Translate

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

476. RIFFS VERSUS CHORDS. MUSIC MADE BY RIFFS , OSTINATO, AND OTHER VARIATIONAL REPETITIONS OF MELODIC THEMES .

 

(see also article 74) 

Riffs are melodic-rhythmic  variating repetitions , and are the progenitors of chord arpeggios. They are used mainly for folk dance music like Irish Reels. A riff is decompsed to a number of moves. 

An other term for riff in this book, that you shall meet is "Chromatic arpeggio." 

RIFFS are as powerful for the simplicity of composing melodies  as the CHORDS are ! 


The most common pattern would be e.g. a 4 bars (=measure) or moves  pattern, so that each step (measure) or move   is again 4 beats,  and the 3 beats ar on a single note called center a while , the 4th on a second b .  Thus the move can be conceived as the single central note a. A move can be also of 3 beats, where 2 beats are on a and one beat on b.
The 4 moves,  create in this way by their cetral notes , intervals. 
Usually a riff will correspond to a single chord  (central notes in a chord) or a chord transition (central notes in two chords) .
When playing riffs, it is convenient to accompany them with a drum instrument, rather that chord-playing instrument. It is also convenient to play them in a single note (e.g. flute) diatonic instrument, as diatonic riffs, are directly playable. The we simple repeat the riff till it gets boring in which case we modulate it up or down the diatonic scale, and possible further variate it by changing the type of the involved intervals (2nds chromatic, 3rds melodic, 4ths or 5ths harmonic). If the rhythm gets boring we variate  the rhythmic pattern it too. If the order-topology shape gets boring we variate the order-topology sdhape too. In this way we can produce long duration music which is mesmerizing, healing, and full of dancing.  

Example




Thursday, February 13, 2025

475. THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF BEBOP SCALES IN JAZZ

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbdVXpCbsJQ&ab_channel=DanielWeiss


The general concept of a jazz bebop 8 notes bebop scales is by superimposing two well known scales, that differ by one note . E.g. C major+F major, or A natural minor+A harmonic minor etc.

The general concept of a jazz bebop 9 notes bebop scales is by superimposing two or more well known scales, that differ in total by 2 notes . E.g. G major+C major+F major, or A natural minor+A Double harmonic minor etc.


The general concept of a jazz bebop 10 notes bebop scales is by superimposing two or more well known scales, that differ in total by 3 notes . E.g. G major+C major+F major+ Bb major , or A natural minor+A Double harmonic minor + D natural minor etc.


By soloing on a bebop scacle we can improvise over the chords of all the constituent sb-scales of 7 notes. 


Thursday, February 6, 2025

474. HOW TO COMBINE THE 3-1 RULE OF MELODIC THEMES WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHORD PROGRESSION (FOR 2-CHORDS-SPAN OF THEMES).

 The meaning of 3-1 is that we have a melody from 4 themes a1, a2,a3,b  , where a1,a2,a3 are a repetation 3 times of a single theme, or a similarity variation of a single theme, and then the melodic phrase closes with the thems b.

Similartly woud be interp=reted the 2-1 patter, and 1-1 patter.


The way to relate with the harmony of a chord progression is that each theme ai, is usually a chord R, or a chord transiton (R1, R2), or a double chord transition (R1,R2,R3).


The correspondence starts by requiring that te closure theme b is an harmonic transition  resolution transition (R1,R2), e.g. R1=D7, R2=G, or R1=G7, R2=C.

Then if the underlying chords of a1,a2,a3 are (Rai, Ra(i+1)), then they could be 

a) an inversion of a resolution 

b) a melodic transition from major to minor or from minor to major 

c) a chromatic transition 

d) again a harmonic resolution

The 3-1 pattern is best fitting to poetry especially to 15-syllable poetry, and coresponds to 2-lines,

where a1, is 4 syllables, a2 4 sylables (together one line of 8 syllables ) , the a3 4 syllables and b 3 syllables (together the 2nd line of 7 syllables).


The 3-1 pattern fits also with teh andlauzian cadenca.

a1<-> 6m

a2<-> 5M

a3<-> 4M

b<->  3M7

Once the chord transitions (Ri, R(i+1) are defined , we define also all the melodic themes and lines

m1, m2 , m3,...mk corresponding to them, and we represent them geometrically as horizontal lines

We choose the best diatonic scale to fit them (or fit a aprt of the chord progression) , and we denote the notes of teh scale by integer numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.

This is in the context of chromatic tonality (in the sense thata we may change scale, but sill we write as if in  asingle diatonic scale and all allouter notes are caled teh blue or chromatic notes, denoted by n# or nb .

For each melodic line mi, (which may be considered a riff too , see post 476) that corresponsd to the transition (Ri, R(i+1)) we write as optional starting note  the middle (2nd note) of the 3-notes chord Ri, and as end note the middle of the chord R(i+1). It is optional because we could start and end at any note of the chords Ri, R(i+1).

Then on the melodic line mi, we write no other notes, and the timing of the notes exceps the chromatic or blue notes contained in the chord transition (Ri, R(i+1)) . It is recommended that the melodic line pass from the blue notes. In this way of pre-writing the compositon or improvisation, we leave space for free choice of the notes in the improvisation or composition, which is experimented with and chosen according to the emotions that that particular choice of intermediate notes creates. If it is palyed in a particular instrumemt, the convenience of palying also play a role in the choice. We do not also determine an up or down direction of the melodic line or a waving pattern. This may vary in the repetitions of the parts of the song or for the final choice in a composition after experimentation. Thus, as we see we do not use the pentagram , and the writing is more abstract than a final sequence of notes.

This sequence of geometric lines with abstract specifications , is called The melody geometic poem, or the RIFFS POEM.


The melodic-lines are grouped after the pattern 3-1, or 2-1, or 1-1, etc. 

The final resolution 1 of the pattern 3-1, is not only in harmony a resolution but also a kind of inversion or resolution of the order-topoly shapes of the 3 melodic themes, in the 3-1 pattern.

Also they are classified after the harmony as, melodic, chromatic, harmonic, resolutions, and inverses of resolutions. 

All these characterizations have of course emotional meaning.

But they are also classified according to their order topology shape. Ascending, descending, waving, stationary, spikes, etc. 

As we see, we leave the order topology shape for the experiment and emotions to decide.

When in a keyboard (like the thumpjum digital harp) this way of writing makes it very-very easy to improvise for composition experimentation. 





Sunday, January 19, 2025

473. MILES DAVIS MYSTERY-MIRACLE OF MANY HOURS "A CAPELLA" IMPROVISATION IN CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS.

 Mile Davis and his bands is attributed with the mystery-miracle of many hours "a capella" improvisation in concerts and disc recordings.

A careful analysis reveals why this "miracle" occurs.


We will start with the very well known similar "miracle" of many hours of "a capella" meditational improvisation within a single diatonic scale.and a single monotone tonal chord, and we will reduce the Mile Davis Bands miracle to this. We only have to substitute the singlle diatonic scale with a ingle bebop 9-notes scale.

A single 8-notes bebop scale=the union of 2 diatonic scales in harmonic relation (an interval of 4th apart).

E.g. G-C.

A single 9-notes bebop scale=the union of 3 diatonic scales in harmonic relation (an interval of 4th apart).

E.g. G-C-F.

Now if e.g. C has a s tonal chord, the C major, then a 9-notes bebop scale has  "tonal chord", in teh example before, teh 3 major chords are G, C, F, which are also the chords used in 12 bars blues say in C major scale. But the practice of soloing in 12 bars blues in C major, resulted in soloing in the 3 diatonic scales G, C , F , or in the corresponding single 9-notes bebop scale. This exlains why the evolution of jazz and blues resulted in 9 notes bebop scales.

Then  the next 6 characteristscs of the improvisations of Mile-davies bands explain the rest

1) Mile Davis bands improvisation is a minimalistic improvisation. In other words, the number of notes is small compared to the number of rythmic beats. This makes it a slow, cool, and relatively relaxing, and pleasant music in the background.

2) There are not really chords (it is not a chord-based improvisation as e.g. in the Gypsy jazz).

Even the piano is playing mainly solos. This gives more freedom. The background is only the drums

and the bass, which essentially goes step-wise and rhythmically up and down a single 9-notes bebop scale. A Mile davis band typicaly is 5 members. The drums, the bass, piano, a trumpet and possibly a saxophone

3) Each of the 3 members who may improvise by solos (piano, trumpet, saxophone) is most ofteh times in turn and not simulteneously as in the classical New Orleans jazz.

4) The solo, in a stable way maninly in a single 9-notes bebop scale! 

5) The final experience si a group meditation of 5 muscicians , that their brains produce gamma bran waves. 








 

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

472. VARIATIONS OF THE BASIC TRIAD OF CHORDS 5M7 , 1M, 4M , IN BLUES.

 The basic harmonic triad of major chords in a diatonic scale is used in blues (12 bars blues or not) 


A chromatic variation-pertrubation (similar to that in the previous post  471) is to shift by a simitone up the 5M and 4M, to 5#dim7 and 4#dim7 respectively . 

The 4#dim7 resolves to 5M, while the 1he 5#dim7 resolves to 1M 

Alternative resuotuion to 1M is also the 5aug to 1M or 5M7->5aug->1M.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

471. VARIATIONS OF THE BASIC TRIAD OF CHORDS 3M7 6m 2m FOR HARMONIC MINOR IN GREEK REBETIKA FOLK SONGS.

 4M7 6m 2m BECOMES SOMETIMES

7M7 3M7 6m 

4M 3M7 6m 2m

 3M7 6m, 7bM, 2m

4M 3M7 6m 2m, 2#M

 3M7 6dim7 2m

3M7 6m 2dim7 

The latter variations are more often in a specific kind of folk songs Rebetika called Chasiklidika.

Monday, December 23, 2024

470. ESTAS TONNE METHOD OF PRODUCING 20 OR 55 MINUTES OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVISATIONAL MESMERIZING MUSIC

 See also post 74.


Estas Tonne, is concentrating very often in permuting the chords of the basic harmonic triad of harmonic minor E.g. 3M7-6m-2m , and with varying arpegios and ostinatos for each one. Then extending it to 4M-3M7-6m-2m, Thus alternating melodic chrd transitions like  6m-$m or 2m-4M , and adding chromatic transitions like 3M7-4M. 
Finally after spending much time on that extending it to the 6 harmonic cycle

3M7-6m-2m-5M-1M-4M

Some times instead of extending to the harmonic 6-cycle, he transposes harmonically e.g. to 

6M7-2m-5m-1M7-4M-BbM7. 

He may alternate the 3M7-6m fast or double the duration of each chord of the harmonic pair 

3M7-6m, and get the harmony in slow motion.

The overall result is that by taking a well kown diatonic or chromatic diatonic harmony of a song with the arpeggios and ostinatos (riffs) the result is a 20- or even 55-minute musical improvisational piece! 

The key ideas are

1)  Harmonic structure =minimal (e.g. a triad Bm-Em-Am but varied with 7th and 6ths)
2) Rhythm, fast but chord duration=maximal
3) Soloing=minimal
4) Chord Harping=maximal
5) Octaves variation across the fretboard=maximal (like improvising one note on many octaves)
6) Volume variations=maximal
7) Pitch ascension, descending by octaves=maximal
8) Ocean feeling=maximal