Musicianship III: A Foundation of Vital Skills and Knowledge

Musicianship III: A Foundation of Vital Skills and Knowledge By Mr. Jeff Hart, Instructor 610.853.5900 X2112 jhart@havsd.net 2 nd Edition, 2017

Foreword Thank you for choosing to broaden your education in music, by pursuing the study of music theory. It is my hope that this course will provide you with a solid foundation that will serve you during your high school years, and beyond. Please make sure to have this workbook with you for every class, follow along with its lessons to the best of your ability, and also study from it at home. Remember to ask questions during the course if you are confused. Music Theory can get confusing sometimes, and I m here to help. Welcome and best wishes! Mr. Hart Content and Goals Chapter I: Major and Minor Chord Scales By the end of this chapter, you will: know and be able to write the inherent triadic harmony of the major scale know and be able to write the inherent triadic harmony of the natural minor scale know the names of the chords within a scale (traditional and contemporary) become familiar with usual diatonic chord progressions Chapter II: Introduction to Traditional Four-Part Writing and Cadences By the end of this chapter, you will: know and be able to write using traditional four-part conventions know and be able to write using authentic (perfect & imperfect), half, plagal, and deceptive cadences have composed a short piece that demonstrates your knowledge of traditional four-part writing and cadences Chapter III: 7 th Chords and Their Inversions By the end of this chapter, you will: recognize and be able to write major, minor, diminished, half-diminished, augmented, and dominant 7 th chords have composed a short piece that incorporates various 7 th chords of your choosing Chapter IV: Non-Harmonic Tones By the end of this chapter, you will: be able to identify and write various kinds of non-harmonic tones have composed a short piece that demonstrates your knowledge of non-harmonic tones Chapter V: Modulation By the end of this chapter, you will: be able to identify and write common-chord modulations be able to identify and write secondary dominant modulations have composed a short piece that changes key using both modulation techniques Chapter VI: Jazz and Contemporary Music Theory By the end of this chapter, you will: be able to identify common chord, tritone substitution, and color modulations in a jazz standard have composed a 32-bar final project within the given parameters Appendix Phrases and Form The musical modes Transposition of musical instruments Introduction to writing for a jazz big band 2

Chapter I: Major and Minor Chord Scales Introduction We have already covered major scales and triads in Musicianship II. This chapter will be a synthesis of these, since we will be discussing and analyzing the harmony that is found within both major and natural minor scales. Recall our C major scale from Musicianship II: What if we were to stack thirds above each note of the C major scale, to create triads? It would look like this: à Play the C major chord scale. à Discuss which chords sounded major? Minor? Diminished? We can use Roman numerals and chord symbols to show the function of the triads within the C major chord scale. We use uppercase for major chords, and lowercase for minor chords. Notice the small circle, which is the symbol for diminished. à Fill in with the correct roman numerals: In a major chord scale, the triads that are major are,,. In a major chord scale, the triads that are minor are,,. In a major chord scale, the triad that is diminished is. Review from Musicianship II: every major scale has its own relative minor key. From the major chord scale, the relative minor key is the sixth chord when ascending. Major and relative minor keys share the same key signature. à Practice finding the relative minor of these keys: G major: Bb major: D major Ab major Here is the chord scale of the relative minor of C major, which is A minor: 3

à Fill in with the correct roman numerals: In a minor chord scale, the triads that are minor are,,. In a minor chord scale, the triads that are major are,,. In a minor chord scale, the triad that is diminished is. Every natural minor scale has its own relative major key. From the minor chord scale, the relative major key is the third chord when ascending. Minor and relative major keys share the same key signature. Each Roman numeral, whether in a major or minor key, has its own name(s) that you should know: 4 Roman Numeral Classical / Traditional Name(s) Contemporary / Jazz Name(s) I or i Tonic The root, the 1-chord II or ii Supertonic The 2-chord III or iii Mediant The 3-chord IV or iv Subdominant The 4-chord V or v Dominant Dominant, the 5-chord VI or vi Submediant The 6-chord VII or vii Subtonic, Leading Tone Leading Tone, the 7-chord What makes a catchy tune, or a song that remains in your inner ear after you ve heard it? Certainly a well-crafted and memorable melody is an obvious answer. But the underlying harmony, which we have been focusing on in this chapter, is another answer. Over time, certain usual diatonic chord progressions have developed that make a certain tune sound the way it does to us, in addition to its melody. Here are some examples: Canon in D (Johannes Pachelbel, 1653-1706)

I V vi iii IV I IV V This chord progression repeats throughout the entire composition, an often-used technique called passacaglia. The melody becomes increasingly complex and rhythmic, but the underlying chord progression does not change. The basic 12-bar blues (late 19 th / early 20 th Century to today) I IV (I*) I I IV IV I I V IV I I (V*) * sometimes these chords in (parentheses) occur, rather than the initial chord listed. This is called chord substitution. There are many other substitutions possible to the 12-bar blues, which musicians have created over the years. Regardless which substitutions are used, the one important identifier is that the IV happens in the 5 th bar of music. This progression is not only found in blues music, but also in jazz, and forms the basis for the majority of early rock n roll tunes. 1950s / early 1960s rock n roll ballad I vi IV V This simple chord progression defined the pre-british Invasion rock n roll sound. Lean on Me (Bill Withers, 1972) I ii iii IV IV iii ii I I ii iii ii and so on This recognizable tune features adjacent ascending and descending chords, with no skips. Don t Stop Believin (Journey, 1981) I V vi IV I V iii IV Forever Young (Alphaville, 1984) I V vi IV V ii IV vi V Both tunes have the same first four chords and even resemble Canon in D a bit! The Locomotion (Little Eva, 1962) I vi I vi and so on Scar Tissue (Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1999) I vi I vi and so on Obviously two very different tunes, but they both frequently use this kind of chord movement. What about tunes you know? What other examples can we analyze? Chapter II: Introduction to Traditional Four-Part Writing 5

Introduction You have already written a composition with a melody in the treble clef, and triads in the bass clef. This chapter will take what you know and expand it into four-part (soprano-alto-tenor-bass) writing. First we need to become familiar with the voices and their ranges. Range can be defined as the span of possible notes of a voice/instrument. Two voices are written in treble clef, and two in bass clef. Here are their typical ranges: Notice that there is some overlap between the voices. These guidelines are shown to avoid writing out-of-range notes, that is, notes that are too high or too low for the given voice. Within each voice s range, there exists a narrower span of notes that are the most ideal. This is known as tessitura. Remember triad inversions? That knowledge will come in handy, because there are inversions in four-part writing, too. Because we are dealing with four voices singing a total of three notes, one of the notes will need to be doubled (repeated somewhere else). Here are some of the basic doubling conventions to remember: 6

Notice that the chord symbols and roman numerals are both given in the analysis. à Identify and correct the doubling errors in the chords that Mr. Hart provides: Using this system, you will be able to write your own four-part chorales. A sample process is shown below. 1. First, a melody is written in the soprano voice. Write a simple tune that has few leaps and is mostly stepwise. 2. Now the bass notes are added. You should start to think of the triads that you will be implying with your bass notes, and make sure you don t have any adjacent note names between the soprano and bass. Use your keyboard to help you. 7

3. Lastly, the inner voices are added, making sure that all of the doublings are done correctly. The chord symbols and roman numerals are added. Voices can move between each other in four different ways: Parallel Motion voices move in the same direction, at the same interval Similar Motion voices move in the same direction, but the resulting intervals are different Oblique Motion a voice moves up or down, while another remains on a given note Contrary Motion voices move in the opposite direction. This is desirable, especially between the soprano and bass. There are more rules that you should be aware of, when writing in four parts. Be sure to notate the examples! 1. Avoid parallel fifths. 2. Avoid parallel octaves. 8

3. Avoid crossed-voicing. Cadences occur at the end of a phrase. Here is a reference chart to help you remember the different types of cadences: AUTHENTIC CADENCE V à I HALF CADENCE any à V (usually I à V) PLAGAL CADENCE IV à I DECEPTIVE CADENCE V à not I (usually V à vi) Additionally, there are two types of authentic cadences: PERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE IMPERFECT AUTHENTIC CADENCE - no inversions allowed when moving from V to I - highest note must be the root of I - fails to meet one of the above requirements à Practice writing various types of cadences with Mr. Hart: à Compose your own four-part chorale, using what you have learned in this chapter. 9

Chapter III: 7 th Chords and Their Inversions Introduction So far, we have only written chords with three notes (triads). If we stack another third above a triad, we end up with a 7 th chord. This is a chord that has four notes: the root, 3 rd, 5 th, and 7 th. First we will explore the 7 th chords that exist in the major and minor chord scales: 10

There are numerous types of 7 th chords available. Here is a chart that organizes them: NAME TRIAD FAMILY EXTENSION TYPE EXAMPLE Major 7 th (#5) Augmented m3 C-E-G#-B Dominant 7 th (#5) Augmented d3 C-E-G#-Bb Major 7 th Major M3 C-E-G-B Dominant 7 th Major m3 C-E-G-Bb Minor 7 th Minor m3 C-Eb-G-Bb Minor-major 7 th Minor M3 C-Eb-G-B Half diminished 7 th Diminished M3 C-Eb-Gb-Bb Diminished 7 th Diminished m3 C-Eb-Gb-Bbb Like triads, 7 th chords can also be inverted. There are three possible inversions available for every 7 th chord. For the following example, assume treble clef, and the key of F major: à Compose a new chorale using four-part techniques that uses mostly seventh chords. You may also include some triads and triad inversions if you like. Chapter IV: Non-Harmonic Tones Introduction Non-harmonic tones are melodic notes that don t fall in the given harmony. They can add interest to a melody by creating melodic tension and release. There are eight main types of non-harmonic tones we will cover. Though more exist, these are the most important to know and be able to use. PT = Passing Tone. Stepwise motion in the same direction, with no skips. Passing tones occurring on a strong beat are called Accented Passing Tones. NT = Neighbor Tone. Step away from note, then return to original note. 11

ET = Escape Tone. Step in one direction, then skip in the opposite direction. Opposite of appoggiatura. AP = Appoggiatura. Skip in one direction, then step in the opposite direction. Opposite of escape tone. ANT = Anticipation. Step up to note that anticipates upcoming chord. Doesn t occur on a chord. SUS = Suspension. Step down from a note not in the chord, to a note within the chord. Opposite of retardation. RET = Step up from a note not in the chord, to a note within the chord. Opposite of suspension. DNT = Double neighbor tone. Approach from step, then surround final note from above and below. Other Terms to Know (found in the Practica Musica software): Consonance is a note that belongs in a chord, so it is not considered a non-harmonic tone. Pedal Point occurs when the bass voice sustains a note over a long period. Melody and harmony are free to move and change, but this sustained bass note remains the same. à Compose a new chorale that uses at least 6 of the 8 non-harmonic tones above. You may use dominant 7 th chords and their inversions here and there, but you should use triads and their inversions more frequently. Here is the suggested process: 1) Write your melody 2) Write a bass line that fits your melody 3) Fill in the inner voices 4) Add Roman numeral analysis to what you wrote 5) Look for opportunities to add non-harmonic tones to what you wrote. Try to share the wealth of non-harmonic tones among the voices (i.e., don t make all of them occur in the alto voice alone). Chapter V: Modulation Introduction In music, to modulate is to change key. Changing key in a piece of music takes the listener to a new place. But modulations must be set up carefully so that they sound convincing. This chapter will cover two traditional modulation techniques. Common Chord Modulation In this type of modulation, a chord in an existing key takes on a new role in a different key. This is called a pivot chord. The below example illustrates a modulation from the key of G major to the key of F major, using C major as a pivot chord. 12

Look at the second chord in the second measure, the C chord. It functions as the IV in G major, and also the V in F major. This sets up a V I chord progression into the new key of F major. à Practice this concept by coming up with your own common-chord modulation. Remember that to be a convincing modulation, you should use an authentic or plagal cadence into your new key. Modulation by Secondary Dominants Secondary dominants are indicated with the symbol V/ where the / indicates of. For example, V/ii in the key of F major would be the V of G minor, or a C chord. The thought process is shown below: Find V/ii in F major. à What is ii in F major? à G minor is ii in F major. à The V of G minor is C. Here is another brief example of how a secondary dominant chord can be used to change key: Secondary dominant chords can now be sprinkled into your chorale compositions from now on, whether they are used to modulate, or just to add interest to your composition. Remember, they must resolve to the key that they are implying. à Compose a new chorale using secondary dominants, whether to add interest, or to modulate. Your secondary dominant chords may be an inversion, and they may also be dominant 7 th chords. 13

Chapter VI: Jazz and Contemporary Music Theory 14 Introduction So far, what we have covered is very traditional music theory, the building blocks of what one would use to compose music in the European classical tradition. We will now take these rules and conventions, and bend them in an informed way, just as the pioneers of jazz and contemporary music did in the early 20 th Century. These new conventions, which were considered groundbreaking at the time, were gradually accepted and persist in our music of today. From the types of modulations we have learned, one is relevant in jazz and contemporary music, and the other is not: Common Chord Modulation This type of modulation is still relevant to contemporary music, and we covered it in the last chapter. Secondary Dominants The use of V/ is unnecessary when analyzing contemporary music, since any chord in contemporary music can be dominant (or any color ) if the composer desires it. It is for this reason that we will now indicate all roman numerals with capital letters, going forward. à Notate and listen to the two versions of the 12-bar blues:

Tritone Substitution Recalling our early Musicianship II lessons in intervals, the tritone is an augmented 4 th (A4) or a diminished 5 th (d5). This interval can be used to create interesting chord progressions and modulations. Visual Tritone Substitution: Do you see the interval between the first and second chords? It is a tritone. The fact that we can see the interval of a tritone between two chords, makes it a visual tritone substitution. The F#7 subs out the Cmaj7, and becomes the V of, and leads us to, Bmaj7. Tritone substitutions are typically dominant, though they may be whatever color the composer desires. Hidden Tritone Substitution: As the name implies, hidden tritone substitutions can be a bit trickier to figure out at first. Here we have a very common chord progression in jazz, the II-V-I. If it were a true II-V-I, the chord progression would be Dm7 G7 Cmaj7. But the G7 has been substituted Db7, a tritone away. As in the case above, hidden tritone substitutions often show some kind of chromatic movement. If you see the latter, you should suspect a hidden tritone substitution. 15

Color Modulation: By changing the color of the C chord from major 7 th to dominant 7 th, we are able to create a convincing color modulation into the key of F major. Color modulations occur frequently in jazz and contemporary music, by themselves or often in conjunction with the other modern modulation techniques we have learned. à Compose your own Jazz standard (32 bar AABA, ABAB etc.) that uses the techniques outlined above. It must have a melody line, chords, lyrics (borrowed with credit to writer, or your own), and analysis of your chords with chord symbols, roman numerals, and modulation techniques. 16

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APPENDIX Phrases and Form In writing, a complete paragraph usually consists of 5 to 7 sentences, though there may be more or fewer. In music, a complete phrase usually occurs over the course of 4 bars, though 2-bar or 8-bar phrases are possible. Sometimes phrases do end up containing an odd number of bars. The length of a phrase depends on the particular piece of music. Each phrase consists of a complete musical idea. The melody is usually the biggest clue to finding the length of a phrase. Two phrases together make a period. Typically a period is 8 bars in length, and consists of 2 phrases that are 4 bars each. The first 4-bar phrase is called the antecedent and the 4-bar phrase that follows is known as the consequent. Periods combine to form larger parts of a musical form. Each period is assigned a letter, beginning with A. Subsequent new ideas are assigned subsequent letters, while ideas that repeat or return are labeled with their original letter. Some examples of form are: Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus (ABAB ) 32-bar AABA 32-bar ABAC Rondo Form (ABACADA) While some pieces of music don t appear to follow any kind of form at all, most do so, and it is considered good practice for a composer to write their pieces with some kind of structure. It makes for a more cohesive playing and listening experience! The musical modes This book has dealt with 2 of the musical modes: major and natural minor. 5 other modes exist. Here is a chart showing all 7 modes which exist within the major scale: Mode Name Ionian (a.k.a. major) Dorian Phrygian Lydian Mixolydian (a.k.a. dominant) Aeolian (a.k.a. natural minor) Locrian Starting Point Within Major Scale 1 st note (do) 2 nd note (re) 3 rd note (mi) 4 th note (fa) 5 th note (so) 6 th note (la) 7 th note (ti) Learning to recognize the sound of each mode, and where to use it when improvising, is a useful skill for jazz musicians. 18 Transposition of musical instruments Today, computer programs like Finale do the work of transposing for us. However, it s still important to understand which instrument belongs to which transposition group. Here is a chart showing the transposition of common band and orchestra instruments: Instrument Name Written C for this instrument sounds like Clef(s) used by this instrument Flute C Treble clef Oboe C Treble clef Bassoon C Bass clef Trombone C Bass (sometimes tenor clef) Euphonium C Bass clef (sometimes treble clef) Tuba C Bass clef Clarinet Bb Treble clef Soprano Saxophone Bb Treble clef

Trumpet Bb Treble clef Bass Clarinet Bb, an octave below clarinet Treble clef Tenor Saxophone Bb, an octave below soprano saxophone Treble clef Alto Saxophone Eb Treble clef Baritone Saxophone Eb, an octave below alto saxophone Treble clef Horn F Treble clef Violin C Treble clef Viola C Alto clef Cello C Bass clef Bass C Bass clef Introduction to writing for a jazz big band Though the big band jazz idiom has evolved over time, this is the generally accepted instrumentation: 5 saxophones* (2 altos, 2 tenors, baritone OR soprano, alto, 2 tenors, baritone) 4 trumpets (sometimes 5) 4 trombones (trombone 4 usually plays a bass trombone, which has a larger bore for playing low notes with ease) Guitar Piano (or keyboard) Bass (upright but sometimes electric) Drums * sax players are expected to be able to double on flute or clarinet in professional situations. Written ranges/tessituras: Saxophones Trumpets Trombones* *The bass trombone can play below the range listed here. 19

Here are some chord voicing techniques: Generally, the tighter voicings like 4-way close and drop 2, work very well for medium tempo and fast tempo compositions. The more open-sounding voicings work well for ballads, which are typically slower and more expressive. It s important to note that, especially in Maj7 and min7 chords, some substitutions are possible. This is especially true when writing for 5 or more voices. For example: - The 9 th of the chord can be substituted for the root. This creates a nice contrast. The bass player and probably other instruments in the band will already be playing the root, so it will help to create more variety. - The 6 th of the chord can be substituted for the 5 th. Again, this creates a nice contrast. Guitar and Piano When writing for these instruments, the following conventions should be followed: Bass 20 1) Provide chord symbols with slash notation (////) for each measure. This is how piano and guitar parts look 85-90% of the time. 2) If you have a certain rhythm that the saxophones and brass play, that you would like the guitar and piano to also play, then provide the appropriate chord symbols in conjunction with the appropriate rhythmic slash notation. 3) If you have a particular melodic line that the guitar and piano should play, simply notate them on the staff. 4) Guitar and piano players are used to seeing all three of the above types of notation. Sometimes a big band jazz tune will contain all three, or other times, just the first one listed above. When writing for the bass, it is considered good practice to include both chord symbols, as well as a suggested bass line. If there s a certain rhythm that you want the bass player to play, simply notate it on the staff. Drums The following are helpful conventions for writing for drummers in a big band jazz setting: 1) Be sure to provide a tempo marking and time-feel marking at the beginning (i.e. QN=120, Swing). 2) Provide a basic feel pattern in the first measure, and then provide slash notation (////) for each measure after that. If there are certain rhythms that the horns play that the drummer should accentuate, place these above the staff. You can also label these figures as to who is playing them (i.e. saxes ). You will need to use a different layer in Finale in order to do this. 3) Indicate any fills or solos with the appropriate word ( fill or solo ) and also indicate with a dashed line, how long the fill or solo should last. General Pointers Be clear with what you want, not just with regard to notes and rhythms. Do you have: - Specific dynamics and articulations? - Measure numbers? - Rehearsal markings at the appropriate spots? - Double bar lines at appropriate section breaks? - Clear page layout that is uncluttered and easy to read?

Dictation Assignments 21

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