what is linear harmony?

Hi,

I've been doing some music theory study and have come across something called linear harmony. I have yet to find any easy explanations as to what it is. So, please, if anybody knows what linear harmony is, please explain basically what it is.

Also to sneak in another question, how does it relate to linear chromatic chords?

Thanks very much in advance!!

I've rarely come across the term "linear harmony," but I imagine it's a chord progression that moves by step in one or more voices. Have you ever heard of "maximally smooth voice leading?" That's where one voice moves by semitone while all others remain stationary. That would be a type of linear harmony. I think "linear harmony" pops up in Schenkerian analysis in a different way, though...

There's a book by Bill Dobbins called Jazz Arranging and Composing: A Linear Approach that talks about harmonization in mostly a stepwise format.

A quick google showed something where the voice leading overrides the functional harmony.

This link might help: http://www.harmony.org.uk/book/linear_progressions.htm

See how it's a I-V-IV-I in the harmony, but it's really chromatic (ie static, without a cadential function) because of the bass movement. The jazz references seem to come from the technique's use in jazz to offer more harmonic movement in the chords.

Never heard the term before, just seems like naming a specific way to be tricky.

Thanks for the help, guys. Glad to know I'm not alone in never hearing about linear harmony. Can't say I fully understand it yet but I will look further into it. I will peruse your links and references.

Looks like a Schenkerian term... No wonder why so few know about it.

I don't know if its related but I've heard of the term "linear cadence".  In a linear cadence the final cadential chord is approached by step-wise/scalar fashion and sometimes chromatically like at the end of Bartok's Music for String, Percussion and Celeste first movement where the final A is approached by leading tone both from above (Bb) and below (G#).

@PaperComposer

In contemporary music Linear Harmony deals with the treatment of dissonance from the harmonic point of view. That is to say, how to use dissonant chords in a consonant environment. Of course it had been use before but was established in the 20th century.

One example is a progression built on steps (tone, semitone) harmonizing a fixed pitch.

Linear Harmony takes the chords not as vertical products but as melodic lines.

One little example uploaded.

52 minutes ago, Luis Hernández said:

@PaperComposer

In contemporary music Linear Harmony deals with the treatment of dissonance from the harmonic point of view. That is to say, how to use dissonant chords in a consonant environment. Of course it had been use before but was established in the 20th century.

One example is a progression built on steps (tone, semitone) harmonizing a fixed pitch.

Linear Harmony takes the chords not as vertical products but as melodic lines.

 

 

 

That's useful to know. Never thought of it like that. Always talked about using CPP principles...

@Luis Hernández I like this piece a lot!  Well done!  The harmony is functional still - it abounds in tritone substitutions.  It sounds great!  The name "Motiveless" seems to be a misnomer here as there are certainly motives in this piece!

14 minutes ago, PaperComposer said:

@Luis Hernández I like this piece a lot!  Well done!  The harmony is functional still - it abounds in tritone substitutions.  It sounds great!  The name "Motiveless" seems to be a misnomer here as there are certainly motives in this piece!

 

Thanks, it was just an example for linear harmony.