Extreme Modulation Using Chromatic Harmony - Music Theory

Music Matters

16 Apr 202033:47

EducationalLearning

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TLDRIn this video, musician Gareth teaches advanced harmonic techniques for a chromatic 6-bar melody. He covers concepts like pivot chords and notes for modulating between distant keys, using chromatic non-diatonic chords, harmonic rhythm, contrary motion, suspensions and augmented 6th chords. Gareth harmonizes the melody step-by-step, explaining his reasoning and decisions. He aims to equip viewers to handle chromatic melodies and complex harmonic progressions at an advanced level.

Takeaways

😀 The video discusses how to tackle extreme key changes and chromatic harmonization in a 6 bar melody
😮‍💨 It starts by analyzing the key signature, melody notes and cadence to determine the home key of Eb major
👍🏻 Basic chord choices are made first, then challenges like non-diatonic notes are addressed
🔑 Modulations are handled using secondary dominants and pivot chords/notes to transition smoothly
🎹 Chromatic notes are harmonized using borrowed chords, suspensions, diminished & augmented chords
🤯 Very distant modulations from Eb major to B major are achieved using enharmonic pivot notes
💡 Multiple harmonic options are explored when encountering chromatic non-diatonic notes
🎼 Good voice leading, contrary motion and repeated common tones link the chord progressions
🎹 The final cadence is decorated more colorfully to match the harmonic richness preceding it
😊 The video provides guidance to move to advanced harmonic techniques beyond basic diatonic harmony

Q & A

What techniques does Gareth use when extreme modulation is required?
-When extreme modulation is required with no pivot chords available, Gareth suggests using a pivot note instead. This technique was popular with 19th century composers to enable more extreme modulations.
How can you harmonize a non-diatonic melody note?
-Non-diatonic melody notes can be harmonized in various ways, such as using secondary dominants, modal interchange/borrowed chords, chromatic mediant relationships, diminished 7th chords, and augmented 6th chords.
What is an augmented 6th chord and how is it formed?
-An augmented 6th chord contains the lowered 6th scale degree in the bass, an augmented 6th above that, and the tonic in the middle. This creates an augmented interval between the bass and upper voice. Common types are German, French, and Italian augmented 6th chords.
When would you use a double suspension?
-A double suspension is used to decorate a chord progression and make it more interesting. It involves two voices being suspended before resolving down by step over a change of harmony.
What is voice leading and why is it important?
-Voice leading refers to how the notes in each voice or part move from one chord to the next. Good voice leading creates smooth transitions between chords and pleasant harmonic movement.
Why bring chordal textures closer together at times?
-Bringing the chordal textures closer together by having voices share pitches creates a more intimate, intense feel at important harmonic moments.
What is enharmonic equivalence and how can it help modulation?
-Enharmonic equivalence refers to notes that sound the same but are written differently (e.g. D# and Eb). Using enharmonic pivot notes can assist with modulations to remote keys.
How could the final Ic-V-I cadence be spruced up?
-To spruce up the final cadence, Gareth suggests adding a 7th to the V chord, having outer voices fall by step before resolving, and using chromatic alterations in the inner voices.
Why analyze both local and global context when harmonizing?
-Looking at both the local chord-to-chord context and global context within the whole progression leads to better harmonic choices when harmonizing.
When can repetition of a pitch in a vocal part be useful?
-Repeating a pitch in a vocal part, often the alto, can help bind the harmony together and enable smooth transitions between chords in the progression.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Beginning of video script summary, key of Eb Major

Gareth introduces the 6 bar melody to be harmonized in Eb Major, noting there will be extreme modulation and chromatic harmony to deal with. Establishing key signatures and cadences help confirm the home key. The chord choices for the beginning and end seem clear, with a perfect V-I cadence fitting nicely at the end.

05:00

😮 First challenge - modulating to A♭ Major

The D♭ in the melody is chromatic, implying a modulation. Analyzing the melody, Gareth determines A♭ Major is likely given the presence of 4 flats. A secondary dominant of A♭ fits nicely, taking us briefly out of Eb before returning. The D♭ creates a lovely 4-3 suspension over the I chord back in Eb.

10:03

👍 Back in Eb after chromatic detour

After justifying the secondary dominant in A♭, the harmony flows nicely back to a I chord in Eb, as expected following a secondary dominant. But the C♭ next creates a new challenge, being chromatic to Eb. Gareth explores 3 creative options — borrowing a iv chord from Eb minor, using a Vb9, or a diminished 7th to handle the C♭ before getting us back safely to Eb Major.

15:06

😨 Extreme modulation to B Major

The A# in the melody signals yet another extreme modulation, this time to B Major utilizing an enharmonic pivot tone in the soprano. With creative use of contrary motion and inversions, the flow from Eb to B seems smooth, yet remains harmonically interesting before setting up a need to return to Eb at the end. The concepts discussed highlight Gareth's depth of knowledge on advanced harmonic techniques.

20:07

😅 Creative chromaticism returns to Eb

Another challenge arises with an A-natural that leads to neither B Major nor the home key of Eb. After trying a plain progression, Gareth opts for a colourful German augmented 6th chord to get us back to Eb with smooth voice leading, again showing his harmonic creativity. He then demonstrates adding a double chromatic decoration to the final V-I cadence to maintain interest while concluding in the home key.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Harmony

Harmony refers to the chords used to accompany a melody. The video discusses techniques for harmonizing melodies, including using chords within the key, modulating to other keys, and using chromatic harmony outside the key.

💡Modulation

Modulation refers to changing from one key to another within a piece of music. The video talks about conventional modulation using pivot chords as well as more extreme direct modulations between distant keys.

💡Chromatic

Chromatic notes or chords include tones outside the prevailing key or scale. The video covers use of chromatic harmony like secondary dominants and diminished 7ths to create color and intensity.

💡Pivot Chord

A pivot chord belongs to both the old and new key, enabling a smooth modulation between them. The video discusses pivot chords as well as use of single pivot notes when changing to a distant key.

💡Secondary Dominant

A secondary dominant is a V-I chord progression from a key other than the home key. It creates temporary tonicization without full modulation. The video shows use of secondary dominants.

💡Diminished 7th

A diminished 7th chord comprises stacked minor 3rds and can substitute for the diatonic 7th degree chord to introduce chromatic color. The video demonstrates use of a diminished 7th.

💡Augmented 6th

An augmented 6th chord leads strongly to dominant harmony and can facilitate modulation. The video shows how an augmented 6th chord progresses to a perfect cadence.

💡Suspension

A suspension involves a dissonant note carried over ("suspended") from one chord to the next before resolving down by step. The video illustrates a 4-3 suspension.

💡Enharmonic

Enharmonic notes sound the same pitch but are spelled differently. The video discusses using enharmonics as pivot notes between keys, like Bb moving to A#.

💡Cadence

A cadence creates a point of arrival through a dominant-tonic chord progression. The video shows use of imperfect and perfect cadences to conclude phrases.

Highlights

We're going to tackle a harmonisation that involves extreme modulation and chromatic harmony.

What happens if you've got all sorts of chromatic notes in your melody that don't belong to the key? We're going to be talking about that, too.

In extreme situations, you have to think outside the box of the diatonic chords that belong to the key, and get buzzing with your chromatic chords.

Instead of just thinking about using a pivot chord, they started to alight on the idea of using a pivot note.

I'm going to extend that a notch further here. Because you might be looking at this saying, 'Well, where's your pivot note?' Well, actually, it's in the soprano.

The reason why the 19th century composers got onto this is it enabled more extreme modulation, which is what we're into here.

So you see, that actually flows on remarkably well, doesn't it? Even though we've gone from a key with three flats to a key with five sharps, whoa.

What's A-natural doing there? Because that doesn't particularly help us, does it? A-natural's not in the key of B major. Neither is it in the key of E-flat major. So what a pain that is.

Did I just fly into it? Well, no I didn't actually. Do you notice what's happened? We've actually got two pivot notes.

Isn't that great? I've got two pivot notes, so I'm going from I in B major to the German sixth in E-flat major.

If you're able to harmonise at the moment, fantastic! But hopefully this has helped you to move on to a higher level, being able to deal with this more extreme stuff.

We've dealt with some extreme modulation, three flats to five sharps.

We've dealt with how to use chromatic harmony to achieve that.

We've dealt with enharmonic equivalents in the use of pivot notes.

And we've looked at one or more places where there's definitely multiple options once you get into this world.

Transcripts

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