SATB Aanlysis

Done with my SATB arrangement, I'd love to hear your feedback

I'd like to experiment with writing something more "vocal", and I think this might be a good piece to start with. 

Hi @GospelPiano12,

I like those suspensions you used! Also I like your spiritual style.

I think the parallel octave in the end og b.1 btw T and B and parallel fifth in b.3 btw S and T can be changed but as your style is not traditional SATB so it can be retained.

It seems there are more notes in your audio than the pdf. It seems in b.3 and 4 the piano and voices don't match but it can be an illusion.

Thanks for sharing Gospel!

Henry

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hi @GospelPiano12,

I like those suspensions you used! Also I like your spiritual style.

Thank you, my theory teacher writes a lot of atonal music and uses lots of suspensions in his writing to kind of play with tonality. 

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hi @GospelPiano12 

I think the parallel octave in the end og b.1 btw T and B and parallel fifth in b.3 btw S and T can be changed but as your style is not traditional SATB so it can be retained.

Thank you for pointing that out, I wouldn't have noticed😂

Not sure how I'll adjust b.1, but I'll fix the parallel octave between b.1 & b.2 with a 9-8 suspension in the tenor in b.2 on the first beat. 

How would you suggest correcting my parallel octave in b.3 since I need to resolve the 7th from beat two and have that 3rd for my Gm7 chord...🤔

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

It seems there are more notes in your audio than the pdf. It seems in b.3 and 4 the piano and voices don't match but it can be an illusion.

It might seem that way because of the "swing bass" used in the bass part.  Gives the music a "rocking-chair" rhythm, so you might hear it on the weak beats of the measure. 

34 minutes ago, GospelPiano12 said:

How would you suggest correcting my parallel octave in b.3 since I need to resolve the 7th from beat two and have that 3rd for my Gm7 chord...🤔

I may have the tenor have the suspension to have C-A-Bb in the rhythm of quaver-quaver-crotchet. Some strict theorist maintain that the suspension cannot cancel the parallel effect but I think it's OK here. For me you don't have to afraid of the absence of 3rd there if there's a suspension that will be resolved to a 3rd of the chord.

Henry

41 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I may have the tenor have the suspension to have C-A-Bb in the rhythm of quaver-quaver-crotchet. Some strict theorist maintain that the suspension cannot cancel the parallel effect but I think it's OK here. For me you don't have to afraid of the absence of 3rd there if there's a suspension that will be resolved to a 3rd of the chord.

Henry

 

Okay, I'll try that

I wrote this SATB hymn, can I get some feedback on my parts?

Hey @GospelPiano12,

For me to begin the first chord with a iii6 (or I64 without a tonic) seems less firm. Maybe just a V or V7 chord will be great? I love your progression in b.5-8! There's parallel octaves but obviously they don't affect much since this is not in a strict style.

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

1 minute ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hey @GospelPiano12,

For me to begin the first chord with a iii6 (or I64 without a tonic) seems less firm. Maybe just a V or V7 chord will be great? I love your progression in b.5-8! There's parallel octaves but obviously they don't affect much since this is not in a strict style.

Thanks for sharing!

Henry

 

Thank you for your feedback, any thoughts on my parts throughout?

I'd like to correct any parallel intervals

5 minutes ago, GospelPiano12 said:

any thoughts on my parts throughout?

For me the parts except the soprano are not moving as they often just stay static, particularly for the bass since most of your chords are in root position, and hence the bass is just singing the bass note of a chord can be boring, and makes the music less moving.

21 minutes ago, GospelPiano12 said:

I'd like to correct any parallel intervals

At the beginning there's a parallel 8ve btw A and B, and in b.5 a parallel 8ve between S and T. But for me they don't really affect the score much!

Henry

12 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

For me the parts except the soprano are not moving as they often just stay static, particularly for the bass since most of your chords are in root position, and hence the bass is just singing the bass note of a chord can be boring, and makes the music less moving.

At the beginning there's a parallel 8ve btw A and B, and in b.5 a parallel 8ve between S and T. But for me they don't really affect the score much!

Henry

 

How could I add more interest?

Yes, I noticed that. I was thinking of having all parts in unison on the upbeat (pickup) and having them split into parts on the downbeat.

1 hour ago, GospelPiano12 said:

How could I add more interest?

The chord progression themselves are interesting, since here you are using the circle of fifth which is good, but it seems more like a piano accompaniment rather than a SATB for four independent voices! I as a bass player hate singing the root of a chord all the time as it's boring.

For me you can change some of the chords to first and second inversions. You can have it more moving by feeling the gaps between the root position of the chords too, e.g. b.6 from G to C you can have G-Ab-Bb-C instead, and the dissonance adds more colour to the music for me.

Henry

On 6/6/2023 at 2:09 AM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

The chord progression themselves are interesting, since here you are using the circle of fifth which is good, but it seems more like a piano accompaniment rather than a SATB for four independent voices! I as a bass player hate singing the root of a chord all the time as it's boring.

For me you can change some of the chords to first and second inversions. You can have it more moving by feeling the gaps between the root position of the chords too, e.g. b.6 from G to C you can have G-Ab-Bb-C instead, and the dissonance adds more colour to the music for me.

Henry

 

Well, the arrangements that I write are considered SATB b/c of how I use voice leading and part writing rules, but they're played by instrumental ensemble who are playing in concert key and/or transposing. So I use the SATB writing rules, but they're not meant to be sung by a choir. 

9 hours ago, GospelPiano12 said:

Well, the arrangements that I write are considered SATB b/c of how I use voice leading and part writing rules, but they're played by instrumental ensemble who are playing in concert key and/or transposing. So I use the SATB writing rules, but they're not meant to be sung by a choir. 

Well if it's for instrumental then I think it will be fine, since I'm tired of singing boring bass notes for poor bass writing sometimes! I used to be a bass II in my choir and usually the bass is funny since the melody keeps moving, and so even we are singing accompaniments it's still interesting while we are supporting the bassline of the choir.

Henry

Is that contrary motion okay in my tenor line? From the Bb7-Gm 

18 minutes ago, GospelPiano12 said:

Is that contrary motion okay in my tenor line? From the Bb7-Gm 

Yeah that's definitely ok if not good! I always love contrary motion of ^1-2-3 with ^3-2-1. Just make sure not all the parts are homorhythmic will be great!

Henry

6 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Yeah that's definitely ok if not good! I always love contrary motion of ^1-2-3 with ^3-2-1. Just make sure not all the parts are homorhythmic will be great!

Henry

 

What do you mean by homorhythmic? 

How would it be 1-2-3 or 3-2-1? Wouldn't it be 2-3-4 (Soprano) against the 4-3-2 (Tenor)?

Just now, GospelPiano12 said:

How would it be 1-2-3 or 3-2-1? Wouldn't it be 2-3-4 (Soprano) against the 4-3-2 (Tenor)?

It's just the same for me haha!

1 minute ago, GospelPiano12 said:

What do you mean by homorhythmic? 

I mean the rhythm are the same in all the parts without some voices moving in different rhythm.

1 minute ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

It's just the same for me haha!

I mean the rhythm are the same in all the parts without some voices moving in different rhythm.

 

Ohhh okay, yeah that makes sense. The tenor line is moving, while the other parts, alto and bass are staying

I like the boost the chromatic baseline gives that phrase

6 hours ago, GospelPiano12 said:

I like the boost the chromatic baseline gives that phrase

 

Alto on "so" should be a D

Hey @GospelPiano12,

Yup I like that faxbourdon texture in the top three voices! The chromatic bassline is more interesting now for the harmony and the bass! For me I would still prevent the over-chordal texture tho by having some voice moving in different rhythm.

Henry

6 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hey @GospelPiano12,

Yup I like that faxbourdon texture in the top three voices! The chromatic bassline is more interesting now for the harmony and the bass! For me I would still prevent the over-chordal texture tho by having some voice moving in different rhythm.

Henry

 

What is faxbourbon? 

I was a little worried my B°7 chord would be a little too much excitement there, but I like it. I think playing with dynamics would take some of the edge off the diminished chord. 

In Britannica, faxbourdon is "produced by three voices proceeding primarily in parallel motion in intervals corresponding to the first inversion of the triad."

I like that B diminished 7th chord!