MMJ I have just created the TONIC SET OF C E G B D F# A which i am using as strong beat notes for a melody in the key of C / Am i understand the use of the other five notes in the scale as voice leading and chromatic uses ( c# f G# d# A# ) on weak beats to create riffs phrases and sequences while using the TONIC FUNCTION CHORDS (DERIVED FROM THE SET OF ---- C D E F# G A B ----

MY QUESTION IS ????
Can i then create a "SUBDOMINANT SET" FROM WHICH TO PLAY AND CREATE MELODIC PHRASES IN THE SAME WAY

ALSO A DOMINANT SET??

 

Well, this one goes to the TA and his supportive aliases.

In your many years of study, you must have come to the realisation that nor the Lydian Chromatic Concept, nor those from Barry Harris, pose themselves as consistent guides to harmonisation, unless towards the particular genres they evoque - and please, don't water them down claiming to be something of your own, moreover calling it "modern guide", let alone "complete".

Also, prior to adding any extra tones to the plain triads, one should understand when and why such option may be possibly required.

Take a look at the following example and, if you feel like it, ponder over its content.

Have fun



ps.: fixed some 8vas displacement for intelligibility sake

 

Last edited: Dec 14, 2023

Chord-scale system is not directional (undirectional). This system tarnishes the tonality and functional harmony. Merely useful for fast note-finding and surprising the audiences in improvisation sessions.

 

i bring you GodMode Polymathia (Angels vs Demons opensource universe created by MMJ)

 

Last edited: Dec 17, 2023

GodMode Polymathia (Angels vs Demons opensource Universe created by MMJ)

 

yes absolutely
that is what the functional blueprints are.
so example
key of C major 60bpm

functional blueprint is

(subdominant)/(dominant)/(tonic)/(tonic)
Dmin7/G7/Cmaj/Amin7


* you have the R , 3, 5 as strongest chord tones but you can also use the extensions as chord tones melodically on strong beat IF it makes sense for that melody (melodic contour,rhythmic contour)

so yes, on TOnic function portion you CAN use
C<D<E<F#<G<A<B as chord tones on strong beats and the entire set 12 notes on weak beats
just remember that it is all about what is happeing in the melody which follows it own set of operations
such as voice leading and embellishment , and melodic contour, rhythmic contour,
rhythm ALWAYS activates the melody

now when you move to the subdominant or dominant function you build melody same sense

so for example Dmin7 really means DMin13 DFACEGB
D root
F 3rd
A 5th
C 7th
E 9th
G 11th
B 13th

when it comes to the dominant function you have a
few options G7 has G HW diminished scale , G altered for instance

now , always practice with iterations and extrusions

example of starting simple then building up.

your bass spells the R mostly but also (R35)

your accompaniment spells guide tones mainly (3rd and 7th)
* because the bass already playing the root you don't have to duplicate same notes in the chords *

so melody let's say we have

Cmaj as tonic

step 1 on strong beats

A down to G down to E down to C

so descending C6 each lasting half note taking up 2 bars.

now adding in embellishment to the melody look what we get..

A G# F F# G B D F E D C# B C

broken up we have

A
then
G#FF# G ( G note with enclousure) * so A down to G except decorated so far
next
BDFE ( E note with enclousure made from Bdim7 notes BDFG#) so A down to G down to E
next
D C# B C ( C note except enclosure made from G7#11 ) so A down to G down to E down to C


see how you MUST create the simple plain melody first where it sounds right matched up to the context .
then approach adding in your embellishment as decoration to the final melody

now, play the plain melody, now play the detailed melody,
now take the plain melody but only add 1 set of enclosures in keep the rest plain then alternate doing this until you played the plain melody with every variation of details.

1. plain melody
2. some decoration ( spot 1)
3. some decoration ( spot 2)
4, some decoration ( spot 3)
5. complete full melody

everything is servant to the emotion of the final sound of what you play!
sometimes the most plain melody is perfect others th emost dense others somewhere in between..
treat it how a great storytelling talks around the camp fire with flickering light and shadow captivating all attention by maximising the emotional response of the listener !
(maximise the listeners attention and concentration)

when a listener atctually gives you their attention by being willing to listen to your music or storytelling of another type, thjey have given you a great gift ( billions of otehr things they could be putting their attention on)
make it your responsibility to create something scrupulusly ebullient!
*make them experience captivated joy :D

 

ok that is a great explanation just alittle more info re the dominant chord options please MMJ..... btw love the new universe hmmm

 

Holy cow, I never thought I'd like a music theory thread so much...

PS. Welcome back MMJ ;)

 

Here is the " Master Template " .
This is a special track I created for ear training or playing along with to practice.
It goes through all 24 keys from bright to dark and has the information of every song that exists .

* a little more explanation.

The melody spells the tonic major on strong beats and the dominant function on weak beats in the way every song does .
Then it moves to the relative minor to to the sane thing , then it moves to the next darkest key .

Even just listening to this a few times a day will train your ears , it is assembled using instruments that cut through cell phone speakers to use as vocal training or instrument plaything.
You can literally just memorize it to increase your ability and you can copy the sounds to learn how to play a melody in all keys .

It is every music lesson crammed into 1 instructional audio.

* make sure to listen completely through because it covers at the end 8 note scale for each chord

8 note scale of chords combines the Maj6 and dim7 of dominant in one.

cmaj6 dim7
C6 CEGB ( cmaj or Amin
Bdim7 BDFG# ( G7, E7, Bb7 , Db7)
C6 ACEG
Bdim7 G#BDF
C6 GACE
Bdim7 FG#BD
C6 EGAC
Bdim7 DFG#B
C6 CEGA

the C6 is in strong beats 1 and 3
the Bdim7 is on weak beats 2 and 4

this is all played over the Maj or relative minor
Tonic function

* allowing to create any melodic contour .

 

Last edited: Dec 20, 2023

Do you think you can train my ear? It has a mind of its own.

 

Speak clear and concise getting direct to your explicit question, if you would like a response.
Don't waste my time.(or yours for that matter )

 

Last edited: Dec 20, 2023

1. Did you at least tried the music sheet previously sent?

2. Is there a problem presenting my take in music notation? If there is, I could try some other type of notation (tablature, diagrams perhaps?), or to make the audio file available.

3. You mention "function" frequently...
Let's go for a basic one then: could you please present how all G7 inversions resolve to all CM7 and C6 inversions? It'd be even more interesting if you'd extend it to G7(9) to CM9 and C6(9). That would greatly serve to illustrate my point on "added tones to basic triads".

4. Btw, this is neither a challenge nor I'm trying to mock you, if that's how you took it.

 

hello friend,
no there isn't a problem with anything you posted i quite enjoy these things.
it is just that this whole thread is about FUNCTIONAL harmony.(very specific topic)

"you mention function frequently"

yes, that IS the topic of conversation .

looking closely at the exact context we are in with this thread.

12 tone equal temperament .

(12 tone e.t. has 4 distinct langauges each which work different )
Tonal music language ( Functional harmony) * music in a key center
Modal music language (Unified harmony) * music harmonically frozen
Polytonal music language ( multiple keys at once)
Atonal music language * each individal note has equality

this thread is zoomed into the first one.

Tonal music language (Functional harmony)
this means any music in a key center with TONIC< SUBDOMINANT>DOMINANT functions
which every single aspect of the music is about
* exactly like spoken language where everything has a MEANING.

so compare this sentence ( functional harmony equivalent)
automobile,truck, car, motorcycle, red ford truck, 55' chevy( modal harmony equivalent)
klsdrihfgodkruhngkerughjdkurghdkrug(atonal harmony equivalent)
imagine the audio of a crowd at a party (polytonal harmony equivalent)

"2. Is there a problem presenting my take in music notation? If there is, I could try some other type of notation (tablature, diagrams perhaps?), or to make the audio file available."
NO the information component in them is irrelevant * see rest of post
no, there is no problem it is completely arbitrary.
all 12 notes work on a chord * or the expansion of a chord v7/I

so when it comes to "things to play" you have all 12 notes that means every scale and permutation.

"3.You mention "function" frequently .. could you please present how all G7 inversions resolve to all CM& and C^ inversions..?"

i already did this more than once if you look back through the thread several times i answered that !
the 2nd comment box i posted in the thread ..
multiple times i showed how all 12 notes work in V7/I

( i am happy to talk about it more if i can figure out better what you are wondering or interested about discussing...

ill post this one more time but that is it.

the KEY of C major or *KEY

G7/Cmaj
V7/I

how all 12 notes work in the context of voice leading

V7/I
format is
(*D/*T)
first * is Dominant function note , second * is the tonic function note.

V7/I
G7/Cmaj

C is root of Cmaj (B/C),(C#/C)<----* here !
C# is #11th of G7 (C#/C),(C#/D)<--*here!
D is 9th of C major or 5th of G7 (this note just rings out! *common tone
D# is b13th of G7 (D#/D),(D#/E)<----*here!
E is 3rd of Cmajor or 13th of G7 (F/E),(D#/E)
F is 7th of G7 (F/E),(F/F#)<----*here!
F# is #11th of CMajor (F/F#),(G/F#)<----* here!
G is 5th of Cmaj or root of G7 ( this note just rings out! common tone
G# is b9th of G7 (G#/G),(G#/A)<-----*here!
A is 6th of C major or 9th of G7 (this note just rings out!common tone
A# is #9th of G7 (A#/A),(A#/B) <-----*here!
B is 7th of C major or 3rd of G7 (B/C)

here is how all G7 resolve to all C major including all inversions and all possible upper extensions for both!
happy to discuss these things in more depth if you want.

see how all 12 notes on a Cmaj or a G7/Cmaj?
that means every scale and every mode that exists in all permutations and combinations
* referencing earlier your images posted

 

Last edited: Dec 23, 2023

Glorious Angels (from Godmode Polymathia angels vs demons open source universe by mmj

 

meet the fairies (godmode polymathia angels vs demons open source universe) created by mmj

 

Godmode Polymathia (Angels vs Demons) is the beginning of an open source universe created by mmj.

in a distant universe exists a type III civilization post scarcity civilization of various beings in a matriarchal society.
in their year of 21,000 the females are government and politics and culture, they do have familes and relationships the males are creators and do engineering , design and build societies colonize worlds and create universes.
their civilzation is post scarcity and open source with direct democracy equivalent.

factions have been forming those who want to uphold the traditions of civilization (angels) and those who would see a different archcture to society (demons and hybrids)

this open source universe is an artistic way to explore deep philosophy questions related to society and reality.

this little bit i have shared is just some of the initial steps and concept art i have created.
every type of art and music will go with it and it is a collaberative project a universe of exploration.

in particular one aspect of exploration is beauty in all art form.
different values than our own the female beings don't associate natural beauty (nudity) with sexuality inherently.
it is just considered ( natural beauty) men never being of dominant in the culture as politics or governement meant a different path of development. ( not to say every particular individual follows these but it is gneral outline)

their civilization is literally utopia and yet it does not mean everything is perfect across the board.
their civilization is structured around open source co-operation and direct democracy.

yet by 21,000 differences between some groups have gradually created this war by those undesirables who have a different vision and values.

four main (races) so to speak for these non human entities (Angels),(Demons),(Fairies),(Cyborgs,)
* by the way those terms are considered insulting.

they have a holonet a psychic internet where much battle occurs ( mastered by the Cyborgs)

there are also many hybrid families and offspring and they are fighting for a new world of more equality between male and female and less discrimination (angels are the elite)

this is the beginning outline of this universe

Godmode Polymathia (angels vs demons)

each image shared with you is a particular individual of this universe who has a family and a life story and personality and goals aspirations.

there will be music and art and story thats brings that individual to life .

you can use inspiration of this series for your music writing and ideas.

you can pick a character or a few and create music for them as inspiration or practice , let your imagination go wild!

select a character for your own and create music and story to go along with them ( or create them and their family)

* note all imagery shared with you so far is the initial concept art stage




















mg]

 

Last edited: Dec 25, 2023

what is the reason to introduce this here to this thread about tonal music language?
This gives us a way to explore every musical relationship in functional harmony at any scale of detail and have endless inspirational ideas to practice and develop possibilities.
understanding a unified harmony
connecting the intellect with creativity and intution to create and understand musical possibilites.

to transistion form thinking about how to come up with a musical idea in that exact second...

to thinking and understanding every possibility in every context.

(musical fluency on par with the fluency of your spoken language)

just imagine infinite set of possibilites accessible to you.

music is about emotion (energy in motion)

there is an exact way music makes us feel in it's archecture

musical fluency is the ability to create any emotional response you intend for the listener in that exact moment.

music theory is about this energy in motion not about speaking or typing.

 

Last edited: Dec 25, 2023

Let's have a dry run and put this modern harmony to the test. This is a Leadsheet for willing participants. 100 chords progressively and a solo are asked for. The instruments are a piano and a saxophone.

 

Very avant-garde nice ! * all silence ?

 

Last edited: Dec 26, 2023

What i would like to share and inspire in conversation with all of you, is a large scale overview picture of harmony in music. An understanding of harmonic fluency on par with the spoken language fluency you already have developed.

This will give you the capacity to musically express yourself in fine tuned distinctions.


One overarching understanding is that of

1. Melodic contour .

( the shape itself that melody moves over time. )

A second overarching understanding is
2. Rhythmic contour.

Let's look closer at Melodic contour.

We actually do have a basic understanding of this in an obscured and obfuscated way .

A ascending scale or mode is a basic melodic contour .
A descending scale or mode is a basic melodic contour.

Now, a melodic contour isn't about the exact pitches happening at all . It is about the contour or shape of a melody taking place in that portion of time .

Why is this so significant to understand for music fluency ?

Because it helps us to understand a musical unified principle.

That any particular musical expression...
( be it line , lick , riff , melody , etc .)

Can be used in any other type of context .

The same is true about Rhythmic contour .

A simple example being

Let we said a ascending or descending scale or mode .

Regardless of the exact notes, this is the first basic set of contour .

And same for Rhythmic contour.
( because it is just a steady set of 8th notes plain contour )

So with melodic contour and rhythmic contour we are talking about the shape things take overtime.

* with the understanding that whatever we just created now becomes added to our subconscious database of possibilities.

Let's take a look at a line .

Key of C major

Tonic function chord .

Descending scale .

* strong beats are played differently than weak beats in melody .

Strong beats are 1 and 3
( chord tones including extensions)
Weak beats are 2 and 4
( all 12 notes available)

Essentially weak beats provide the forward momentum of a melody because they provide landing on a strong beat . The weak beats are embellishment.

A descending C major scale

1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
C...B...A..G...F...E...D...C

Strong beats are

1............3........1..........3..........
C............A........F...........D.......

What does this tell us ?

The Strong beats spell our
F6 FACD
Dmin7 DFAC

Which is our Subdominant function in the Key center .

What happens if we ascend the C major scale?
1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
C...D...E...F....G...A..B...C...

Strong beats are

1............3........1..........3..........
C............E........G..........B..........

What does this tell us ?

The Strong beats spell our
Cmaj7 Chord .

What about the same context key of C .

But now we descending starting from
The E note 3rd of C major .

1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
E...D...C...B...A...G..F...E

Strong beats are

1............3........1..........3..........
E............C........A..........F.......

What does this tell us ?

The Strong beats spell our
Fmaj7 FACE

Our Subdominant function.

* so this exact contour ( permutation)
Is useful on playing over the Subdominant function.

Let's try again starting from the E but ascending now.

1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
E....F...G...A..B...C...D...E...

Strong beats are

1............3........1..........3..........
E............G.......B.........D.......

What does this tell us ?

The Strong beats spell our
Emin7 EGBD

Which is one of our tonic function chords .

We are beginning to see that it isn't very helpful
To be in a musical context ..
( ours here is Key of C major and a basic melody over a [ Tonic ] function. )
And just think of the scale or modes ( permutations)

Because of how strong beats and weak beats to give momentum to a melody .

We need to expand our thinking more to picture the way the melody moves in our imagination, and see many ways to create many versions of what we picture in imagination BUT makes musical sense to create the emotions we want it to for the listener .

We looked at a melodic contour of descending staircase and another one of ascending staircase .

Our 1st melodic contour is
Stepwise notes which fall in pitch to steady 8th notes

Let's go back to our very specific context and see how we can create many specfic melodies which work for our context .

* our specific context is Key of C major
And
[ Tonic chord ]

Our melodic contour is descending staircase stepwise .

Let's use Amin6 for our specific tonic chord .
Amin6 A,C,E,F#, ( drop 2&4 voicing )
While the bass plays the root 3rd and fifth .

Amin6 is a tonic minor so we can think about the dominant function chord E7 that belongs
to Amin key ( key of Amin relative C major )

We can take E7 EG#BD and raise the E to F
To get F dim7 FAbBD
( because E is already a note in Amin )
And also because Fdim7 means family of 4 dominant function chords that belong together in this key .
G7 GBDF... = G#BDF (Fdim7)
E7 EG#BD.= FAbBD ( Fdim7)
Db7 DbFAbB..DFAbB ( Fdim7)
Bb7 BbDFAb .. BDFB ( Fdim7)

This a parental form .
Fdim7 F,G#,B,D,

Now we take our Amin7 A,C,E,F#
We know we want our melodic contour to have those chord tones on strong beats

1............3........1..........3..........
A............C........E..........F#.....

Now we simply add our Fdim7 FG#BD
As notes in-between.
* because this means off beats will give a forward push in momentum to our melody .

{ Amin6 + Fdim7}
ABCDEFF#G#

Except, now we play it descending melodic contour.

From the root
1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
A...G#.F#F..E....D...C...B...

Our first real melody that meets our criteria of the shape we imagined.
* which was falling step-wise staircase
Over our specific context and specific chord selected to write a melody over .

Now that we have all these variables and have a good result, we can create another melody for each of the
Amin6 chord tones A,C,E,F#

All our work is done because we simply take

{ Amin6 + Fdim7}
ABCDEFF#G#

* call this above {Amin6 Dim} as nickname

And we want 4 melodies now each outlining our simply melodic contour.


From the 3rd
1...2.. 3...4...1....2...3..4..1
C...B...A..G#.F#.F...E..D..C

From the 5th

1...2...3...4...1...2...3...4...1...
E...D...C...B..A..G#.F#.F...E...

From the 7th

1...2...3...4...1...2...3...4...1..
F#.F...E...D...C...B..A...G#.F


From the root
1...2.. 3...4...1...2...3...4...
A...G#.F#F..E....D...C...B...


We now have 4 separate melodies for our specific chord , all of 1 specific melodic contour.

* falling stepwise staircase

Those 4 we have above perfectly fit our chord
Amin6 which works in our context of ( Tonic function)
In the key of Cmajor .

We can also see that we have 4 chord tones per octave that can be where we start the melodies .
It means we created an 8 note scale which creates symmetry that chord tones always land on strong beats and the dominant function notes always land on weak beats.
This means you can create falling staircase contour starting from any chord tone per octave.

Next , we add to our our mental library by taking the exact same thing and creating the ascending version.

So Amin6 + Fdim7 = { Amin6 dim }
ABCDEFF#G#

We have 4 falling stepwise staircases per octave
And now
We have 4 rising stepwise staircases per octave.

This is the first step of Melodic contour and it's significance.

* continue your study of this lesson by
Creating a Subdominant function version
Creating a dominant function version
In the Key of C major/ Amin
Then , create a full progression using the functional blueprint of { Subdom}|{Dominant}|{Tonic}

Lastly , once you created the entire progression now move that through many keys

This is only just the beginning of
Melodic contour!