Dealing with Non-Harmonic Tones - Music Theory
TLDRThe video explains the concept of inessential notes in music theory and how to identify and use them when harmonizing a melody. It focuses on different types of inessential notes like passing notes, auxiliary notes, anticipatory notes, and appoggiaturas. The instructor analyzes a sample melody in F-sharp minor, identifying all the harmony and non-harmony notes. He explains how recognizing inessential notes allows setting an appropriate harmonic rhythm when harmonizing, avoiding rapid chord changes on every melody note. Using the example melody, he demonstrates how to justify all the busy melody notes as either harmony notes or specific types of inessential notes that fit the underlying chords.
Takeaways
- 😀 Inessential notes add color and interest to a melody without overly cluttering the harmony.
- 💡 Different types of inessential notes include auxiliary notes, passing notes, anticipatory notes and appoggiaturas.
- 🎵 Use slower harmonic rhythm by only harmonizing the essential notes in a busy melody.
- 🎹 Identify harmony vs inessential notes to justify every note while avoiding harmonic clutter.
- ✏️ Write inessential notes carefully so they fit the harmony and sound musical.
- 🎼 Accented inessential notes on strong beats sound stronger than unaccented ones between beats.
- 🔑 Harmonizing every single melody note often sounds too busy and removes interest.
- 🎚 Changing chords on every melody note creates overly fast, distracting harmonic rhythm.
- 🎤 Use fewer chords than melody notes by identifying essential harmony notes.
- 👂🏻 Listen for clashes between inessential notes and the underlying harmony.
Q & A
What are inessential notes?
-Inessential notes are notes in a melody that do not belong to the underlying chord. They are used to decorate the melody and make it more interesting, without changing the harmony.
What are some examples of inessential notes?
-Examples of inessential notes include passing notes, auxiliary notes (upper and lower), anticipatory notes, and appoggiaturas.
How can you identify inessential notes?
-You can identify inessential notes by analyzing which notes of the melody belong to the underlying chord harmony (the essential notes) and which notes do not belong and are used for decoration (the inessential notes).
Why use inessential notes?
-Inessential notes bring music to life and make melodies more interesting. They add color and movement without changing the overall harmony.
How do you know if a passing note is accented or unaccented?
-A passing note is unaccented if it occurs between beats. It is accented if it occurs on a strong beat, making it more prominent.
What happens if you harmonize every note in a busy melody?
-If you harmonize every note in a busy melody, you will likely end up with a harmonic rhythm that changes too quickly and sounds unnatural or chaotic.
What key is the melody in the example written in?
-The melody in the example is in the key of F-sharp minor. This is indicated by the three sharps in the key signature, as well as accidentals like E-sharp and D-sharp that are part of the F-sharp minor scale.
How can recognizing inessential notes help you harmonize a melody?
-Recognizing inessential notes allows you to sustain chords over longer stretches and have a slower harmonic rhythm that fits better with a busy melody line.
What makes an augmented chord unusual in a minor key?
-An augmented chord contains a raised/augmented fifth above the root. This is an unusual, dissonant sound in a minor key, though it can be used for dramatic effect.
What does it mean when an auxiliary note is chromatic?
-A chromatic auxiliary note moves up or down by a half step/semitone instead of a whole step. This note is still considered inessential but creates additional dissonance against the chord.
Outlines
😀 Introducing inessential notes in melody harmonization
The paragraph introduces the concept of inessential notes - notes that don't belong to the underlying chord. It explains that when harmonizing a busy melody, not every note needs to be harmonized, as that would create too rapid harmonic rhythm. Instead, identify essential harmony notes that belong to the chord, and treat other notes as inessential passing tones, neighbor tones etc. This creates a more musical flow.
👂🎹 Identifying types of inessential notes
The paragraph provides examples of different types of inessential notes - passing tones, upper/lower auxiliary notes, anticipatory notes etc. It explains the difference between accented and unaccented passing tones based on rhythm, and introduces the idea of appoggiaturas. Examples demonstrate harmonizing a melody using appropriate inessential notes over slower-moving chords.
🎵 Putting inessential notes into practice
The paragraph analyzes a melody line by line, identifying essential harmony notes vs. inessential notes. It shows how effective use of inessential notes allows harmonization over slower chord changes, while treating every note as harmonic would create a disjointed effect. Detailed analysis categorizes each note as belonging to the harmony or being an upper auxiliary, passing tone etc.
👍 Tying together concepts for rich harmonization
The paragraph continues detailed harmonic analysis of the melody using concepts covered. It emphasizes how thoughtful use of inessential notes brings music to life, while random uncategorized notes would stick out awkwardly. Recommends practicing these concepts when writing or harmonizing melodies to create more musical flow.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Inessential notes
💡Harmonic rhythm
💡Harmony notes
💡Passing notes
💡Auxiliary notes
💡Appoggiatura
💡Anticipatory notes
💡Accented vs unaccented
💡Modulation
💡Diatonic chords
Highlights
Inessential notes are notes that don't belong to the chord, such as auxiliary notes, passing notes, and anticipatory notes.
If the harmonic rhythm changes too quickly with chords under every melody note, it will sound ridiculous.
Auxiliary notes go up or down from a melody note then return to it. Passing notes pass between two harmony notes.
Unaccented inessential notes happen between beats. Accented ones happen on beats and are stronger.
Appoggiaturas take half the value of themselves plus the next melody note they resolve to.
Make sure all melody notes either belong to the harmony or are justified as inessential notes.
Inessential notes bring music to life. Use them when writing melodies over chord progressions.
Don't use random non-harmony notes that are not true inessential notes or they will stick out.
Figure out which melody notes need to be harmony notes vs. inessential notes to avoid a rhythm that changes too quickly.
You can move chords around while keeping the harmonic rhythm slow by recognizing inessential notes.
Analyze each note to see if it belongs to the harmony or functions as one of the types of inessential notes.
The choice of chords is separate from justifying all melody notes as harmony or inessential.
Use techniques like appoggiaturas and auxiliary notes to create interest and expressiveness.
Make sure any non-diatonic notes like accidentals function properly, not just randomly.
Incorrect handling of inessential notes is a common cause of unsatisfactory harmonization.
Transcripts
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