Edly’s
forMusic TheoryPractical People
revised & expanded third edition PDF
Over 60,000 copies in print!
by Ed Rosemanillustrations by Peter Reynolds
So unusual and fun, even an ex-grad student can get excited…. could make all the difference to
the student whose eyes glaze over at the mention of theory.
Ernie RideoutKeyboard Magazine
Sample
Some Comments from Practical People“The unusualness of this book, as a scholarly resource, starts at the cover. Inside, whimsical humor, back porch sensibility and legitimate academia blend together to produce an effect similar to being at a wild costume party and having your closest friends dressed as Smurfs, endeavoring to teach you music theory. That is, if they were actually qualified to teach music theory and were actually really smart. ¶ This is the first theory book I’ve ever seen that is written like the author knows that we are not all born knowing this stuff and that we are not to be treated like we are idiots for not knowing it. The tone is relaxed but efficient. The author seems really keen to share his information and is very, very respectful of the learner. ¶ It’s all presented as “applied” theory rather than the “stare into a book and watch yourself become compost” kind of music theory we’ve all seen—an especially good read for those who gave up on theory because they figured it was too dreadful, but need it desperately to progress with their song craft and musicianship. This book completely delivers on all counts to every kind of learner or anti-learner of music theory. ¶ You just have to love an academic theory text whose author recommends it for bathroom reading.” ~James Linderman, Berkleemusic Ambassador, The Muse’s Muse
“Concise and easy to understand… an excellent book for musicians interested in the theory behind both jazz and pop music.” ~Jamey Aebersold, renowned music publisher, educator, performer, and free throw shooter
“What a cool theory book… it rocks! Now I don’t dread lesson planning for my music theory class. Thanks for the accessible explanations and humor!” ~Lisa Palumbo, high school choir director & theory/appreciation instructor
“A great introduction to theory, especially for jazz musicians, Edly’s also goes beyond the basics to cover most of what a working musician needs to know.” ~Marc Sabatella, author of A Jazz Improvisation Primer
“A light-hearted yet no-nonsense approach to a subject that often plagues music hobbyist and professional alike. This book proves that music theory doesn’t have to be a hair-pulling, nail-biting experience; it can actually be fun!” ~Sheet Music Magazine
“Your book is the bomb. You’ve written a really fun and effective source for teaching music to any type of folk. It’s unusual to find a book so insightful, well-organized, deep, and user-friendly all in one package, dude! The way you deal with fundamentals is penetrating—almost like a meditation. The enthusiasm is infectious. I laughed when you told me to put it in the loo, but I can see why you suggested it: it’s fun to read.” ~Josh Roseman, trombonist, recording artist… and Edly’s cousin
“I read chunks of your book on a flight last week. I found myself hoping the return flight would be delayed, so I could spend more uninterrupted time in the airport reading it.” ~Shelley Cryan
“A thorough and entertaining guide to jazz theory.” ~Scott Reeves, Director of Jazz Studies, University of Southern Maine
“Edly’s teaches musical literacy in plain language, a step at a time. Veterans of college music theory courses will find Roseman’s approach disarmingly frank and refreshingly irreverent. Underlying the banter is plenty of solid information and down-to-earth advice… helpful rules of thumb abound. …a highly useful contribution to the literature.” ~Nick Humez, Maine Sunday Telegram
“The breezy, humorous approach and whimsical cartoons add to the book’s appeal.” ~the Instrumentalist magazine
7 Chapter 1Ω The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic7 Chapter 1Ω The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic
The (Natural) Musical AlphabetThe musical alphabet has seven letters, A through G, as opposed to the English alphabet’s twenty-six. Unlike the English alphabet, though, the musical alphabet has no real beginning or end. It goes forwards as it ascends: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, etc., and backwards as it descends: D, C, B, A, G, F, E, D, C, and so on. Notice that it can start on any note. These notes are all natural (˜), by the way, meaning neither sharp (Í) nor flat (ı).
Natural notes are only part of the story of the musical alphabet, though. Let’s agree on some vocabulary so we can sanely discuss the chromatic scale.
Half-Steps, Whole-Steps, and OctavesPitch is how high or low a note is. A high note is high in pitch. A low note is low in pitch.
Half-step: The distance from a note to the next closest note (regardless of whether either note is sharp, natural, or flat) is a half-step.
Whole-step: Two half-steps form a whole-step. Half-steps and whole-steps are the basic building blocks of all musical structures.
Octave: An octave is the distance from a note to the next higher or lower occurrence of that note, for example A to A, or Eı to Eı.1 There are twelve half-steps in an octave. I hear you protest, “But ‘oct’ means eight, not twelve!” Ah, but we are both right. There are, sure enough, eight notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A) in an octave, if you only count each letter (whether sharp, natural, or flat) of the musical alphabet.
1 Made you look! Here’s a more technical definition: The higher a note, the faster its sound wave vibrates. The lower a note, the slower it vibrates. Notes an octave apart vibrate in a ratio of 2:1. That is, a note vibrates twice as fast as the note an octave lower. For example, the A above middle C vibrates 440 times per second. The A below middle C vibrates 220 times per second.
1The Musical Alphabets:Natural & Chromatic
8 Chapter 1Ω The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic
On a piano, from any note to the next closest note (black or white key, whichever is closer) is a half-step. On fretted instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, or banjo, from one fret to the next (on the same string) is also a half-step. Take a look at the following diagram of the piano keyboard, guitar and mandolin fretboards, and violin fingerboard (fiddlers, ignore the frets). Only the natural notes are listed on the fretboards.
D
E
F
G
A
BC
CÍ DÍ FÍGı Aı
GÍ AÍDı BıEı
G AFED BC
D
G
A
B
C
D
E
B
C
D
EF
G
A
B
E
F
G
A
Guitar
Piano
Mandolin
B
C
D
E
F
G
nutB
C
D
E
F
G
A
AE
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
open strings
B
A
C
D
E
F
G
A
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
E
Guitar, Piano, & Mandolin (& Fretted Violin)
Notice that the pattern formed by these natural notes is irregular on all three instruments. On the guitar and mandolin, the pairs E and F and B and C are always only one fret away from each other, whereas all the other notes are two frets away from their closest neighbor. It turns out that the blank frets are sharp (or flat) notes.
You can see the same thing on the piano: Every pair of white keys has a black key in between, again except between B and C, and between E and F. The white keys are natural notes, and the black keys are sharps and flats. This is how the piano got its zebra pattern of alternating groups of two and three black keys.
Regardless of instrument, adding the sharps and flats to the natural notes gives us the complete chromatic alphabet.
Accidentals, including sharps (Í), flats (ı), and naturals (˜), as well as the less common double sharps (ß) and double flats (∫), raise or lower notes’ pitches. Sharps raise the pitch of a natural note by a half-step. Flats lower the pitch of a natural note by a half-step. Double sharps raise and double flats lower the pitch of a natural note by a whole step. Naturals cancel out other accidentals.
Got all that? If not, take a deep breath and read it once more. Or read this: Accidentals, like accidents, are something unexpected which happen to a note, as in: “Well look here: a sharp! I guess that makes the note a half-step higher.” Feel better now? Good.
Guitar Mandolin
Piano
9 Chapter 1Ω The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic
The Importance of Scales: A Pep Talk
What is a scale, and how are scales made? Good questions! A scale is a collection of notes in a specific pattern, beginning on a note (the tonic), and ending on the same
note an octave higher or lower (from A to A, or from CÍ to CÍ, for example). The type of scale dictates the pattern—or vice versa. Most scales consist of half-steps and whole-steps, although some scales also include intervals2 of a step-and-a-half. Fewer still include inter-vals of two whole-steps (or four half-steps), nestled somewhere within the scale.
Why learn about scales? They’re important for many reasons. Melodies are made up of fragmented scales, and/or chords. Chords are derived from them. Thinking in terms of
scales gives a musician a bird’s-eye view of music, making it easier to see the whole, rather than thinking of music as a succession of random notes. When you understand scales, you gain access to a system of thinking of notes in groups, instead of individually. You can then package seven notes as one unit (a scale) instead of seven separate elements. That’s seven times less information to keep track of. This is analogous to carrying a dozen eggs instead of twelve individual eggs. Eggs are notes. Dozens are scales.
The Chromatic Scale
Why: You need to understand the chromatic scale in order to understand just about ev-erything else in music.
What: The chromatic scale includes all of the notes (flat, natural, and sharp) of the mu-sical alphabet. In fact, it is the musical alphabet. It starts on any note and goes up (or
down) an octave (from A to A, or from CÍ to CÍ, for example) in half-steps. Here’s the crux of the chromatic scale:
There is a note in between every natural note of the musical alphabet except between B and C, and E and F. Each of these “in between” notes can be expressed either as a sharp or a flat. There is no note—sharp, flat, or natural—between B and C, or between E and F. Here is an ascending chromatic scale from A to A. The notes that are separated by the word “or” are actually the same note—but with two different names.
A AÍ or Bı B C CÍ or Dı D DÍ or Eı E F FÍ or Gı G GÍ or Aı A
Here is a descending chromatic scale from A to A.
A Aı or GÍ G Gı or FÍ F E Eı or DÍ D Dı or CÍ C B Bı or AÍ A
Different names for the same note are enharmonic—AÍ and Bı, for example. Think of them as musical homonyms—they sound the same, yet are spelled differently. Calling a note by one or another enharmonic name doesn’t change the sound of the note, but there are situations in which it is correct to “spell” the note one way rather than the other.
2 An interval is the distance between two notes.
10 Chapter 1Ω The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic
Speaking of spelling, a more concise way of using accidentals with the chromatic scale is to separate the enharmonics and use sharps when ascending and flats when descending. ˝
Here again is a chromatic scale from A to A and back using that approach:
A AÍ B C CÍ D DÍ E F FÍ G GÍ A Aı G Gı F E Eı D Dı C B Bı A
========================& «««« #«««« »»»» »»»» # »»»» »»»» # »»»» »»»» »»»» # »»»» »»»» # »»»» _»»»» b_»»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» »»»» b »»»» ««««========================? «««« #«««« «««« «««« #«««« »»»» # »»»» »»»» »»»» # »»»» »»»» # »»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» »»»» b »»»» »»»» b »»»» «««« «««« b«««« ««««llll ”
”””Chromatic Scale from A to A
You need to understand the chromatic scale in order to understand
just about everything else in music.
Before moving on, make sure you’ve got this: Every natural note is separated from its next-door natural neighbor by a whole-step, except the pairs B and C, and E and F, which are separated by half-steps. The chromatic scale is made only of half-steps. There is no note, sharp, flat, or natural, in between B and C, or in between E and F. From B to C is a half-step, and from E to F is a half-step. If you’ve got all that, then read on.
11 Chapter 2Ω The Major Scale11 Chapter 2Ω The Major Scale
You are now ready to build a major scale upon your solid chromatic foundation. Whether or not you’re aware of it, you are surely already very familiar with the major scale.
Why: The major scale ˝ (good ol’ do re mi fa sol la ti do) is particularly important in Western music. In fact, much of Western music is based upon it. Try singing it out
loud. Chances are good that if you can hold a tune at all, you can sing a major scale. Now try it starting on a lower or higher note. Chances are again good that your ear helped you sing the new major scale correctly. Assuming you were able to sing both scales correctly, the reason that they both sounded like major scales was that you maintained the relation-ships between the notes of the scale. Without your consciously being aware of it, your ear followed the formula of what makes a major scale.
Yes indeed, there is a formula.
ßÍ=================& _«««« «««« «««« «««« «««« «««
« »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» «««« «««« «««« «««« «««« _««««=================? «««« »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»»
»»»» _»»»» _»»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» »»»» ««««llll l
lll ””””
C Major Scale
If you sing but do not play an instrument, you may not need to know the formula. As soon as you begin playing an instrument, though, or if you want to be a musically literate singer, it becomes helpful to have a specific understanding of the pattern of the scale along with to (perhaps) being able to figure it out by ear. Fasten your seat belt; here comes the formula.
What: The major scale has eight notes—seven if you take into account that the first and eighth notes are the same note an octave apart. The musical alphabet goes “forward”
in an ascending scale, and “backward” in a descending scale, including any sharps and flats needed to make the proper intervals, according to this formula:
The major scale is constructed of whole-steps, except for between the third and fourth notes, and the seventh and eighth notes, which are half-steps.
If you’re able to sound out a major scale on your instrument, you’ll find that it does indeed follow this pattern.
2The Major Scale
12 Chapter 2Ω The Major Scale
Use the following guidelines to help you choose the correct enharmonics as you construct major scales.
Ω Never consecutively repeat a letter.
Ω Never skip a letter.
Ω Flats and sharps never mix in a major scale. Period. Exclamation point! A major scale can contain either flats or sharps, but not both.
Taken together, the first two guidelines mean that every letter (A through G) will be used exactly once, either as a natural, sharp, or flat—except the tonic (the scale’s home base), which will of course be used twice, at the beginning and end of the scale.
If that didn’t make it easy enough, just remember the half-step between notes 3 and 4. The other half-step (between notes 7 and 8) should take care of itself, because 8 is the same as 1, after all, and a scale must end on the same note with which it began.
For future reference, the three guidelines above don’t necessarily apply to other scales, such as artificial modes, the blues scale, etc. They sure do apply to major scales though.
Here are three major scales derived from a chromatic scale. I used my friend Carl Dimow’s teaching technique of lining up all the notes vertically to make it easier to see the intervals.
ChromatiC SCale Starting on C (with enharmoniCS)
C CÍ D DÍ E F FÍ G GÍ A AÍ B C CÍ D DÍ E
C Dı D Eı E F Gı G Aı A Bı B C Dı D Eı EC major SCale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) C D E F G A B C
D major SCale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8)
D E FÍ G A B CÍ D
eı major SCale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8)
Eı F G Aı Bı C D Eı
If you like this “whole-step place-holder” technique, try using a piece of scrap paper (with the chromatic scale at the top, if necessary) to scratch out some major scales. Then fill in the chart on the next page. Count the sharps or flats in each scale and write the total at the far right. Watch out, though: If the tonic of the scale is a flat or sharp note, be sure to count it only once, since 1 and 8 are both tonics, and are actually the same note separated by an octave. Right? Right!
It’s your turn now. Fill in the following charts, then see how you did by checking your work against the Answers section: Á
13 Chapter 2Ω The Major Scale
toniC 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) ıs/ÍsC D E F G A B C 0E 4 ÍsBıFA
EıBG
Dı
AıD
Major Scales
There is some additional information which I’ve withheld so far for the sake of simplicity. It concerns enharmonics and accidentals. You need this information in order to be able to complete the following four scales correctly. Here goes: Some of the natural notes can also be expressed as sharps and flats, as follows: C = BÍ, B = Cı, E = Fı, and F = EÍ. For example, just as an A note, when raised by a half-step, becomes an AÍ, a B note, when raised by a half-step, becomes a BÍ (which is the same as a C… but you already knew that). Keep in mind this new information and the three rules of major scale construction as you complete these scales: Á
toniC 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) ıs/Ís
FÍ
Gı
CÍ
CıMore Major Scales
It could be said that there is really only one major scale—eight notes separated by whole-steps, except half-steps in between the third and fourth and seventh and eighth notes. The actual notes in this one-and-only major scale are different, though, depending on the tonic. All of the major scales you’ve completed are really just different transpositions of that scale. You’ll be introduced more fully to transposition in Chapter 18.
14 Chapter 2Ω The Major Scale
Of the major scales you just constructed, three pairs should consist of identical notes, en-harmonically re-spelled. These scales are enharmonic. Can you find them?
Yes indeed, there is a formula.
Notice also that you can cross-check your scales as you once did (or were supposed to) your math homework. Compare the D and Dı scales, for instance. Every note in each scale should be a half-step away from the corresponding note in the other scale. Or compare the A and B scales. The corresponding notes should each be a whole-step apart.
Double Sharps and Double Flats But wait, there’s more!! You don’t necessarily need this information immediately, but you will eventually. If you understand what we’ve done so far, then you’re ready for double sharps (ß) and double flats (∫). Although potentially confusing at first, they’re not really that bad: Lower a natural note by two half-steps, and it becomes a double flat. Raise a natural note by two half-steps, and it becomes a double sharp. So, natural notes can also be written as double flats or double sharps. For example: A ∏ Aı ∏ A∫ (which is the same note as G). Easy! Conversely, raise a note by two half-steps, and it becomes a double sharp: F ∏ FÍ ∏ Fß (which is also the same note as G). Easy again!
But why bother, since naturals seem so much easier? Believe it or not, double sharps and flats (as well as enharmonics such as Cı and BÍ) actually make reading music easier (!) in some situations, by allowing the use of fewer other accidentals. Trust me. You won’t see double sharps and flats much unless you’re reading some fairly sophisticated music, so they may not be something that you’ll need any time soon. But when you do, you’ll already know about it, thanks to this humble page.
I’ll interrupt our regularly scheduled music theory for this personal note: Have you ever listened to Kurt Weill’s Second Symphony? It’s one of my favorite pieces in the world. On another note, listen for the sublime inter-play between the various instruments in the few seconds after the guitar solo on “Come Together” on the Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
Just wanted you to know.
21 Chapter 3Ω Major Keys & Key Signatures
Key Signature Memory Aids An aside: Honestly, I don’t much like memorization. Of course, there are some things that
must be memorized, but I believe “the less memorization, the better.” I’ll shut up about it in a second. First, though, I’ll echo my friend Tom: “Tools, not rules!” Hear, hear! I think of the system of keys as a tool that can help you become a better musician and read and understand music more easily, not as a collection of dead facts to be memorized as quickly as possible. I’d much prefer that you gradually become comfortable with the concepts from this chapter to this point than use the following memory aids. End of speech.
Having said that, here are some admittedly silly phrases which might help you remember the order of added sharps and flats in keys. I couldn’t even recite them for you because I don’t use them, because I know the notes themselves from having used them over the years. But hey, maybe you’re studying for a test next week, and have to commit them to memory fast… just don’t get them mixed up until you learn them for real. Even better, make up your own phrases. You’ll be much more likely to remember them.
By eating Alpo, Doris grew cat fur.
Sharps: FÍ, CÍ, GÍ, DÍ, AÍ, EÍ, BÍ or, if you’d prefer, For Cholesterol, Great Danes Always Eat Beets Fat Cats Give Dogs An Endless Battle For Christmas: Goose Down At Every Bed Fight Cancer: Get Down And Eat Boogers Foreign Currency Gives Dollars An Extra Boost Fred Caught Gail Drinking Ale: Evil Brew! Feed Cold Geese, Ducks, And Even Bears Father Carl Goes Down And Ends Battle
Flats: Bı, Eı, Aı, Dı, Gı, Cı, Fı or, if you’d prefer, By Eight, All Dates Get Cold Feet By Eating Ants, Dick Got Completely Fat Buy Ed’s Automatic Dynamic Growth Cow Feed By Eating Alpo, Doris Grew Cat Fur Buy Eight Apple Donuts; Get Coffee Free Battle Ends And Down Goes Carl’s Father
There are many other patterns embedded in scales and keys. The more you learn—and use what you learn, the more you’ll see… and the easier it’ll be to remember all of this.
24 Chapter 5Ω Chords: Triads24 Chapter 5Ω Chords: Triads
What is a chord? Ah, the good questions just keep a-comin’! A chord is a collection of three or more notes in a specific pattern of stacked intervals—usually thirds. In
twentieth century harmony, chords are also built of fourths, as well as other intervals—yup, almost anything goes these days! We will mostly stick to chords built in thirds, and begin with the simplest and smallest chords: triads. A triad is a three note chord.
How do chords differ from scales? They differ in several ways. First, the intervals which make up scales are mostly seconds, although some thirds creep in, depending on the
scale. Chords, on the other hand, are mostly made of thirds, as I said. Second, if you were to play an entire scale all at once on a piano, for instance, the sound would be very dense, to say the least. Chords, on the other hand, are very commonly played all at once, although they can be, and are, certainly also played one note at a time. (This is called arpeggiating a chord, or playing an arpeggio.) Lastly, and very importantly, chords are derived from scales, although it’s also possible to build chords by stacking intervals.
Overview of Basic Chord AnatomyChord names can be separated into two parts: the chord root, and the chord suffix. The root tells you what note the chord is built upon. Any note of the chromatic scale (natural, flat, or sharp) can be the root of a chord. The suffix tells you the chord quality or type. There are many types of chords. They include major, minor, seventh, major ninth, minor eleventh flat five, and many more. If a chord has no suffix, it is understood to be a major triad. That is, a chord is understood to be major unless something else is specified.
How: If you take the first, third, and fifth note of a major scale and stack them up, you get a major triad. Specifically, you get the major triad built on the first note of that scale: ˝
C major scale: C D E F G A B C C major chord: C E G 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 3 5
ßÍ=============& w_
1 2
««««3
w4 5
«««« w6 7
««««8
œ»»»» œ»»»» www_=============? w œ»»»» w œ»»»» w œ»»»» œ»»»» œ_»»»» wwwllll l
lll ””””
Deriving a C Chord from a C Major Scale
5Chords: Triads
65 Chapter 15Ω Interval Inversion65 Chapter 15Ω Interval Inversion
What happens when intervals stand on their heads? It’s inversion, just as it is when we stand on our heads! You see, intervals are people too.
Intervals that invert to each other share similar general sound characteristics. Oh, and intervals are people too.
How do you invert an interval? Just lower the top note by one octave, or raise the bot-tom note by one octave… the same interval results either way. The only difference is
that the resulting inverted interval will be an octave higher using the second method. For example, if we invert the perfect fifth of E up to B, we get the perfect fourth of B up to E: ˝
==========& ˙«««««« _«««««« ˙«««««« ˙»»»»»»==========? »»»»»» «««««« »»»»»»
__»»»»»»lllll l
llll ”””””
Interval Inversion
Whether or not you realize it, you’ve already had experience inverting intervals in Chapter 6. The thirds and sixths you used to harmonize a major scale are inversions of one another, as are the perfect fourths and perfect fifths in the example above.
Why bother learning about interval inversion? There are tons of reasons. Here are a couple: It’ll help you with ear-training. It’ll help your sight-reading. It’ll help your
sight-singing even if you’re not a singer. It’ll help you sing, play, and write harmonies. It’ll help your scale and key fluency, and help you get around on your instrument. The bottom line is that it’ll increase your understanding of music by adding yet another layer to your musical perspective. How’s that for starters?
Having ranted thus, I’ll attempt to balance things out by saying that you might not need interval inversion immediately. But learn it now, and it’ll share its gifts with you gradually as you study, play, and write music. Otherwise, skip this chapter and come back someday. When you need it, it’s here. Ain’t that sweet?
15Interval Inversion
85 Chapter 20Ω Tritone Substitution85 Chapter 20Ω Tritone Substitution
Who: This chapter is an absolute must for all you jazzers! The rest of you might find it interesting, too. It turns out that the tritone, maligned and os-
tracized for years, is vital to certain jazz chord progressions. Wheth-er you’ve known it or not, if you’ve listened to much jazz at all, you’ve heard the substitute V7 (affectionately known as the “sub five”) chord exert its strong magnetic pull. Stay tuned for the steamy story of the subV7 chord and tritone substitution.
The “Sub Five” chord
What: The subV7 chord is a dominant seventh chord that can substitute for (“sub” is short for “substitute”), or follow, the V7 chord. The subV7 chord is built on the note a
tritone away from the dominant, on the lowered second degree (ı2) of the key. It looks like, and in fact is, a ıII7. In the key of C, subV7 is Dı7, while V7 is, as you know, G7: ˝
ßÍ=======& wwww
V7G7
bwwb wbwDb7subV7
=======? wwww b w_wb wbwllll ”
”””
V7 & subV7 Chords in the Key of C
How does it work? Besides other intervals of varying interest, dominant seventh chords contain a tritone— from the third to the seventh. For example, a D7 chord (D, FÍ, A, C)
contains the tritone FÍ to C. ˝ The notes of that tritone are shared by two dominant seventh chords. They are D7 and… you tell me. This is because the interval of a tritone inverts to a tritone (see page 66). So, the tritone from the D7 chord inverts to the tritone C to FÍ. If you respell this “C to Gı,” and ask, “of what root are these the third and flat seventh,” the answer “Aı” will leap into your head—I hope. Indeed, Aı7 is the other dominant seventh chord containing this tritone.
The two previously mentioned dominant seventh chords are built on roots separated by—you guessed it—a tritone: D and Aı: ˝
20Tritone Substitution
133 Chapter 30Ω By Ear133 Chapter 30Ω By Ear
Why: Nothing can take the place of honest to goodness ear-training. Painters learn to see colors, shapes and shading more accurately. As a musician, it would be in your
best interest to learn to hear more accurately. You will then be able to play anything you hear—whether in your head, or with your ears—more quickly and easily.
What: Learn to hear music. That’s a good goal, wouldn’t you say? Learn to discern the sounds of different intervals, triads, modes, and rhythms. Work on your pitch memory
(the ability to remember and sing or play a note, chord, or whatever that you just heard). If you haven’t yet, go back to Chapter 16 and learn to hear intervals!
Okay, here are some ideas to help make figuring out music by ear a bit easier.
If you’re new to figuring out things by ear, start easy. If you can’t figure out the melody to simple songs like “Twinkle Twinkle” or “Silent Night,” chances are that you won’t be able to figure out something more sophisticated. Start with nursery rhymes, folk tunes, campfire songs, and other sing-alongs.
Melodies often begin, and usually end, on the tonic. If the one you’re working on doesn’t, can you identify an interval quality to the starting note?
Figure out the key the song is in, including whether it’s major or minor, sooner rather than later. It’ll help you with the rest of the process.
Pickup notes are often—not always—the fifth degree of the key.
Start by looking for the sure-to-show-up category of chords: If you did a survey of every piece of Western music ever written, whether classical, jazz, rock, folk, or whatever, I’d bet my earlobes that the very most common chords would be, in order: the I (tonic), the V (the dominant), the IV (the subdominant), the vim, and perhaps then the iim. From there, my crystal ball begins to get hazy. This isn’t just intellectual fun and games—the chords named above collectively make a good starting guess pool for novice ears and savvy seekers. I’d wager that this figures prominently in why some people “seem to know what chord is going to come next” in a jam, or when magically playing along with a song they’ve never heard before. They may have amazing ears, or they may also simply know where to look first. And knowing the right place to start your search sure speeds up the whole process, which is pretty relevant in the split-second game of responding to chord changes.
30By Ear
158 Chapter 34Ω Voice Leading
7->3 3->7
5R 5
RR5 R
5 139
913 9
13
73 7
3 73 7
337 3
773
HoFour Part Writing With Those Nasty Parallel Intervals Marked
Why the frown? For starters, the effect of parallel octaves is that of doubling one voice on separate octaves, rather than that of two separate voices. In other words, the effect is that of temporarily losing a voice, or at least its independence, such that four-part writing becomes three-part, at least for the moment. Does the musical earth stop turning? Not that I’m aware of, but nonetheless, being able to maximize your available voices is a worthwhile skill.
That wraps up parallel octaves. So, what do people have against parallel fifths? For starters, parallel fifths (and to a lesser extent, their inversion, fourths) have a distinct “parallel-fifthy” sound that was not to the taste of Baroque and subsequent composers. One view (mine, for one) is that they sounded too much like music from earlier periods that frequently used parallel fifths. The sound was no longer hip. So composers avoided them. And because of the far-reaching influence of chorale-style harmony, parallel fifths got codified, ossified, and otherwise etched in stone as something nobody should ever ever do. Many a harmony student still awakens in a cold sweat, wondering if there were any occurrences of forbidden parallel intervals in yesterday’s homework.
Well, a lot has happened since the days of Bach. What is hip today is a hip replacement to-morrow. What is unthinkable one day is common practice the next. As time passed, parallel intervals were joined by a grab bag of other previously untapped (and previously unthink-able) techniques—chromaticism, polytonality, and more. Hallelujah!
So, what are you to do? Well, speaking of voices, here’s mine calling to you: If you engage in casual harmony, relax. If, on the other hand, you’re a heavy harmony user, learn to har-monize in chorale style with no parallel fifths or octaves. It’s excellent discipline and it’s very valuable if you want to do much writing. Then write how you want. There are valid reasons to write harmony without using parallel fifths and octaves (including maximizing your available voices or writing in historically authentic ways), but “because parallel fifths sound bad,” isn’t among them. There. That ought to get me in trouble in some circles. But I would say those are some pretty square circles.
To close up shop on voice leading, let’s agree on this, at the very least: For most successful chord movement, all voices except bass and melody (if there is one) should move smoothly, unless you’re consciously choosing otherwise.
Live long and prosper. May your fifths and octaves be parallel when it suits you… and the style in which you’re writing.
167 Chapter 37Ω Reharmonization167 Chapter 37Ω Reharmonization
Now that I’ve introduced you to harmonic analysis, let me take you through a handful of reharmonizations that will use some of what you’ve learned thus far in the book.
What is reharmonization? In short, it’s a fancy term for chord substitution (and addi-tion), first introduced in Chapter 10 and taken further in Chapter 20. Here it is again,
taken yet further sixteen chapters later. It just won’t go away!
Who should read this? Well, you should, if you’re interested in putting your own slant on chord progressions.
How? Let’s take Henry Clay Work’s perennial chestnut “My Grandfather’s Clock,” and run it through some reharmonizations. That means taking the basic chords and substi-
tuting and adding chords where we like. Actually, it’ll be where I like, but that’s what you get for reading my book, see!? The song has survived since he wrote it in 1876, so I don’t think we can hurt it too badly by having some reharmonization fun at its expense, do you?
Why, you may ask, this particular song, instead of some much hipper jazz standard? Several reasons: most importantly, it’s an old favorite of mine. It makes me happy.
Second, and more seriously, a lot of people know this song, and those who don’t, should. I’m pleased to make the introductions. Third, and most relevant, this simple diatonic melo-dy works well with chord progressions ranging from very simple to rather involved. Lastly, this song is in the public domain, so I don’t have spend time jumping through the hoops necessary to get permission to use a copyrighted song. That’s time I can spend writing my book. And in my book, that’s time better spent.
But enough talk. Or better yet, enough tock—let’s tick. In a second, it’ll be time for you to set the time aside to spend a few minutes turning your hands to the minute details of a basic harmonization of “My Grandfather’s Clock.” Hopefully, it won’t drive you cuckoo. Let’s hear you chime in! Oh, let me be clearer: using the naked melody below, ˝ see if you can plug in I, IV, and V chords where they most want to go. Don’t be alarmed; it’s easy, although not so easy that you should hit the snooze button. So hurry; don’t waste a second. This song’s time is set to four-four o’clock. Welcome to my Clock Shop!
But seriously, try starting on the I chord and going from there, changing chords when you feel it’s time. If that’s turning out to be every beat, though, maybe consider cutting down on the espresso!
37Reharmonization
169 Chapter 37Ω Reharmonization
That last version was very nice. But let’s dress things up a bit more. This next version adds some nondiatonic chords, pedal tones,1 bass lines, and some more secondary dominants: ˝ (Now that the harmony is thicker, you might want to slow your tempo down to savor the sonorities and let the chords resonate.)
™™
1 2 3
1.
™™
4
82.
9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16
17
44
44
&#
2nd x:1st x:
CM7G/D D
D/CG9/DBm7
C/DCM7
CM7Am7
D/CD7
G/B Am7 D7
&# Em /D /Db /C Bm B7 Em Em/D C6 A7 D7 B7 Em /D# /D /C#
&#D11 D Gm6/D D7 CM7 D/C Dm/C CM7 Am7 D7 G Cm6 G
&#
3: Nondiatonic chords, pedal tones, bass lines, and more secondary dominants
∑
œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ
œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
˙ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ Œ ‰
4
Grandfather’s Clock 3
Notice, in bars 8 and 11, that the Em stays, and the bass note moves. That’s what the topless chord-over-bass-note slashes mean: keep using the same chord, but change the bass note.
Let’s go a step further. Here, I add sub fives, as well as secondary dominants, secondary diminished sevenths, and secondary two-fives, as well as some chromatic passing chords and more chromatic alteration of chords in general: ˝
™™
1 2 3
1.
™™
4
82.
9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16
17
44
44
&#
2nd x:1st x:
EmG
Dm7D#º7
G7 CM7Em7 A9
C#Ø7 Cm6Am7G/B
C#º7Bbº7
D7D7/A Ab7b5
G/B Bbº7 Am7 D7
&# G Am7 G/B CM7 Dm7 G7 CM7 C#º7 D7 D#º7 Em7 A9
&# Eb7b5 D11 D7 C#m7b5 C7 Bm7 E+7b9 Am Cm6 C#Ø7 D7b9 Eb9 AbM7 G6
&# ∑
4: Adding 2ndary V7, vii°7, iim7-V7, & subV7s
œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ
œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
˙ Œ œ œ œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ Œ ‰
5
Grandfather’s Clock 4
1 … when the bass note stays the same while chords change above it.
