Aspiring Composer Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 On 3/16/2019 at 5:08 PM, Polaris said: it gets much of its apparent coherency by arbitrarily labeling some harmonies in a piece of music while ignoring others that either don't have labels or simply don't fit the theory I don't think so, would you please give some examples of harmonies that you think it can't explain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted March 18, 2019 Author Share Posted March 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Ali Jafari said: I don't think so, would you please give some examples of harmonies that you think it can't explain? I don't really see harmonic theory as explanatory. To me, it's just a set of labels to apply to different chords in the music. The thing is, a lot of harmonies don't get labeled by it. They're discarded as passing chords and the like. And then, after these harmonies are passed over by the theorist--and only then--he can claim that the progression follows certain rules. These rules have been recorded in a kind of flow chart for the composer to follow. But there is almost no composer who has ever followed these flow charts except if you arbitrarily cut out segments of their music. I've actually seen an ascending minor scale in which every note appeared get labeled as a V. There is a V in there somewhere. And then it was followed, some time later, by a scale degree I in the analysis. This is where the guidelines fall apart. If you can say that a V-I occurred by virtue of cutting some notes out, you can just as easily cut out a different set of notes and say that a progression from something else to I occurred. Of course, it has a great deal to do with how prominently featured the V notes were. They might have occurred on strong beats, for example, with non-V notes occurring on weak beats. That doesn't mean the other notes weren't there, though. And what is more, these other notes have an impact on the musical progression as surely as anything else. They might feature a later repeated motif, or, in light of them, the composer might wish to choose a different harmony to follow the "V" than he otherwise would have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspiring Composer Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 16 hours ago, Polaris said: These rules have been recorded in a kind of flow chart for the composer to follow. Not really. As Schoenberg says, they aren't even strict rules, but some guidelines that can be used to create certain effects. 16 hours ago, Polaris said: there is almost no composer who has ever followed these flow charts except if you arbitrarily cut out segments of their music. I don't think so, I can hear certain progressions in many works of the classical repertoire. And chords are definitely used by every composer that I know. 16 hours ago, Polaris said: I've actually seen an ascending minor scale in which every note appeared get labeled as a V Would you please post it here too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 On 3/19/2019 at 5:18 AM, Ali Jafari said: Not really. As Schoenberg says, they aren't even strict rules, but some guidelines that can be used to create certain effects. I don't think so, I can hear certain progressions in many works of the classical repertoire. And chords are definitely used by every composer that I know. Would you please post it here too? All I remember is that it was a Youtube analysis of a piece by Bach. I saw it a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted April 18, 2019 Author Share Posted April 18, 2019 I've totally changed my approach to composition, and I think my music has greatly benefited. As proof, here is another pair of canons. One is the upside down version of the other: 've tot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted April 19, 2019 Author Share Posted April 19, 2019 I changed the instruments to ones with less reverb, and they sound clearer now: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted April 21, 2019 Author Share Posted April 21, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) I've written such dreadful canons--most of which have been deleted. Anyway, here's something I just finished: Edited June 8, 2019 by Polaris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 I wrote this pair of short pieces earlier today: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 Another short musical composition of mine: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 Another composition of mine: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 There was one little note that was bothering me. Here's the improved version: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 10, 2019 Author Share Posted June 10, 2019 In my never-ending quest for musical perfection, here is improvement number three: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 A canon I just wrote: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 I've improved since the last time I posted. Here's a harmonization I did of a short melody called An Choisir: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Another short melody that I've harmonized: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Here's a much clearer version of An Gabhran as harmonized by me: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 9, 2019 Author Share Posted August 9, 2019 All of today's harmonizations: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 I put a little bit of extra effort into this harmonization. It's my best one yet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 Another short harmonization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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