Colombian Harpsichordist
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Joined: 17-August 05
Posts: 215
Member Number: 125
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OK, now its time for the next lesson.
Let's face it, voicing chords, studying their dispositions can hardly qualify as music. In this lesson, we will actually combine chords: now we will have motion.
For now we are not going to try to understand what the chords we use actually mean. Tomorrow we will study the functions that different chords have, which is an area that you seem to already have knowledge in. So, to begin with I would like for you to prepare a "progression chart" where you list each chord of a major scale (in roman numerals) and then list any chords likely to follow it. For example, as you probably know, the dominant chord V, often moves to the tonic chord I. In this chart, lets not worry about inversions, just the essential chords themselves. I guess you can format it something like this:
I: (list following chords here)
ii: ...
iii:
IV:
V: I, vi
vi:
vii*:
Those chords are the diatonic chords of a major key: they have no accidentals in C Major. I think you already know which of those chords are minor, major, or diminished (lets use uppercase, lowercase, and the star: I, vi, vii*). If not, I will discuss that a little tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow I will also introduce the minor mode.
Like I said, today I will not teach about that sort of "harmonic function." Today I will teach you how to connect different chords following the rules of traditional harmony; tomorrow I will teach you what chords to choose.
THE RULES
In these exercises you must follow what I have taught about chord spacing perfectly. I understand that yesterday you might have made some mistakes, but today you must totally understand spacing to move on to progressions.
The famous rules you have surely already heard of. Parallel fifths and parallel octaves are entirely forbidden for now. Please open the file named Examples and look at it alongside this lesson.
In the first bar, the outer voices form a fifth in the first chord, and then move to another fifth in the next chord. This is strictly prohibited, but if you follow my guidelines avoiding parallel fifths should not be hard.
In the next bar you see parallel octaves. The same goes for them. (The matter of doubling a whole melodic line in octaves like in orchestral music or the piano is something else entirely. In these cases those octaves are just a thickening of an existing part, not true harmony. I can discuss the difference further you want.)
Repeating the same octave or fifth in two chords, on the other hand, is entirely allowed. An example of this is in the third bar. (We will not worry about direct octaves and fifths for now.)
PROGRESSIONS
Remember that we are still only using chords in root position with a doubled root (and since they are in root position, the bass is the root). All of the spacing rules from yesterday should be perfectly followed.
When one chord moves to another, the most fundamental motion is that of the roots. Since we are only using root position chords, the fundamental motion is in the bass. Now I will list the smoothest ways to connect chords with any melodic interval in the bass.
UP BY A FIFTH
When the bass leaps up by a fifth, the two triads will have a note in common (remember a triad can have more than three notes, but the extras are doubles). For example, a C triad and a G triad share the note G in common. In a progression by ascending fifth in the bass, tie or repeat that common note in one upper voice, and move the other two upper voice notes down. See the fourth and fifth bars of my examples.
Another way to manage this progression moves all the upper voices in the same direction as the bass to the next nearest note of the next chord, not repeating or tying any notes (some notes will move by a second, some by a third). See the sixth bar. This version is weaker because all voices move in the same direction.
DOWN BY A FOURTH
When C moves up by a fifth, it goes to G. When if moves down by a fourth, it also goes to G. Though the bass melodies are different, the exact same harmonies are used and thus the same procedure as up by a fifth applies.
The difference is that now the second approach, where no voice is repeated or tied, is actually stronger because all of the voices are moving upwards, contrary to the bass. Bars 7 and 8 show this. Bars 9 and 10 mix down by fourth and up by fifth in both versions.
DOWN BY FIFTH, UP BY FOURTH
After you have learned all of the preceding progressions and have fused them to your very soul, these should be easy. Simply move the upper voices in the opposite direction of down by fourth and up by fifth. In this way, in the version where all upper voices move, they will move down. In the version where only two voices moved by step, they will now move up.
Bars 11 through 14 show all these possibilities. Bars 15 through 16 show a mix of all eight progression you can now handle. If followed correctly, these should not create parallel fifths.
DOWN or UP BY THIRD
In these cases two notes will be shared in the upper voices. For example, C mjaor and E minor share both E and G. Those notes should be tied or repeated in the upper voices. One note of the upper voice will move by step contrary (in the opposite direction) to the bass. See bars 17 and 18.
DOWN or UP BY SIXTH.
Same as with thirds, only that the one moving voice goes in the same direction as the bass.
DOWN OR UP BY SECOND
In this case the upper voices will all move contrary to the bass, some by third and some by step, since there are no common notes. Make sure the following chord is in root position with a doubled root! See bars 19 through 21.
Now you know how to move between any two chords in root position with root doubled. This is 80% of what you will ever learn and use with harmony, so make sure you know it perfectly. Know each one of these by heart. That will take lots of writing, and using them every day. Because of this I am posting lots and lots of exercises. They wont even be close to enough! These progressions MUST be learned.
Remember, only root position, root doubled. Always use proper spacing. For now, never use the vii* chord. Also, please save minor for tomorrow after the lesson about harmonic functions.
I will post exercises in a few minutes; please don't try any of these until then.
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DNSIHSXPI
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