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.
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.
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
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
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.