Melodic contour part 2.

We seen that to create melody in music we think of the overall shape we want it to take within our imagination and then use steps to make many versions of it for the exact context we are already in .

Now we will take that very first simple Melodic contour we had before...
{ falling staircase stepwise }

And we will apply this down at the smallest increments possible.

( chromatic scale melody)

Let's do the key of C tonic function and choose simple Cmaj Triad as the backing chord and bass line for this melody.

We will use the chromatic scale such that we make sure chord tones ( including extensions) always land on strong beats.

Let's start ascending first .
(* shape of rising staircase stepwise)

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...1...
C ..C#.D..D#.E.........

We get all the way to E just fine.

C is root of Cmaj CEG
C# is #11th of G7 ( C#/D),(C#/C)
D is 9th of Cmaj or 5th of G7
D# is b13th of G7 ( D#/E),(D#/D)
E is 3rd of Cmaj

So the strong beats so far give us

C , D , E
Which all work well to spell our underlying
Cmaj CEG tonic function chosen chord and baseline.

The C# pulls us to land on our D note
Creating forward momentum well
And the D# pulls us to land on our E note
Creating forward momentum well .

Now We Get to ...

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

We make sure chord tones always on strong beat

So when we get strong beats all wholetones for

C.....D....E....F#

F# is #11th of Cmajor

And then the next week beat after F# we jump up to
A note on the following weak beat then come down to G note on the next strong beat creating this shape.

1...2...3...4....1...2...3...4...
F#.A...G...G#.A..A#

This is a modification to our contour which happens twice.

Once for F# to G as shown above

And another from B to C

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

This particular movement allows for our melodic contour to be the least interrupted in full maintaining the most steady half step raising staircase .

Now remember our criteria !

We have our specific context key of C major
And tonic function chord
Then we want a rising staircase of smallest steps possible.

By creating these 2 slight modifications we actually get some special consequences!

We can start on any particular chord tones!

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

Our chord tones always land on strong beat

Here they are

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

Now , we have something amazing!
We get 7 different melody per octave! Because we can start on each chord tone ! ( all 7 above )

Starting from the 9th D
.D D# E F F# A G G# A # B D C C# D
Starting from the 3rd E
E F F# A G G# A A# B D C C# D D# E
Starting from the #11th F#
F# A G G# A A# B D C C# D D# E F F#
Starting from the 5th G
G G# A A# B D C C# D D# E F F# A G
Starting from the 6th A
A A# B D C C# D D# E F F# A G G# A
Starting from the 7th B
B D C C# D D# E F F# A G G# A A# B

We get 7 melodies per octave of
Rising stepwise staircase

Now if we create falling staircase stepwise
We get 7 melodies per octave there !

All in our context of C major KEY
Over a tonic function chord .

This is called

{ CmajorChromatic }
C C# D D# E F F# A G G# A A# B D C

We now looked at Melodic contour
Of the most basic shape

Rising or falling staircases
We also seen in the first lesson an ordinary
Stepwise contour ,
Then in this lesson we seen the rising or falling stepwise staircase at the tiniest smallest detail
( Halfsteps )
We made a small modification in two areas in order to get all these possibilities!

Part 3 will zero in on the introduction of this first modification and from what we learned ,
We will examine and expand into more detailed melodic contour and then how to apply them to any particular context !

 

Melodic contour part 3 .

Melodic contour is the general shape of a melody which is universal to any particular context you are in .( such that any Melodic contour can be applied to any context which exists and opens you up to building a musical vocabulary of infinite possibilities in each moment )

We just looked at the first 2 Melodic contour which are rising or falling staircases.
We seen a stepwise spaced contour
( maj6 dim )
We then seen a chromatic staircase where your melody can ride or fall by halfsteps.
* we learned that a couple of small modifications allow us to rise or fall by half step
What we already learned about melodic contour gives us many many options so far.
Let's continue with the 2 most simple Melodic contour further .

Rising or falling staircase.

We seen two particular examples .

Moving by halfstep
Moving by wholestep
The next is minor and major thirds .
We do this by using our chord tones
This naturally allows melody to rise or fall spaced in major and minor 3rds .
The next is by 4ths .
We can create a rising or falling staircase
By using our chord tones selected to move by 4ths .
The next is 5ths we restructure our chord tones so that we rise or fall stair case just on 5ths .

Now , we are seeing that our basic 2 Melodic contours rising or falling can be modified by the distance each note rises or falls .
It can be stepwise movement or leap wise movement.

When we learned the Cmaj chromatic scale in the last lesson, we had to modify in two places in order to create it . * to ensure that our chord tones always landed on strong beats

This is our first introduction into understanding how we can have our melodic contour move in other ways besides just rising and falling all the way through .

Let's take our boring ole example of key of C major lol *( remember that the information is applicable to all keys but that we use Key of C to start with because it is easier to see the relationships if all 12 notes the easiest , everything we learn using key of C works for all other contexts too. )

Let's create a melodic contour which uses the chord tone beats to fall so ..
Key of Cmajor
Cmaj chord stabs CEG
And bassline spelling C,E,G, mostly on C

Here are the chord tones we will use
C,D,E,F#,G,A,B,C

Now we will have descending chord tones on strong beats and leave the weak beats empty to start with .
( create this melody in higher register )

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

Now , let's add a fourth below on each weak beat

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

We now have added another entire dimension to the melody .
Two melodies fused together
And very simple just a staircase falling using stepwise chord tones ( including extensions)
Except we fill in the weak beats with a fourth below for it's own contour.

Listen to this melodic contour closely.

Now remember, we have 7 melodies per octave !
* because each chord tone on strong beat can be the beginning location of where the melodic contour starts off.

This is now teaching you how to add three dimensionality to your melodies .
Every instance of a melodic contour you use and practice in these 3 lessons, are able to be superimposed into any musical situation which exists .
We still have only stick to the first 2 most basic typed of melodic contour rising and falling .

* plus we have only used 1 rhythmic contour the entire time which is steady 8th notes rhythm .

Look through and practice these last 3 lessons in accordance with the information from the entire thread.
Spend a lot time making use of these basic initial principles of melodic contour.
This is actually just the very basic beginning of your journey of unlocking the freedom and mastery of music fluency !
Next we are about to go deeper into melodic contour and your life will never be the same again!
Lol
Please carefully study and look through then carry out and hear these , then begin to use portions of the information on musical examples you already have worked on .
Ask me for as much clarification as you want.
I really do want to help you understand anything in particular you are curious about .
Go easy on yourself here and don't judge yourself when learning and using and incorporating this information because you have to remember how long it took you to get spoken language fluency .
* we spend so many years on it
My intention is to get you excited and inspired!

 

Last edited: Dec 27, 2023

What are Non Symmetrical scales? and WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW THEM (youtube.com)
(9) The Daily JAZZ warm up you need to get better - in 6 minutes! - YouTube

 

What about to "speak clear and concise" ? Where are the sheets brother?

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2023

Anyhow, if Lydian is the Major Scale as you infer, you then may find attached what I'm gonna play at church on sunday mass... the blame is on you.

 

Most of the new songs are not sheet-based. Before instrumental music was accepted by the church, the songs were all vocal-based and sheet was needed for singing in choirs, but after the dominance of musical instruments and the replacement of choirs, the need for sheet gradually decreased. Even in figured bass music, only the bass note and a few numbers were specified, and the musicians were made to play the notes as they liked based on the numbers.

20th century's Improvised music is the advanced version of its old figured bass counterpart. This music mostly needs the skill of the musician to produce the music on his imagination and the chords written for him. Even in many cases, the chords are not written and the responsibility of the whole music rests with the musician who makes the song according to his artistic taste in the moment.

 

In church music, b5 (#4) is strongly prohibited. Even in tonal music the expectation is to resolve b5 as soon as possible esp. in cadences. In modern modal music by Miles Davis or others it was tried to make this interval dull and pale it into insignificance or remove it completely.

PS:
Who knows, maybe the whole modern music is to run riot against its predecessors and use whatever has been traditionally considered fiendish.

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2023

Thats actually not true, the Catholic church never banned the tritone, that`s an old urban myth. You can find a bunch of examples of tritones present in medieval liturgical music.

 

what do you mean by that?
nobody said lydian is the major scale or even used the word lydian.( the entire conversation has been on functional harmony and at no time was on the totally different topic modal harmony (where lydian exists)

This appears to be another instance where you quickly skimmed through, but didn't take your time going through the information because the answer to this issue already exists within the previous information.

nobody told you to do what you did in the amazing grace clip, you played nonsensical.
there isn't any information here telling you to do that. lol :D

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2023

i found this great video by this gentleman.

carefully go through it and make the connection between the informatio component of what it covers connected directly to the sound component.
* remember that it is music being described.
(19) Decoding standards #3 - The turnaround - YouTube

 

that is an absurd question.

the information i been sharing is not an example of one particular played thing in one particular played way.
(which is all you get from sheets.)

for example.

Key of C major / a rel min

progression is

(Tonic)/(Tonic)/(Subdominant)/(Dominant)/

{ a turnaround of tonic/subdom/dom/tonic)

we have our context and details.
(Tonic)/(Tonic)/(Subdominant)/(Dominant)/
this isn't telling you some specifc thing to play in some specific way.

1.you have multiple chords to swap out for each function.
2. you have multiple ways to play and voice a selected chord.
3. after you have selected some particular chord to plug in each function AND
selected a particular way to voice and play it.
(be that on one instrument or across multiple voices of multiple instruments)
in any combination of notes together or sequence.
4. now you have all melodic options available when considering the motion decoration of melody possibilities.
* voice leading, * embellishment* *upper extensions * tonicization
5. putting this all together with substitutions, superimpositions, tonicizations and even reharmonizations

* now if you are taking a previously written song you want to reverse engineer that to break it down into all these layers of information components.

look at what you provided in your amazing grace example you created and compare to this information to see what was "violated" .(meaning you deliberately played non-sensical .)

you didn't pay attention to that fact that when talking about music theory with words and language in a context like this.
there is something musical being described with the information.

i want you to watch the following video and pay close attention ( it may take multiple run throughs *including slowing down the speed
this guy's video will actually include the sheet music as well ) * i think you will actually enjoy this and be helpful for you that is why i am sharing this exact video.

at the same time, please keep in the back of your mind the information i have been sharing to see the connections and how all of it connects to the very sound you hear.

(19) Decoding standards #3 - The turnaround - YouTube
We should talk about this progression MORE - Decoding Standards #4 (youtube.com)

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2023

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone

 

You realize that there`s nothing in the wiki article you sent about the tritone being strictly prohibited by the catholic church, right?

I recommend you watch this:

I`d also advise you get your facts through the analysis of actual medieval and renaissance music instead of rumours roaming around the internet.

 

To the TA.

What better example of functional harmony other than amazing grace?
I've just goofed on you to show you that (most things) it don't work the way you presume.

Since when a major scale has a #4?

Do you understand why this is a choice as old as moving forward? Jazz adopted this because it simplifies a series of aspects in improvisation, as the relative minor now has a 6 instead of a b6, in other words, Dorian (simmetrycal mode in 5ths, just like diminisheds are in 6ths, or b3s, if you prefer).

You've mentioned a CM13 #11, which is a very common mistake in Jazz and other literatures, because they'll try to use it as a justification for having a V 13#11.

But all this is not up for debate, once Jazz is a genre, not music theory.

Why not to spend some time reading my first sheet?.. you'd have had many insights if you can understand it. If you cannot, just say it and I'll change the notation.

However, the standard minor scale is Aeolian, so learn your way around it before trying to "teach" something like you're trying to.

Cut to the chase brother, write things down (piano rolls, diagrams, tablature, what have you...) instead of flooding your own post, fostering and echoing yourself alone...

Stop watching youtube videos and try for yourself what you preach, once you clearly have heard about it only.

Learn what diatonicism is about first.

If you want me to show how mistaken you are through such approach, just let me know.

PS.: I hate writing this much.

Happy new year

 

It was an interesting video.

I always wonder why theorists on YT don't teach how to write a piece from start to finish. They analyze but don't write even a 4-bar music. They don't clearly state what's happening inside their minds and what pattern they believe and use to make their own music.

If you find such a theoretician or a training class that clearly shows the foundations of his thinking and the principles he believes in writing his own music, please let me know.

I want to watch the theocratical guidelines being regarded with confidence during a real music writing.

 

#4 means that the tonic chord is always in a strong tension with itself. How can a chord that is very tense be considered as home (a place for resolution)? Mr. Adam Neely would know that. Probably he loves this interval. Love can legitimize.

Unless the dissonance quality of intervals is forgotten and every interval is used freely.

Another solution would be subjective dissonance as everyone perceives the intervals in any ways they like.

The other answer would be periodic and non-periodic dissonance cognition which means that an specific interval is considered dissonant today and non-dissonant tomorrow and so on.

The possibilities are endless...

 

" ..it don't work the way you presume"

i explicitly resonded to this above.
there wasn't anything about what you made which was MY pressumption.
that was YOUR pressumption.

where did i say that sentence?
another of your presumptions you keep projecting onto me.

that is a nonsencial statement.
"jazz" is a genre ( a much different and zoomed in context than our conversation and topic here.
nothing talked about here is a chracteristic of jazz.
we are discussing 12 tone e.t. and the context of tonal music functional harmony language
( this is a much larger scope than a genre every genre uses this harmonic language and every genre also uses the other harmonic languages , what particular harmony language is at the song level of detail.
again, another presumption you are making.

i never used those words or language , i don't understand what you mean to reference of this conversation by speaking that way ( especially , after I just responded above to the initial part.)

i how no idea what specifically you are trying to comminicate there.
it is demonstrable that every major type chord has a #11th upper extension .
are you trying to ask a question? ( the answer is already demonstrated)

you are saying the word jazz, not me .
i am the one who needs to tell you jazz is a genre ( which isn't the topic of this group)
and not a music theory.
you are the one in your comments here , talking about jazz as music theory.

lol :D are you serious? implying that is spent a certain yet incomplete amount of time looking at "your sheet"?
how much time to you assume i spent? where did you you get the information to assume that?
every thought in your head is magical thinking just plucking things from imagination then talking to me as if i was that content!
it is demonstrable that i am well aware of that information 6 years ago when i posted that area of information on this very forum!
* and of course i was well aware of it long before i ever shared it on here many years ago lol :D
you make many assumptions but let me clear the record.
for more than 30 years i have been at music as multi-instrumentalist, composer, engineering, sound designing, producer
of not only my own music but in bands and every stage of working with others at every stage of the music process from start to finish.
*just saying that 1 single time here and now to deflate any presumptions. This actual thread isn't about me.
instead of playing all these psychological games with yourself, you could have just taken more time with studying the demonstrable information of this thread since any area of confusion you are having actually has the answer embedded in the careful way i formulated it's presentation.
*yes it take more than a skim through and glance.
look at my previous response to you where i figured out your exact area of struggle and shared videos with information guiding you to the next area you yourself are stuck and need to work on in your specific development next.
i will describe it to you now explicitly.
your are the particular development now, where you need to concentrate on taking the abstract chord symbol
and converted that into all the playable voicings and how to choose a voicing for a chord, or choose a set of voicings for a progression based on the extensions you play on using in the overall context of the melody.

* notice that all of your comments even this one is pointing in that exact direction.

you hinted at you want to be able to use the information for amazing grace.
once you focus in on the steps of information i just described you will have those intermediary steps required to do that with amazing grace.

as of now you are talking about "major scale with #4" that is nonsensical.
this shows you are missing the understanding highlighted above.

in several comments you show exactly where your knowledge stops.

so begin by rewinding back to the information i presented which talks aboput voicings.

*remember a chord symbol is not telling you something to play.
there is whole other set of steps required from having a chord symbol to playing something.
*this includes bassline, and several layers of instruments then melody on top.

everyone of your comments is showing you do not understand upper extensions.
rewind to the part of the thread where i cover this and work on it.

finally, these elements all come together for the specific context.

you need to practice these.
once you understand all the voicings and which to choose in a context then you can expand to upper extensions.
once you take the full context including the melody it will be clear which extensions fit the context.


after you have practiced this on individal chord level of detail ( with each chord type )
and practiced ways of using extensions in this context, (first single chord then progression then whole song)

only THEN will you understand how to take something like amazing grace and use everything.

amazing grace has a specific progression.( although you can modify this using substitutions, superimpositions , tonicizations, modulations, and reharmonizations.)
amazing grace has a specific melody ( although you can modify this by referring to the section of the thread on melodic contour in order to change the melody or fill it in with more embellishment)
so, as you can see there are millions of separate versions ( maybe more) of different possible variations of amazing grace.
it depends what specifically you want to do with it, or if you are practicing a specific thing)

for now,

use key of C major

and take
C6 CEGA chord symbol

create drop2, drop3, drop2&4 voicings

( 4 separate voicings per octave which cover span of 88 keys)
do that for each of those voicings.

the top note in a voicing is always the melody.

now you are practicing the ways to make something playable oout of a chord symbol.

step2.

take one of those set of 4 voicings you like and expand to

Bdim7/C6
now you create on the off beats the Bdim7 voicings that fit inbetween the C6 ones.
* this teaches you the voice leading on the melody as well.

and create descending cascading melodies 4 per octave C6/Bdim7/C6 /Bdim7 for many octaves

your top line is always the melody.

step 3 now you did 1 chord and you did 2 chords, next is 4 chords.

do all the same identical steps now as above for

F6/Bdim7/C6/Edim7

after this you can go on to bein to understand and use the upper extensions.

* as you can see no mention of scales, that is because they are meaningless in this context
rewind back to where i demonstrated how all 12 notes work on any single chord, or set of two chords or set of 4 chords.
take your time this thread is the complete set of information for the langauge. you MUST use and hear and understand each portion of information.

lastly,

if you read this comment and where going to respond to it...
would you ..
A. pick out each letter of the alphabet and make a list of which letters to use in the responses and indicate how many L's or K's i need to respond? no! that is non-sensical! lol :D because you construct sentences based on MEANING! NOT alphabet

music is the exact same way here ~! you construct music in a song based on meaning! ( function) NOT scales!

i love the cockiness! but.. since you are not even in a position to comprehend the intermediate level of the information portion yet..
* let alone advanced or expert levels..
maybe you are not in any type of position to make demands? lol :D
* learn to tie your shoes before spiriting a marathon fine sir
the rest of your comment is just going into ego driven self indulgent fantasy to express the clear fustrations of a feable mind!
i am here helping you and teaching you and look at the beligerent behavior?
certainly, if you believe you are king kong in any area of music at all i will be the one to show shatter your glass house for you princess.
i am sick of you wasting my time.
i am humble , but if you wake the beast as a direct consequence of your ethical interactions and specific descisions, YOU will be responsible for those consequences not me.
instead, i suggest you choose your next steps wisely.
* this goes for anyone else too by the way.

 

what do you think this thread is? hahaha

 

i answered that at least 3 times in this thread if you want to go back and look at it.
i covered that area of information so many times and so many ways saying anything else on it would just have to repeat the exact same thing already said and shown.

my answer to that fellow above directly coveres what to do if one is at the stage dont understand yet how to take a chord symbol and move to next step of creating all the ways of voicing it ( turning a chord symbol into playable music)

then the very next step after that is doing the same thing but now with extensions.


but this is very simple .

example. KEY of C major

C.
you know what that note is right? the entire instrument covered in the C notes that is what C means.

next Cmaj CEG , cover the entire instrument in those 3 notes

so far, i assume you already knew that.

okay what about C6 CEGA?

do the same thing except now it is 4 notes ( 4 inversions per octave for each speciffic type of chord voicing )

what about Cmaj9? ( take all your different options for Cmajtriad except each one gets a D note added on top for the melody.

what about large chords?
say
Cmaj13#11 * the full version of Cmaj

you split into two parental forms stacked.

*rewind where i cover this in the thread

C6
CEGA

+

D6
DF#AB

=

Cmaj13#11


you can get creative once you understand all the different voicings.

because you can take say
Bmin7 (over top a C bassnote)

but remember! whatever specific thing you actually choose is always in the context of the other things around it.

a song isn't notes scrambled around and stuck togther no more than a sentence is a configuration of letters.

" I am hungry"

it isn't a collection of letters, it is a cxommunication of specific information.

music is same way.

you have phrasing, voice leading, voices, embellishments, all types of vocabulary to create the final song which is communicatinng nothing on accident.

kusgrlisrjgo;ledrjkgperojghse

is nothing.


a musical equivilent of kslrfiyhgmpoiszrughoialsdrg
is no more meaningful either.

 

Last edited: Dec 31, 2023

A circle jerk where no one cums?

j/k, have at it