harmony

iam new to creationg harmony.. what is the real base for a harmony?

This is quite a philosophical subject (if you're looking for why it is). Western harmony evolved over centuries. Traditional harmony, as taught by the academies, is fraught with rules but things changed toward the end of the 19th century. These rules are no bad thing to know about. If nothing more they increase composers' awareness of what they're doing. They are good guidelines but composition-wise they are rather limiting.

As to the base of harmony - there are several ways to answer this question so expect a few! Musically, western harmony is based on the idea of scale and key and dividing the octave into 12 intervals (which usually evokes discussion on the ups and downs of 'equal temperament').

M

Here is a good basis of Harmony

Species Counterpoint

Study that and apply it in some excercises and you should do well, provided you have

the natural gift to compose.

Jeremy

Harmony is the basis of all music that is around today. My personal opinion is that harmony is essential to being a composer.

harmony is a product of multiple lines moving in the horizonatal domain.

renneisance polyphony is the grandfather of all harmony.

it just took music theorists and composers along time to realize that.

music is NOT a vertical phenomenon,it is a horizontal one.

it just happens to coincide with other horizontal voices that are above and below its pitch.

even in homophonic music the horizontal forces of the line are driven by dissonance,even though there is very little melodic independance.

the purpose of harmony in homophonic music is to add depth to the principle voice and either provide tonal and harmonic clarity or confusion and every subtle hue in bettween.

the principle of harmony in polyphonic music is to marry the independant lines of the melodies to a intelligable whole.

when two lines of melody meet and are sounded together they need to form a harmonic clarity so as not to interfere with each other.

when you can control the vertical lines you can bring in dissonace in places for a stunning artistic effect.

harmony is a product of multiple lines moving in the horizonatal domain.

music is NOT a vertical phenomenon,it is a horizontal one.

I think these are two potentially missleading perceptions. Regarding the first, harmony is the result of simultaneous occurances. If I play two notes simutaneously, and nothing else, I have created harmony. Other than the sustained quality of what I have played, there is very little horizontal about it.

Regarding the second, music IS the confluence of many elements, of which vertical structures are potentially (though not neccessarily) an important component. In other words, music is both horizontal and vertical, and I wager there are those who would invoke even more dimensions when describing its aspects.

you have a good point lightwing.

but there really is no music in just a single articulated interval or chord.

sure there is harmony present and yes it is vertical but music is not music until it is juxtaposed with another musical articulation following the first.

and as soon as you play the second chord ,note etc you put a melodic relationship in motion that seeks resolution and that is stricktly horizontal.

even if you just juxtapose a string of chords one after the other the complex frequencies that exist bettween the chords alwys seek the more simple ones and this is the driving element in music.(the dissonance).

it is imposible to juxtapose 2 chords and not produce a dissonant interval wedged inbetween them, and while the disonance is present there will always be a horizontal urge toward connsonace.

it is the engine which drives all musicall phenomena

the only time that you can say music is vertical is at the cadence because all melodic tendancy has been extigushed and there is not tendance for forward movment.

Harmony is when it feels