Category: Theory
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Seventh Chords
Common Seventh Chords Seventh chords are named by the quality of the triad and the quality from the root to the seventh. Major-major seventh MM7 Major triad + major seventh Major-minor seventh Mm7 Major triad + minor seventh Minor-minor seventh mm7 Minor triad + minor seventh Minor-major seventh mM7 Minor triad + major seventh Other…
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Part Writing with Dominant and Leading Tone Sevenths
Review Seventh Chords Review the fundamentals of seventh chords. Make sure you understand qualities, naming conventions, and inversions. Structure of Dominant Sevenths Dominant Seventh chords are major-minor type seventh chords (Mm7). In a major key, the only diatonic occurrence of a Mm7 is on the 5th scale degree, hence the name ‘dominant’ seventh. Another way…
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Part Writing Guidelines
Stay within the range. Favor stepwise motion. Avoid melodic A2, A4, d5. No more than an octave between S+A, A+T. If the bass voice is below C3, place the tenor above E3. Avoid consecutive P5 and P8. Double the bass note unless it is a sensitive chord tone. Move soprano and bass voices in contrary…
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Part Writing Triads in Inversion
Why Inversions? Vary the sound of harmonies. Vary the harmonic “weight” of chord resolutions. Reduce the “clunkiness” of the bass line and improve voice leading. First Inversion Doubling In major and minor triads, double any voice except sensitive tones (leading tone, altered tones). This is almost always a doubled bass or soprano voice. Consider the…
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Minor
Minor vs. Major Every major scale has a relative minor that begins on the 6th scale degree. Note that minor keys are represented by lower case letters. “Minor” is not the same thing as Aeolian mode. There is different chromatic content and a different “sound.” Parallel 9-Tone Minor 13 Triads Produced Minor offers many more…
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Intervals
Interval – the distance between two points of sound We use numbers that represent the quantity of letter names in the sequential NMA that the interval encompasses: The number is the same whether ascending or descending. Drawing Interval Circles Interval circles are a clear way to visually represent diatonic interval relationships Prime Circles Seconds Place…
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Fundamentals
Points of Sound Construction The distance between each line is called a semitone. 12 semitones=one octave Interval-the distance between two points of sound Intervals Two Smallest Smallest: Distance from one point to the next immediate point (right or left) Names: semitone, half-step,minor second Next Smallest: Distance from point point to the 2nd closest point (right or left)…
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Standard Notation
The Staff Staff-system of visually organizing musical pitch using lines and spaces Plural-staves Made up of 5 lines and 4 spaces. Compare to the human hand – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guidonian_hand Lines and spaces are numbered from the bottom to the top. Measure Lines Measure Lines(barlines)-Vertical lines dividing the staff into ‘measured’ units Different weights have different meanings. Note…
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The Chorale: Part 2
Root Position Chord Movements in Seconds Chords that are a second apart share no common tones. Doubling The bass voice should be doubled in root position whenever possible to provide the most harmonic stability. If the bass cannot be double for a valid harmonic reason, doubling the third of the chord is the next most…
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The Chorale: Part 1
The Chorale A chorale is a Lutheran hymn. During the Protestant Reformation, the break with the Catholic church created a need for “new” musical material to perform during church services. In the 17th century, these melodies were arranged into 4-part polyphonic works. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was among the most prolific composers of these harmonizations. Bach…
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