Whats the process of the way I create music called?

[jancivil]

Connosance, Concord. Means the note is found in the chord or the note is used to create the chord.
Dissonance, Discord. Means the note is not in the chord. You can create a mini resolution by going from a discord to a concord. or create a slight sense of tension by moving from a concord to a discord.

Again, no, the meaning of 'dissonance' is_not tied to 'chord'. It means a note does not 'concord' with another note. Some definitions of what is dissonant have changed, such as fourths were more liable to be called dissonant at one time. EDIT: this is contextual. One can find a discussion of the I 6/4 triad, that 4 {example G C E} called dissonant even today. As there is in that style practice the expectation 6 and 4 move to 5 and 3 (C/G bass to G). This is an example of voice-leading.*

Here is the proof of concept: A chord can be built from dissonances. A secondal chord *is* a chord. Should we believe that fourths are dissonant, a quartal chord *is* nonetheless a chord.

Even should we limit this to tertial construction a dissonance means there is something IN the chord that is dissonant. Minor/major 7: C Eb B. The interval of the major seventh is considered to be a dissonance. CmAdd2: the D next to the Eb is the dissonance. It is nonetheless a part of the chord. "dissonant to the chord" doesn't have any meaning now.
EG: The 'resolution' of a 'dominant seventh chord' is the resolution of the TRITONE found in it. G B F: the B F is resolved to C E.
EG: The 4-3 resolution within a chord.
Et cetera.

Chords are just not the beginning of this kind of thought in music, there was harmony long before chordal naming became the way to go.
(*: those figures, cf. figured bass, predate the fixing of chords, the thought comes from counterpoint and eventually chord thinking is the convention)

[jancivil]

I think that it depends a lot on whether you're working alone, or with others. With others, it seems to me that it's easier to develop multiple parts that naturally have the kinds of motion that build interest. Each member of the group will have his own set of "personal patterns" that drive his improvisation. The bass player might naturally build a line with interesting motion against a guitar player's riff, whereas, if the guitar player picks up the bass, he's more likely to apply similar patterns to what he produced on the guitar. At the very least, each musician is not starting with the [] pattern(s) of the others.

it's often more difficult to break out of your own patterns and so one might tend to intellectualize the second and subsequent parts.

But these difficulties should be as any difficulties and be transcended. A guitar player bound to think of guitar parts, not even thinking like a bass player yet, even though the map is the same, & even less tricky.

So this is one reason I am focusing on singing as a path to abstraction, at least in terms of 'writing'/'composing'. Even at the level of 'arranging', which was my path to writing really, one has to be able to come up with this guy's role vis a vis the other role(s). Instruments have backstory, of conventions and from their physical reality that amount to personality. So the conversation between this and the other instrument lives through contextual stuff.

Writing a play or story, you develop as palpable an identity as you can through backstory; the characters have ways of speaking now, and they'll give you lines. The shape of what they say, dialect, accent etc is built-in. And their idea of things is rooted in their experience.

So, transcribing sax parts on a guitar? They do things a guitarist doesn't tend to. So you learn the part singing it. "Sing it" is normative.

[JumpingJackFlash]

A few nitpicks for the sake of clarity:

The concept of counterpoint is that you have a main melody and then a second supporting melody.

Not necessarily a second supporting melody, often two "melodies" are of equal importance. And it can be more than two.

A nice study of this is Bach's Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring"
Its a popular classical song for guitar or keyboard that's been covered by just about everyone.

Bach just harmonised it (in several different ways). The original melody was written by Johann Schop in 1642.

you build the chords downward from the melody tone. This is "Voice leading"

No, this is the voicing of the chord, but it is not "voice leading".
Voice leading, or Part Writing, concerns the horizontal movement of one note to the next in any one part or line.

You can also have a slight dissonance to conosance (concord, peacefulness) type resolution in a very short amount of time. If say. The first note of your melody is the sus4 note of the chord and it moves to a chord tone thereafter.

See "Suspension".

Another farce passed on to me was that a melody always starts on the root and ends on the root.

I suspect you mean tonic, not root (not the same thing).

Playing a melody alone may give you a key but not always a mode.

Not sure I understand you here.

It also doesn't have to end in a plagal cadence (V chord)

A Plagal Cadence is (normally) IV-I.
Perhaps you mean imperfect cadence (finishing on V), or Perfect cadence (V-I)?
(NB: Names vary slightly depending on whether you're American or English).

The melody doesn't have to start on THE ONE which is the first beat of the first measure. You can shift the melody behind to create a "lead in" to the measure...

The technical name for this is anacrusis.

Connosance, Concord. Means the note is found in the chord or the note is used to create the chord.
Dissonance, Discord. Means the note is not in the chord.

Not quite. I see jancivil has already elucidated your error here.

If you want a simplistic layman definition, consonance is stable and dissonance is a clash.
Getting more complex, it relates to intervals. In Western music; perfect fifths, octaves, major and minor thirds and sixths are regarded as consonant. Seconds and sevenths are dissonant.

All seventh chords for example contain at least one dissonant interval.
It is also possible to have a note that isn't part of the chord yet is still consonant.

[jancivil]

The voice is not fixed like a fretboard

In music, instruments are the language.

Instruments are a means to the language. Dialects of the language. Which instrument is the language? Get a transcription of Charlie Parker solos and see how they fall on the guitar fretboard. The positions and fingerings will need to be sorted, it would take someone with somewhat transcendental technique to sight read it, compared to reading idiomatic guitar lines. Where convenience of position is a factor. It really is. I'm glad I had something else to rely on in order to analyze it, tbh.

I hired a saxophonist for a thing back in '09. The final lick (which refers to the Rocky & Bullwinkle theme), I wanted him to play it verbatim. This is a serious virtuoso that prides himself on being able to cut anything. He features this track on his resume. He told me it was impossible, which meant it was going to be too much time to sort for what I was paying. There were certain things in succession that just didn't land on the sax keys so well, it was not so idiomatic for the instrument. So he made some noise in the general shape of the thing kind of hitting the peaks of it. Which came off pretty well.

[tapper mike]

No Jan.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/discord

dis·cord (dskôrd)
n.
1.
a. Lack of agreement among persons, groups, or things.

b. Tension or strife resulting from a lack of agreement; dissension.

2. A confused or harsh sound or mingling of sounds.

3. {b}Music An inharmonious combination of simultaneously sounded tones; a dissonance.[/b]

intr.v. (d-skôrd, dskôrd) dis·cord·ed, dis·cord·ing, dis·cords
To fail to agree or harmonize; clash.

[jancivil]

"No Jan" what? you think I don't know what the damn word 'discord' means? The term 'dissonance' is somewhat context-bound in the first place, so your resort to a dictionary for a synonym doesn't address the discussion particularly.

it shouldn't be hard to read: a chord can be built from a dissonance. As JJF did point out, any seventh chord has at least one dissonance.

you have

Connosance, Concord. Means the note is found in the chord or the note is used to create the chord.

Means the note is used to create the chord? Let's test that: The main feature of a chord could be an augmented fourth. C F# B D#, that *is* a chord. Constructed with fourths, the first two components are considered dissonances. If your definition is true, we can only ever create consonant chords. You've confused yourself badly.

"the note is found in the chord". Already addressed this. example: D E F C#. The notes E and C# are FOUND in the CHORD. Are they not dissonant? E to the F and probably to the D, C# to the D; YET they are notes in a chord! Your try at a definition is now out the window. What is baffling to you here?

[jancivil]

It just occurred to me that you might even take the 'cord' from 'discord' and think it means 'chord' can't have a discord. Being that you repeatedly wrote 'connosant'. Yes, 'chord' most likely comes from 'accord' but be assured there are chords today that contain discordant tones, according to some definition.

the operative part of 'consonant' is the same as in 'dissonant': 'sonant', 'it sounds'.

[tapper mike]

Jan,
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discord
Discord

: lack of agreement between people, ideas, etc.

: an unpleasant combination of musical notes


1

a : lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things, or ideas)

b : active quarreling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or factions : strife

2

a (1) : a combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly (2) : dissonance

b : a harsh or unpleasant sound

Synonyms: conflict, disaccord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissension (also dissention), dissent, dissidence, dissonance, disunion, disunity, division, friction, infighting, inharmony, schism, strife, variance, war, warfare

[b}Antonyms:[/b] accord, agreement, concord, concordance, harmony, peace

Concord

b : a simultaneous occurrence of two or more musical tones that produces an impression of agreeableness or resolution on a listener — compare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonance_and_dissonance

[tapper mike]

Anyway moving forward.

Take a listed to the following examples.

http://tappermike.com/kvr/chr1.mid
http://tappermike.com/kvr/chr2.mid

I have a simple E minor chord E-G-B with one instrument and on every other measure I introduce a tone from the chromatic scale starting on D# using a different but similar instrument and in the same range for example 1
In example two I move chromatically up from the octave above my initial E note in the E minor chord.

While the non-chord tones still have character that stands out from the chord tones it is less brash.

[tapper mike]

Back to voice leading. Voice leading is a technique of using an existing melody without harmony to create a supporting harmony.

As Hink has succinctly explained in this thread. When deciding on what chords to use over a given melody. Evaluate the melody over a measure or more and find those key notes which imply a chord.
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392528

A common developmental approach to harmony for guitar and keyboard is called "Smart voicing" Where by one uses chord inversions to move smoothly from one chord to another within a short range. If we combine what we already know about the notes in the measure and apply them as guide tones we can create harmonies to support our melody line. This is a common practice used for "one man band types" who prefer to play the melody and accompany themselves with harmony. And is also used for creating harmonies when the original melody did not have one. One can adjust the chord to fit the harmony if it does not already via harmonic justification.

Neither the melody nor the harmony are written in stone when writing them. It's a good idea to be flexible with both for the most desirable result.

[jancivil]

I know what the f**k the words mean. Why do you insist on showing that? That's kind of just insulting, and it's not me that has the problem understanding English here.

That definition of 'discord' does not make a dissonant chord impossible. For your definition to be a useful definition, 'consonant means chord tone', so 'a note not found in a chord' defines dissonance, not only does 'dissonant chord' have to vanish, but 'consonant non-chord tone' has to as well. The interval in a chord is the dissonance.

do you have a reading comprehension issue we can't solve? Even in the definition you think does what you want, we have "a simultaneous occurrence of two or more musical tones that produces an impression of agreeableness". Two; or more. So the interval is dissonant by a certain definition. That one is subjective. There are things which are quite agreeable to me and that I'm completely good with as a point of repose that are going to be defined as dissonant according to a school of thought, or someone else's opinion. You're tossing around these imprecise terms to make your error - ask around, JJF refers to it as 'your error' - vanish in the haze.

Have you forgotten your definition?

Means the note is found in the chord or the note is used to create the chord.

That is not the meaning. A definition - de-fine, denotes a limit, cf 'finite' - means it can't be something else. But a chord CAN, in fact, have dissonances and can be made from dissonances, which is not up for debate. I have demonstrated it more than once. How many ways does one have to illustrate this? You're being completely obtuse. Are you drinking?

[jancivil]

Back to voice leading. Voice leading is a technique of using an existing melody without harmony to create a supporting harmony.

As Hink has succinctly explained in this thread. When deciding on what chords to use over a given melody. Evaluate the melody over a measure or more and find those key notes which imply a chord.

That isn't the definition of voice leading, either. Before, you had chord voicing confused with voice leading. You have a confusion of a similar quality here. I hate to have to point this out but this is not just you talking to yourself.

Voice leading may or may not be melodic in nature. It does not indicate or suggest in itself 'without harmony', either. Voice leading is also known as part-writing. 'an existing melody'? Never heard that one. You take a part (cf., 'tenor part'), the harmony in more than one voice/part and write it horizontally in a way that comports best with the other voices.

As I received it in courses, it was done according to a given harmony, given in roman numbers. Typically one part, the tune in the soprano or a bass line was supplied. The roman numbers figured the bass, additionally, meaning the relationship of the parts to the bass. Root position is called the 5/3 chord. First inversion 'the 6 chord', short for 6/3 (the 6 meaning the relationship of the root with the bass). Typically 'voice-leading' indicates working with harmony. Now, it is true that one is free to pursue interest via non-chord tones but that does not mean 'melody without harmony'. I think that has to be clarified for the reader here.

Historically 'part-writing' in a practice we might call 'counterpoint' predates chord naming as a determinant. But the goal was harmony. In broad terms, the practice came out of elaborating plainsong in multiple voices.

[Jace-BeOS]

Recently I had this moral dilemma. I know my stuff but I'm reluctant to share as I have the classical camp who feel that all western music ideas come from that side of things and that side of things alone. And on the other side I have myself asking...What's the point of posting this stuff if someone is just going to graze over it and not try to follow through. And then I think to myself....well it took sometimes a second or even third look at a music theory construct before I applied it. Maybe it will be the same for someone else. Maybe they've read this before and this is the time they will read it and apply it. Or maybe it's the first time they've ever read it because they didn't have access to the books I've read or things I've experienced.

i admire when anyone is willing to share their expertise and knowledge. Whether or not someone just grazes through... well, the content could be used later down the line, if not now by the intended audience. And, as you said, repetition helps. The more someone is exposed to it, the more chance for it to stick. This has been true for me with a number of things in life (just, probably not music theory, hah).

[Jace-BeOS]

For instance, guitar players too often make lines based on finger patterns.

I observed this in my own experience, guitar imposes specific patterns, as well as piano imposes its own patterns. But don't you think singing imposes its own patterns too? There are lines that are naturally easy to sing and lines that are hard to execute.

I found it a funny exercise, to compose vocal lines on piano, or bass lines with voice... It usually turns out to require more gymnastics when playing/singing them, but also helps to break patterns and come up with some fresh ideas. Of course, I'm pretty bad singer and pretty bad player, so maybe I'm not too good example.

i've noticed these patterns of influence based on instruments, myself. i'm not a proper instrumentalist, so i think the instrument's note pattern layout influences me more than i control it. But that's also a nice way to break one's self out of habits. If i have spent all my life picking notes and patterns and progressions as i see fit in sequencers and trackers, not knowing what my own habits (bad or otherwise) are, i can be forcibly moved out of that habit by picking up an actual acoustic instrument and trying to do something with it when it is foreign to me.

With voice... i think i shaped my singing voice by three bands/artists. i don't know what my own style is because i've not done enough of my own work to really... grow into it and define it over time.

[tapper mike]

There are also other methods to harmonize a given melody. Voice leading stipulates that the melody (voice) is the upper most voice of the chord. As we learn to spell chords upward we can learn to harmonize a chord from a note downward.

Block chords do not operate in the same manner as "smart voicing" it is an alternative method of voice leading. When one uses block chords place the melody on the top and then use that as the root of the chord that you are harmonizing to. This method was popular for harmonizing melody lines for brass sections during the big band era.



The Shearing block chord approach would be near impossible for a guitarist to achieve regardless of tuning methods. And it certainly would present a challenge for a keyboard player of modest abilities.

However one does not have to use the entire voicing.
Rich Severson uses only three notes from the original 5 notes that Hyman demonstrates


I'll save you the 99 cents. He plays melodies based on the blues scale. the harmony is downward. The top note is harmonized to the 6th below that and the third below that. This is a common harmonization technique for smaller woodwind/brass sections.

to be continued.....