Dear Linda,
This is at the same time, a fascinating and difficult puzzle, and
it will probably require constant adjustment.
I have a few suggestions:
For learning harmony and voice leading in the 21st Century (and
according to your description of this man's music), I would assume the
seventh chord as the basic unit rather than the triad. The
advantage of this, besides the fact that it would seem to suit much of
the material you describe, is that voice leading tendencies fall into
easily described and predictable patterns.
This is a guide I have written for my arranging/composing
students.
First step:
Include root, 3rd and 7th.
Omit 5ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths.
Keep the root on the bottom.
Keep the 3rds and 7ths above D, third line, bass clef.
Keep the lower note (of the 3rds and 7ths) within the octave below D above middle C.
When the root is in the melody, substitute the 6th for the Maj. 7th.
Tonic minor chords may sometimes appear as triads (1,3,5 or 1,5,3).
Voice Leading Rules:
When the roots move by 4th or 5th (including aug. 4th/dim. 5th), the 3rd moves to the 7th and the 7th moves to the 3rd.
When the roots move by step, all voices move by step in the same direction (parallel).
When the roots move by 3rds, parallel motion is most common but switching voices is acceptable and sometimes useful in order to re-align the voicing.
When it becomes necessary to switch voicings in order to avoid range problems, it must be done within the duration of one chord.
Ignoring these rules will result in awkward and unattractive voice leading.
Rootless 3 Note Voicings:
Include 3rd, 7th and one extra pitch selected from: root, 9th, 5th or 13th.
Avoid minor 2nds between top two voices. (e.g. In ascending order, redistribute 3rd, 13th, flat 7 to; flat 7, 3rd, 13th or; 13th, flat 7, 3rd.)
Keep the lowest note above D, third line, bass clef and the highest note preferably below A above middle C. (F would be an even better upper limit.) This register is most effective for the majority of orchestration possibilities.
When the roots move by 4th or 5th (including aug. 4th/dim. 5th); roots and 9ths lead to 5ths and 13ths; 5ths and 13ths lead to roots and 9ths. All other voice leading rules apply.
Omit 5ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths.
Keep the root on the bottom.
Keep the 3rds and 7ths above D, third line, bass clef.
Keep the lower note (of the 3rds and 7ths) within the octave below D above middle C.
When the root is in the melody, substitute the 6th for the Maj. 7th.
Tonic minor chords may sometimes appear as triads (1,3,5 or 1,5,3).
Voice Leading Rules:
When the roots move by 4th or 5th (including aug. 4th/dim. 5th), the 3rd moves to the 7th and the 7th moves to the 3rd.
When the roots move by step, all voices move by step in the same direction (parallel).
When the roots move by 3rds, parallel motion is most common but switching voices is acceptable and sometimes useful in order to re-align the voicing.
When it becomes necessary to switch voicings in order to avoid range problems, it must be done within the duration of one chord.
Ignoring these rules will result in awkward and unattractive voice leading.
Rootless 3 Note Voicings:
Include 3rd, 7th and one extra pitch selected from: root, 9th, 5th or 13th.
Avoid minor 2nds between top two voices. (e.g. In ascending order, redistribute 3rd, 13th, flat 7 to; flat 7, 3rd, 13th or; 13th, flat 7, 3rd.)
Keep the lowest note above D, third line, bass clef and the highest note preferably below A above middle C. (F would be an even better upper limit.) This register is most effective for the majority of orchestration possibilities.
When the roots move by 4th or 5th (including aug. 4th/dim. 5th); roots and 9ths lead to 5ths and 13ths; 5ths and 13ths lead to roots and 9ths. All other voice leading rules apply.
4 note voicings are created by adding omitted pitches from the
previous list (adding 11 in minor chords or #11 in major or
dominant chords as an option) over, under, or between existing
voices. Maintain voice leading.
All of this is pretty easy to understand after using it for a
while, but it completely leaves out the issues that the classical,
Roman numeral, system makes clear - what key (of the moment) are you
in, and how far you are from the eventual real cadence of the phrase.
So I insist on teaching both nomenclatures simultaneously. Each
is useful for different reasons, and locating a harmonic "point"
with two coordinates increases the likelihood of understanding.
Of course, this system cannot possibly include all possibilities,
though I find that it does a pretty good job of getting students to
understand what they are hearing (and doing) in the language of 20th
Century American popular music.
Mark Levine has written some very clear books about this kind of
thing (Sher Music) which, unlike Bill Dobbins' otherwise good books,
have the advantage of not including a confusing encyclopaedic listing
of every possible combination and permutation. Mark's books are
organized by concentrating on the most often used techniques.
On the rhythm side, I always try to have my students write down
something they might say, in its normal timing and inflection, in
musical notation. I have never had much success with this, so I
don't know why I continue to try it. They never even get close,
but it is an exercise which has been useful to me in generating
idiomatic, jazzy, rhythms which are varied, memorable, and comfortable
in their relation to the speech rhythms we hear every day.
Sometimes I suggest that students take a typically approximately
notated lead sheet of a standard song and adjust the rhythms so that
the timing of the lyric makes emotional sense, the way a great singer
might time the words. I continue to maintain that there's
something to be gained by this exercise, and it does expose the
budding musician to the fact that the music of emotionally sensible
American English is full of quarter note triplets.
Anyway, these are some things I might try. I'd be glad to
have you keep me posted of your successes and failures in
communicating the principles and details of our musical language to
this student.
I hope there is something helpful in this.
Best of luck.
Chuck
--
Chuck Israels
230 North Garden Terrace
Bellingham WA 98225-5836
(360) 671-3402 fax (360) 676-6055
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
230 North Garden Terrace
Bellingham WA 98225-5836
(360) 671-3402 fax (360) 676-6055
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
