HARMONIC PROGRESSIONS AND PATTERNS
COLOURLESS GREEN IDEAS SLEEP FURIOUSLY • The above sentence is grammatically correct – it sounds like a good English sentence. • But what does it mean? • Just because each word seems to be of the right kind for the moment in the sentence doesn’t mean that the combination of words will be meaningful. • Likewise, just because each musical chord is consonant with the note that it harmonises doesn’t mean that the combination of chords makes sense.
GIVEN THE MELODY…
THIS HARMONISATION MAKES NO SENSE Even though each chord can support the given melody note, and the voice-leading is correct, this is not a good harmonisation. Root motion is mostly backwards Sevenths add no value Inversions add no value
THIS HARMONISATION IS MUCH BETTER Chords move forward, through T-PD-D-T phrase model.
7th contributes to the melody and intensifies forward motion. Inversions smooth out the bass line and encourage more variety and motion in inner voices. Familiar patterns are used.
DIRECTION OF MOTION Intermediate Harmonies
Predominants
IV iii
vi
ii
Generally, move to the right, one step at a time. Skip to the dominant at any time. From the tonic, restart anywhere.
Dominants Tonic
viio V
I
CONTRAPUNTAL PATTERNS • Chord motions that do not move this way are usually not harmonic progressions at all, they are simple coincidences of contrapuntal motion. • We usually think of these are part of the EXPANSION of a harmony. • They tend to follow specific, familiar patterns.
• The following examples fill the space between two existing outer chords with a new inner chord.
X – X6 – (X+4th) • Examples:
• I –I^ -IV
V –V^ -I
• ii -ii^ -V
[ IV –IV^ -V% ]
• Reversible. • Good candidate for voice exchange
X – (X-2nd)6 - X6 • Examples
• I –viio^ -I^
ii –I^ -ii^
• IV –iii^ -IV^
V-IV^ -V^
• vi –V^ -vi^
VII –VI^ -VII^
• Reversible. Fills gap between root position and first inversion of a single chord type (as in previous examples) with the first inversion of the chord rooted a second lower. (Used when First Inversion is above root, to make stepwise bass). • Excellent candidate for voice exchange.
X – (X-4th)6 - (X-3rd) • Examples
• I –V^ -vi
IV –I^ -ii
• Similar to the reverse form of the previous example (same bass line), except that the higher bass note is a root position chord, rather than first inversion. • Compare:
• ii^ -I^ -ii • Occasionally used ascending, especially in minor:
• i–VII^ -III
IV –I^ -ii
X – (X-3rd) - X6 • Examples
• I –vi –I^
IV –ii –IV^
• Alternative way to fill the space between root position and first inversion (as in previous examples) when the first inversion bass is expressed as a sixth below the root position, to subdivide the leap of a sixth into a third and a fourth.
ARPEGGIATION • I –I^ -V
or occasionally
I –iii –V
• Ascending, quite common for connecting the tonic to the dominant, with bass notes on the three chord tones of the tonic chord. Rare on other chords because the harmonic motion is backwards. • Descending is more flexible, and can extend much farther down through thirds:
• [ I –vi –IV –ii –V^ -V ] -I
X – (X-3RD) – (X+2ND) & 5-6 TECHNIQUE • Examples
• I –vi –ii
IV –ii –V
• Middle chord is added to prevent parallel fifths when moving up by step between first and last chord in an otherwise parallel way. • If the middle chord is in first inversion, it becomes the familiar 5-6 technique:
• IV –ii^ -V
=====
IV) pp ^ -V
SEQUENCES • Sequences are long-term chord patterns in which a cell of two chords related in a specified way are repeated successively (usually) one step higher or one step lower.
• Example:
[ i–V ] - [ ii -VI ] - [ III –VII ] - [iv –i] -V –I
• This allows long-term parallel ascents and descents without parallel voice-leading. • In the example above, the chords seem to move in the wrong direction (the second chord in each unit is called a “back-related dominant), but this is okay because the real motion is between the units, not within them.
FAUXBOURDON • You can also ascend or descend stepwise for long periods of time in parallel first inversion chords:
• i - [ VII^ -i^ -iio^ -III^ - iv^] -V • We usually call this “Fauxbourdon”, because of its similarity to the medieval technique by that name. • Be careful: although the chords are parallel, we still have to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. • If the chordal fifth is below the lowest root, then there will be no intervallic fifths – it will be a fourth instead – and so, no parallel fifths. To prevent parallel octaves, one voice will have to bounce back and forth like a sequence.
INVERSIONS OF V7 • Each inversion of V7 has its own particular tendencies, and usually extends the tonic is particular ways:
• V%:
I –V% -I
• V#:
I –V# -I^
I –V# -I
• V@:
I –V@ -I^
V –V@ -I^
I^ -V# -I^
RULE OF THE OCTAVE • A traditional harmonisation of a scale in the bass part. • Each scale degree in the bass has its own triad. • Each scale degree in the bass that does not belong to the tonic triad has a seventh chord that can be used when the bass steps upward, and one that can be used when the bass steps downward. • Segments of the Rule of the Octave are almost always excellent ways to harmonise a melody
• Most of the chord patterns in the Rule can be recognised from the preceding discussion.
RULE OF THE OCTAVE
Ascending
1 I
2 viio^ V#
3 I^
4 ii^ II%
5
6
V
IV^
4 ii^ V@
3
7 V^ V%
8
2 viio^ V#
1
I
Descending
8
7
I
V^
6 IV^ II#
5 V
I^
I
GENERAL ADVICE • Second-inversion triads ( ) are far less common than root or first inversion. Until
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you study the very specific and unforgiving ways they can be used, you should only use them as double suspensions leading to the chord whose root shares the same bass note. • First inversion triads can be used more freely, but are still usually used to make the bass line smoother. If the bass line does not leave the first-inversion triad by step (except
I^ -V and a few other special cases), ask yourself why you chose the first
inversion.
GENERAL ADVICE • Seventh chords and their inversions are used to intensify the drive towards the next chord in the circle of fifths: • i.e.
I& -IV& -viiO& -iii& -vi& -ii& -V& -I
• In practice, several of these are usually replaced by applied dominants. • It is best not to use sevenths unless you are resolving in this direction. • The seventh must resolve down. This means that the bass of the third inversion ( resolve down, generally to the first-inversion triad. • Avoid using the dominant seventh at a Half Cadence
@ ) must
