A0S2 HARMONY & TONALITY A0S2 HARMONY & TONALITY A0S2 HARMONY & TONALITY A0S2 HARMONY & TONALITY

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2 Harmony Harmony is when two or more notes of different pitch are played at the same time. The accompanying parts in a piece of music are sometimes called the harmony Harmony can be diatonic or chromatic Diatonic Diatonic harmony is when the notes belong to the main key of a piece Chromatic Chromatic harmony is when the notes don t belong to the main key of the piece. Interval The difference between two notes is called an interval. 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8 th Octave These intervals begin on C, but you can have any note at the bottom.

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4 Chords When two or more notes are played at the same time, they form a chord. Chords can be major or minor, they can also be dissonant. Consonant Consonance is a word to describe chords and intervals that sound nice, the notes sound as if they fit together. 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths and octaves are all consonant. 4 th and 5 th are known as perfect intervals. Dissonant Dissonance is a word used to describe chords and intervals that clash, they don t sound very nice and you want them to resolve (move to a nonclashing note). 2nds and 7ths are dissonant intervals. Dissonance can be useful if you want to create a sense of terror or build up tension. It s also very useful for modulations. Drones and Pedal Notes A drone is a long, held on note, usually in the bass. Drones are used a lot in Indian music, they create a foundation that the scale or mode is based on. Pedal notes are different; they re either a sustained or repeated notes, again usually in the bass part, while the harmony above changes between the various chords. The pedal note is the tonic or dominant.

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6 Modulation Modulation is where there is a key change in a piece of music. Modulations are common, but they re not just random choices. They usually move to a related key. Modulating is a way of developing a piece of music and taking it in new directions. Pivot Chord When modulating to a new key, you need to find a chord that s the same in both the old key and the new key. This is called the pivot chord. You normally put in the pivot chord before a perfect cadence in the new key. Abrupt Modulation In abrupt modulation there s no pivot chord, and no other preparation either. It just happens. Often the modulation is between two keys just one semitone apart, e.g. Bb major to B major. This creates a sudden, dramatic effect; it s meant to give the music an excited, uplifted feeling. Cadences Cadences emphasise the end of a phrase. A cadence is the shift between the second-last chord and the last chord in a phrase. The effect you get from shifting between the two chords works like a comma or a full stop. There are four types of cadences Second-Last Chord Last Chord Cadence Chord V Chord I Perfect Chord IV Chord I Plagal Chord I,II or IV Chord V Imperfect Chord V Any except chord I, usually chord VI Interrupted

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8 Perfect Cadence Perfect cadences work like a full stop. You finish your phrase with chord V - I Imperfect Cadence Imperfect cadences work like a comma. You finish your phrase with chord I (ii or IV) -V Plagal Cadence Plagal cadences work like a full stop. You finish your phrase with chord IV - I Interrupted Cadence Interrupted cadences work like a comma. You finish your phrase with chord V - vi

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10 Tierce de Picardie If a piece of music is in a minor key, you d expect it to finish with a minor chord. However, some composers (especially Baroque composers) choose to finish a minor piece with a major chord, by using a major third in the last chord. This is known as a Tierce de Picardie. Relative Major When modulating to the relative major, you are modulating to a scale which has a closely related key signature. Using the circle of fifths is an excellent way of working out closely related key signatures. Modulation Terms In a scale, each note has a name. Tonic 1 st note Supertonic 2 nd note Mediant 3 rd note Subdominant 4 th note Dominant 5 th note Submediant 6 th note Leading Note 7 th note Relative Minor All major keys have a relative minor. To find this, just count down three semitones (count to the left). For example, the relative minor of C is A minor. Harmonic minors will use the relative major key signature and will raise the 7th note of the scale.