 90% of comments are from the same user with different accounts.

If this is the case I would suggest a mental health consultation session to see if it still possible to relieve the pain, please consider everyone involved (family, friends, coworkers) could suffer as well.

 

Dominant 7th chords can not play the role of tonic chord. They are super tense or tensional and have to be resolved to tonic or submediant (M, m, M7, m7 or mM7) as soon as possible unless you want to prolong the tension.

 

Yes, this was essentially one of my concerns from the beginning of this thread.

 

In my example the "tonic function" really is playing a role of a dominant chord, hence why G7 feels like home. Yet V7 should not feeel like that, hence the tonality is all messed up here...