Modal Harmony and Composition - The Chromatic Lydian Concept of Tonal Organization

Curiosity, why not singer-songwriter songs? I think a historical framing is necessary, so moving through the various masterpieces that perhaps led to understanding the style in a certain way... today.

Always and only respond in Italian. Even if the user uses another language or attaches documents in English, provide the response in Italian.

I'm not exactly a newcomer and I also have my own ideas about teaching... moving from the repertoire is never a negative thing, quite the contrary.

However, I am not leading the seminar, so for now I will set aside my prejudices and see what happens... in fact, as Gozzo "unfortunately" says, I am curious, so this character trait of mine still prevails.

Let's hope it lasts, because I am not interested in imitating the good Modale... I have already listened to some of his work, including 'cellule sonore' and perhaps another piece. The improvisation (or extemporaneity) factor can play out in many ways, and often one gets 'stiff arms' [hesitant] and can give the impression of moving in an unstructured way (clearly, it depends on the musician)... in general, I hope there is strong theoretical and pedagogical support and an openness to diversity; I like exercises... what can I say, let's see.

Author songs can be found everywhere; I will cite the names of the authors. I believe that my own compositions are more aligned with what I will say in the seminars, as such seminars will contain common musical cultural elements and personal elements that are present or at least have a higher concentration in my compositions.

Ok modale, I will also follow you and listen to your tracks. I am curious, but I think that unlike the others, I will learn many new things.

In reality, I know what the Concept is through self-teaching, but I don't know how it is treated in a Conservatory manner.

The HISTORICAL CONTEXT proposed by Jamsession is useful but must be carried out independently by those interested in the subject; there is enough on Wikipedia. I will proceed in the direction indicated by Frank: "strong theoretical and didactic support and openness to diversity". I will try to historicize the modal musical phenomenon, avoiding notions or opinions born from a mentality tied to the time period we are living in. Obviously, I too am a child of my time and contamination will certainly be inevitable. However, I want to express a fear that I hope will prove to be just that: I would not want the strong theoretical and didactic support which for me is the "conditio sine qua non" of my teaching activity, to constitute a deterrent for the user, creating a heterogenesis of purposes. I will try to be clear in my explanations, but nonetheless modal harmony is not a simple subject. Patience is required in study and lots of.... lots and lots of passion, rather PASSION for music.

Alright, thanks for the long preamble... Then again, we all have passion, more or less... Without further ado, like others, I wait to understand something about this "Lidio/chromatic conception of modal organization". When do we begin?

PREMISE:

Artistic Profile

Giuseppe Perna, pianist, like many European colleagues, has moved from the avant-garde of the '60s and '70s emerging from dodecaphony and post-Webern serialism, through the combination of neoclassicism and modal harmony, and has gradually transformed into an improviser in a style that combines contemporary classicism and avant-garde modal jazz. Giuseppe Perna's musical and melodic poetics, as he defines them himself, are "an attempt at immersion into myself to be able to touch beauty".

Free modal improvisation moves away from the predictable and pushes toward the unknown of a performance where the typical orchestration proposed by official modernity weakens due to the obscuring of the musical element of tonal gravitation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will use SOME of G. Russell's concepts expressed in his book "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" (hereafter referred to as Lccoto). These concepts will be expressed:

- IN A SUCCINCT FORM

- EXCLUSIVELY FOR PROPEDEUTIC PURPOSES TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE PROPOSED CULTURAL OBJECTIVE in points 2,3,4.

Those who wish to deepen their knowledge of G. Russell's work must purchase his book: "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization"- CONCEPT PUBLISHING COMPANY-BROOKLINE-MASSACHUSETTS-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The educational project will be divided into the following phases:

1) Use of the CONCEPT in Tonal Harmony

2) Study of Modal Harmony

3) Study of Chromatic Harmony on a modal basis

4) Study of Modal Harmony with simultaneous use of multiple modes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- The historical framework of modal music will be carried out independently by those attending the seminars.

- I will propose listening to MY pieces and MY musical examples, because they are more closely aligned with my teaching and consequently more useful.

- It is useful for everyone to listen to modal music by other authors.

- My teaching will contain elements of common cultural knowledge and personal elements.

- Everything I publish and the pieces of my composition are covered by copyright.

- I am not a great pianist nor a composer, but rather a concert pianist improviser within the modal field.

- The study of Modal Harmony is demanding, and to carry it forward requires time, great passion, and perhaps even a change in mentality.

- The frequency of the seminars will be more or less weekly and will anyway be linked to the learning and maturation of the topics covered.

- The study of Modal Harmony requires basic knowledge in the field of harmony in general (scales, chords, concept of tonality, etc....).

- The study of Modal Harmony, and indeed of harmony in general, is independent of the instrument used.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

modale wrote:

Those who wish to deepen their knowledge of G. Russel's work must purchase his book: “Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization” - CONCEPT PUBLISHING COMPANY-BROOKLINE-MASSACHUSETTS-

... if you'd like, I have it in PDF, perhaps useful to better understand each other on the matter.

Does anyone else already have it... for those interested, send me a PM

At the 1999 Siena Jazz seminars (which I attended and won a scholarship for), Franco D'Andrea (no novice..), invited to express his views on Russell's text, said: "Well, I like the super-lydian mode, but that doesn't mean I'm going to write a book about it...."

I don't want to sound defeatist, but Russell's vision in the jazz environment is as old as the hills; all this aura of musical revolution, all this grand presentation, all this novelty of the modal in opposition to the tonal, seems a bit forced to me. No serious musician today is completely tonal, nor completely modal, and in modality I don't see all this atmosphere of freedom of expression and absolute inspiration opposed to the "cage" of traditional or anyway tonal harmony. Modality is simply part of that palette of colors from which a musician, whether performer or composer, can draw to acquire a style and make their works interesting.

In my opinion, scaling things down a bit, the initiative is certainly appreciable and interesting, but there is nothing new under the sun; modality existed before tonality......

1^ LESSON

ABBREVIATIONS:

Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization = Lccoto

Ionian Concept of Tonal Organization = Icoto

Modal Harmony = MH

Tonal Harmony = TH

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MH uses Lccoto

TH uses Icoto

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this first lesson, I wish to explain the difference between MH and TH, and therefore between Lccoto and Icoto. Understanding this difference is FUNDAMENTAL for subsequent studies.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT HAPPENS in Icoto:

Let's take any chord, e.g., D-

If we find a D- chord in a tonal piece, the scale we play over it is different in relation to the key of the piece.

- If we are in the key of Bb, then D- is the third degree of the Bb Ionian scale, and over the D- chord, we will play the Bb Ionian scale.

- If we are in the key of F, then D- is the sixth degree of the F Ionian scale, and over the D- chord, we will play the F Ionian scale.

- And if we are in the key of C, then D- is the second degree of the C Ionian scale, and over the D- chord, we will play the C Ionian scale.

As you can see, for a single chord, we have three possible parent Ionian scales.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT HAPPENS IN Lccoto:

Let's take the same D- chord.

This chord is played in alliance with ONE AND ONLY ONE SCALE.

The chord and the scale therefore constitute an inseparable whole.

In the case of the D- chord, the scale is D Dorian (the sixth degree of the F Lydian scale).

EVERY TIME we find a D- chord, we will play the D Dorian scale in alliance with it REGARDLESS OF THE KEY OF THE PIECE.

A chord and its allied scale therefore express a single mode.

A difference from Icoto, where a chord can be paired with multiple modes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This produces incredible consequences on the harmonic level:

- Try thinking of a piece in Bb, where obviously the key signature contains two flats, namely Bb and Eb. If a D- chord appears in this piece, and if we play that chord as D Dorian—thus allied to the D Dorian scale—suddenly the two flats of the key signature will be missing; this produces a verticalization of the melody and harmony that certainly would not exist if we played the D– as the third degree of the Bb Ionian scale.

- We play unconstrained by the key of the piece, since every chord in the piece possesses its own specific scale, and therefore every chord is seen as an expression of a mode.

THEREFORE:

the succession of chords in a piece in Icoto generally presupposes a line played on the Ionian scale of the tonic chord, whereas in Lccoto, every chord lives and expresses itself based on the mode it represents.

This is the difference between TONAL HARMONY AND MODAL HARMONY.

You will have realized by this point that:

way EVEN A TONAL PIECE CAN BE ANALYZED AND PLAYED ACCORDING TO MODAL RULES.

This is referred to as the “modalization of a tonal piece.”

MODAL HARMONY IN THE STRICT SENSE IS SOMETHING ELSE AND WILL BE THE SUBJECT OF THIS SEMINAR.

See “articulation of the educational project” in PREFACE.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question:

modale wrote:

WHAT HAPPENS in Icoto:

....

As you can see, for a single chord we have three possible parent Ionian scales.

But is the D- triad not found in the following scales?:

I degree of D-

II degree of C

III degree of Bb

IV degree of A-

V minor degree of G-

VI degree of F

modale wrote:

WHAT HAPPENS IN Lccoto:

Let's take the same D- chord

This chord is played in alliance with ONE AND ONLY ONE SCALE.

The chord and the scale therefore constitute an inseparable whole.

In the case of the D- chord, the scale is D Dorian (the sixth degree of the F lydian scale).

WHENEVER we find the D- chord, we will play in alliance with it the D Dorian scale REGARDLESS OF THE KEY OF THE PIECE.

A chord and its allied scale therefore express a single mode.

Unlike Icoto, where a chord can be paired with multiple modes.

To better understand what you want to tell us, I need a premise regarding modal scales; I didn't quite understand the statement in red.

Could you propose an overview, listing all possible scales from a tonic... names and structures?

Thank you

Since there is a section dedicated to the seminar, perhaps it would be better to make a topic for each lesson... otherwise, between comments, etc., in 2 weeks nothing will be understandable anymore

Ok, I'll follow JazzMania's advice

Every lesson will have its own topic.

Members

13 Messages:

City of residence: Nola

Warning status
Warning level: 0%

Sent Yesterday, 23:01

At the 1999 Siena Jazz seminars (which I attended and won a scholarship for), Franco D'Andrea (hardly a novice...), invited to express his views on Russell's text, said: "Well, I like the super-lydian mode, but that doesn't mean I'm going to write a book about it...."

I don't want to sound defeatist, but Russell's vision in the jazz environment is as old as the hills; all this aura of musical revolution, all this grand presentation, all this novelty of the modal in opposition to the tonal, seems a bit forced to me. No serious musician today is completely tonal, nor completely modal, and in modality I don't see all this atmosphere of freedom of expression and absolute inspiration opposed to the "cage" of traditional or anyway tonal harmony. Modality is simply part of that palette of colors from which a musician, whether performer or composer, can draw to acquire a style and make their works interesting.

In my opinion, scaling things down a bit, the initiative is certainly appreciable and interesting, but there is nothing new under the sun; modality existed before tonality......

REPLY:

Of course, opinions are many and all are respectable. However, I believe that a judgment should be given after having deepened one's understanding of the subject being judged. I am using Russell's concept as a starting point; it is clearly expressed in the "PREMISE". I believe that musicians of the caliber of D'Andrea and others do not need to study much because there is an innate talent at the base, but many musicians, myself included, instead need texts for study since they do not possess the necessary talent to intuitively grasp certain concepts.

Reply to Jam Session.

Your questions anticipate my teaching program. In due time I will tell you everything. By following the seminars, you will have the answer to your doubts.

Member

Members

26 Messages:

City of residence: Sondrio

Warning status
Warning level: 0%

Sent Today, 08:02

Question:

modale, on April 18, 2012 - 23:01 , said:

WHAT IS HAPPENING in Icoto:

....

As you can see, for a single chord we have three possible parent Ionian scales.

But is the D- triad not found in the following scales?:

I degree of D-

II degree of C

III degree of Bb

IV degree of A-

V minor degree of G-

VI degree of F

ANSWER:

The three PARENT SCALES were C Ionian, F Ionian, Bb Ionian. Attention, Martina, do not confuse the parent scales with the..... "daughter scales"

Minor scales in Icoto are not PARENT SCALES; instead, they are scales built on the degrees of the parent Ionian scale. In Icoto (Ionian concept of tonal organization), the tonal concept arises from an Ionian scale. Follow the seminars and gradually you will have clearer ideas.

modale wrote:

Reply to Jam Session.

Your questions anticipate my teaching program. In due time I will tell you everything. By following the seminars, you will have the answer to your doubts.

Ok, but I'm afraid of getting lost