(This post has not yet being completely written)
THE KEY-WORD HERE IN THE 4TH GENERATION DIGITAL MUSIC FOR THE MUSICAL-THEORETIC IDEAS OF THIS POST (AS FAR AS MORDEN SOFTWARE FOR MUSIC MAKING IS ) IS MELODY-SEQUENCERS
THE TERM SEQUENCER MEANS HERE A LOOP OR RHYTHMIC CYCLE OF A MELODIC THEME THAT IS VARIATED INTERACTIVELY BY THE USER IN A MELODIC SEQUENCER.
THERE MANY GOOD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FOR THIS COMPOSITION AND IMPROVISATION LIKE FUGUE MACHINE, YAMAHA MOBILE SEQUENCER, THUMPJAM ETC. ALAO ARPIO AND ARPEGGIONOME FOR GENERAL ARPEGGIOS ALTERNATED WITH MELODIC IMPROVISATIONS
The 3 elementary melodic themes, as we mentioned earlier (e.g. in posts 66 and 69 ) , are the ascending melodic interval of two notes, the isokratic melodic interval of two equal notes and the descending melodic interval of two notes.
The 4 basic transformations of them are
(we should remark that such transformations may be interpreted not only in one pitch dimension of the scale, but in modern digital musical instruments with 2-dimesional scales layouts (like Musix (see post 12 and post 312) e.g. horizontally by 2nds andvertically by 3rds) we may have 2-dimensional interpretaion of the transformations or melodic themes variations. In 2-dimensional interprtation except of these 4 we may also have rotations! )
1) The translation (either with intervals of 2nd , (or diatonic density) or intervals of 3rd (or middle harmonic density) or of intervals of 4th or 5th (or high harmonic density)). Translations with intervals of 3rd, may applied without changing the underlying chord, or changing it to a relative chord. Translations with intervals of 4th and 5ths, occur when the underlying chords are in resolution-relation that is successive chords on the wheel of 4ths. Translation by one semitone or chromatic translation may happen in the cases where the underlying chords are in resolution relation (successive chords on the wheel of 4ths) and the first is a dominant 7th chord, or when the underlying chords also have roots at distance of one semitone.
2) The melodic density change, density contraction or expansion called also similitude Often it is neither isocratic expansion neither isocratic contraction but rotation in the sense of stationary cyclic waving like an harping in a chord.(see post 68 and 78)
3) The inversion where the ascending pitch move becomes descending.
Translations and inversion may both relative to pitch or relative to rhythm.
4) Mutation: this practically means that we give up with the particular (order topological) shape of the melodic theme and shift to a a new waving or move or melodic theme.
The 5 basic melodic moves (see e.g. post 69) , being more complicated have more types of transformations, as derived by the writing in a pentagram :
1) Translation
2) Inversion relative to a point
3) Reflection relative to an horizontal line
4) Reflection relative to a vertical line.
5) Rhythm transformation
to the above five we may add the
6) Acceleration (e.g. from the diatonic speed or density to the middle harmonic speed or density) or Deceleration (vice-versa).
Bach has often used the above 6 transformations in his fugue.
More complicated ways to transform a theme are at least the next 5 and combinations of them (see also post 41)
1) Translate it in different pitches (within a scale or not changing possibly the pitch distances )
2) Translate in time (repeat it)
3) Invert it in time or change its rhythm (if at the begging is slower and at the end faster it will be now the reverse etc)
4) Invert it or distort it in pitch (Create 1st 2nd 3rd or 4th voice versions, utilizing the chord progression as rules of transformation of the theme, or if it is ascending now it will be descending etc)
6) Increase or decrease the size of steps while ascending or descending (pitch dilation)
Often melodic bridges from a chord to the next, may start with harmonic speed or density covering the first chord A and then decelerate to diatonic speed or density when reaching to the next chord B.
After the chord progression and simplicial submelody we chose,
THE DEFINITION OF MELODIC BRIDGES THAN LINK TWO SUCCESSIVE CHORDS BETWEEN THEM AND START AND END AT THE NOTES OF THE SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY.
1) WHICH CHORD-TRANSITIONS (PAIRS OF CHORDS) WILL HAVE A MELODIC BRIDGE! (Usually the chord-trasnitions that are in resolutional relation, or resolutional-like relation)
2) THEN WHICH BRIDGES WILL BE ISOMORPHIC IN PITCH AND RHYTHMIC DYNAMIC SHAPE AND WHICH DIFFERENT, DEFINING THEREFORE A PARTITIONING IN THE BRIDGES.
3) THEN IF IN EACH EQUIVALENCE CLASS OF ISOMORPHIC MELODIC BRIDGES IN THIS PARTITIONING, THE BRIDGES ARE EVENTUALLY ASCENDING OR DESCENDING (This besides the emotional significance, determines also where to play the chord in one of the 3 neighborhoods of the fretboard)
4) FINALLY HOW IN EACH EQUIVALENCE CLASS OF ISOMORPHIC MELODIC BRIDGES IN THE PARTITIONING, THE COMPLICATED PITCH DYNAMIC SHAPE OR WAVING AND RHYTHM WILL BE AS A REPETITION OF SUCH PATTERNS OF PREVIOUS ISOMORPHIC MELODIC BRIDGES, OR VARIATION OF SUCH PATTERNAS S SO NOT TO BE TOO BORING. (This pitch dynamic shape has again a significant emotional meaning)
5) THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE CHORD PROGRESSION USUALLY IS NOT DONE BY THE CHOICE OF THE MELODIC BRIDGES (THAT IS GIVEN THE MELODIC BRIDGES MAYBE A SIMPLER CHORD PROGRESSION MAY COVER THEM HARMONICALLY). BUT AN INTERMEDIATE HARPING OR STRUMMING OF EACH CHORD WILL ENHANCE THE MELODY OF THE BRIDGES SO THAT ONLY THIS CHORD PROGRESSION IS JUSTIFIED!
MELODIC THEMES TRANSFORMATIONS AND SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY
We have mentioned in post 72 that the simplicial submelody is usually the starting or ending notes of simple melodic themes, can be external bridges (see post 72) of the chord transitions (of density diatonic or middle harmonic etc). Therefore here we apply the 3 basic transformations and starting from a single melodic theme ending to the first note of the simplicial submelody we translate or invert or vary rhythmically this theme, and make it end (or start) on the next note of the simplicial submelody. The transformed melodic themes derived in this way cover most often two chords or a chord transition or chord relation
We may device a symbolism for a melodic theme move based on the above three factors as follows An1Bn2(-)(x) or An1Bn2(+)(x) where An1 is the first note and Bn2 the last note of the move (n1 n2 denote the piano octave of it) and a minus - or plus + sign if its is sad (minor) or joyful (major) and (x)=1,2,3,4 denotes the dominating density of it is chromatic x=1, if it is diatonic x=2, if it is middle harmonic x=3 and high harmonic x=4 (see post 68) e.g. G5A4(-)(2) . In this way we write the dynamics of he melody as a theme-progression ,much like a chord progression.
A melodic theme-move, can easily have four factors that characterize it
1) If it is sad (-) or joyful (+) (we may call it minor or major melodic move, although its underground chords sometimes , rarely may be a major or a minor chord respectively).
2) Its melodic density (see the 4 melodic speeds or densities, chromatic, diatonic, middle harmonic and high harmonic in post 68)
3) Its range as an interval (this is related somehow by inequality to the density as in 2). melodic theme-moves that their range is more than one octave are special in stressing the nature of being sad or joyful.
4) Its melodic density acceleration or deceleration
4) Its melodic density acceleration or deceleration
These three parameters still do not define the melodic move-theme even if we know its first note. As we see melodic theme-moves are much more complicated than 3 or 4 notes chords! When creating a melody through melodic theme-moves, ideas similar to those that structure a good chord progression may apply.
