Here we describe a basic technique of the composition method that starts first from the chord progression and then the melody introduced in post 9 (as in jazz improvisation).
A simplicial (or simplistic) sub-melody is a bit more varying than a drone (isocratic) melody, and is also the source of the bass lines.
1) Chromatic simplicial sub-melody (CSS , minimum distance notes) . The simplicial submelody is defined by the next rules.
When two successive chords of the chord progression have notes that are one semitone distance only, we chose these two notes as notes of the simplicial sub-melody. For reasons of flexibility we allow two notes per chord if necessary. This happens for all cases that the two consecutive chords in a diatonic scale that are at roots distance of an interval of pure 4th (5 semitones) or pure 5th (7 semitones) or if they are mutually complementary chords (with roots of one step of the scale apart). In general it is a good idea to chose as notes of the simplicial submelody for two successive chords in the chord progression, two notes, one from each chord with the minimum distance in semitones from the notes of the two chords. E.g. if the chords are , the first chord is the C major=(c4,e4,g4) and the 2nd chord is the F major=(f4,a4,c5), then the notes are e4-f4 that is 3rd-1st. If the chords are the first chord is the C major=(c4,e4,g4) and the 2nd chord is the D minor=(d4,f4,a4), then the notes are e4-f3 that is 3rd-3rd.
If the two consecutive chords are mutually relative with two common notes, the notes of the simplicial submelody for each chord are either a common note or the note that the other chord does not contain! That is the 1st-5th order notes. E.g. If the first chord is the C major=(c4,e4,g4) and the 2nd chord is the E minor=(e4,g4,b4) then the notes are b4-c5, that is 5th, and higher 1st. But if the chords are C major=(c4,e4,g4) and the 2nd chord is the A minor=(a3,c4,e4), then the notes are a4-g4 , that is the higher 1st. and the 5th. If the chords are major-minor relatives : C major=(c4,e4,g4) and the 2nd chord is the C minor=(c4,eb4,g4), then the notes are eb4-e4 , that is 3rd-3rd.
1.3) Chromatic links simplicial submelody (also bass lines) In general we may have the next rule. If X1, X2 are two succesive chords of the chord progression, and we are at X1, a chromatic link or chromatic bridge is defined by finding two notes a1 in X1, a2 in X2, so that a1-a2 is at the minimum interval distance among all other chord notes of X1 , X2. Then the chromatic link starts with a1, b1,b2....,bn,a2 , and ends with a2 and all the intermediate steps are one semitone distance.
1.3) Minimal chromatic drone sub-melody (MCD sub-melody).
This simplicial sub-melody is like the chromatic sub-melody, except that we utilize preferably the common notes of the chords, and we require it
1.3.1) of as few notes as possible and
1..3.2) of as little distance as possible.
The rules are the next
Rule 1: We start from the chord and we find a common note with its next chord. If there are two common notes, we look at the next 3rd chord and chose this that is also either a note of the 3rd--next chord or minimal distance of a note of it. We proceed in this way till the last chord of the underlying chord progression.
It can be proved that if the chord progression are chords of a diatonic scale, then the minimal chromatic drone melody, can have only some or all of the first 3 notes of the scale (e.g. in a C major mode diatonic scale the c, d, e)
This is very useful in double flutes or whistles or double reed-winds playing where in the first it is played a minimal chromatic drone sub-melody, and in the 2nd a full melody.
A minimal chromatic drone sub-melody need not be a kind of bass-line! It very well be a kind of very high register or octave simple melodic line. Personally I prefer the latter.
1.3) Minimal chromatic drone sub-melody (MCD sub-melody).
This simplicial sub-melody is like the chromatic sub-melody, except that we utilize preferably the common notes of the chords, and we require it
1.3.1) of as few notes as possible and
1..3.2) of as little distance as possible.
The rules are the next
Rule 1: We start from the chord and we find a common note with its next chord. If there are two common notes, we look at the next 3rd chord and chose this that is also either a note of the 3rd--next chord or minimal distance of a note of it. We proceed in this way till the last chord of the underlying chord progression.
It can be proved that if the chord progression are chords of a diatonic scale, then the minimal chromatic drone melody, can have only some or all of the first 3 notes of the scale (e.g. in a C major mode diatonic scale the c, d, e)
This is very useful in double flutes or whistles or double reed-winds playing where in the first it is played a minimal chromatic drone sub-melody, and in the 2nd a full melody.
A minimal chromatic drone sub-melody need not be a kind of bass-line! It very well be a kind of very high register or octave simple melodic line. Personally I prefer the latter.
2) Harmonic simplicial sub-melody (HSS, maximum distance notes) . Probably the best method of creating the simplicial sub-melody which is based on preferring intervals distances of the notes of the simplicial sub-melody (opposite to the previous method) that are large intervals ,namely intervals of 5ths , 4th 6th or 8th. . The simplicial sub-melody is somehow the centers or oscilaltion boundaries of the final melody and most often it is one note per chord of the chord progression . They may be also the start and end of the melodic themes. Or they can be just centers that the melodic theme must pass from them. It can also be considered as a very simple bass line parallel to the melody. So the rule to choose the simplicial sub-melody is the next
2.1) If we have two successive chords X(1) -> X(2) in the chord progression, and a is the note of the simplicial sub-melody belonging to chord X(1) , and b is the note of the simplicial sub-melody belonging to the chord X(2), then a->b is an interval of maximum distance and the preference in intervals is in the following order of preference 5th, 4th, 8th, 6th.
For the notes of maximum distance between successive chords we have the next choices :
For the notes of maximum distance between successive chords we have the next choices :
If the X(1) -> X(2) are in the relation of resolution (succesive in the wheel by 4ths) e.g. G->C then we have 3 choices for a->b, the g->c, or b->e, or d->g. If the X(1) -> X(2) are in the relation of relative chords (two common notes) e.g. C->Em then we have 2 choices for a->b,
c->g, or e->b. And if the X(1) -> X(2) are in the chromatic or complementary relation of chords (roots that differ by one step of the scale) e.g. C->Dm, then we have one only best choice of a->b, here the c-> f, and a 2nd best choice the c-> which is an interval of 6th.
The notes of maximum distance would be two notes per chord. The 1st would be the maximum distance from the previous chord and the 2nd the maximum distance from the next chord. We prefer usually to simplify it it in to one only note but either two or one only note if necessary we shift to the next octave so as to have the rule that two successive notes of two successive chords of the harmonic simplicial sub-melody have always distance large intervals of 5th, 4th, 8th, 6th.
2.2) After we have defined the simplicial harmonic and the chromatic sub-melody then we may create bridges between its notes by smaller intervals e.g. 3rds or 2nds for a full melody. The best ways is to start from the first note of the Chromatic Simplicial submelody (CSS) of the chord relevant to the previous chord, pass from the unique note of the Harmonic simplicial submelody (HSS) of the chord and end at the 2nd note of the chromatic simplicial submelody (CSS) of the chord relevant to the next chord. (See post 109).
The notes of the harmonic submelody of a chord progression may be used to be somehow the centers or oscilaltion boundaries of a final melody and most often. They may be also be the start and end of the melodic themes. It depends if we create melodic themes inside the chord and around of a note of it which serves as it center or melodic themes linking two of them and their successive chords. For the first way , the melodic themes inside the chord and around the note of the harmonic simplicial submelody can be created as in the post 103 using the chord-local 7-notes scale for each one note of the harmonic simplicial submelody.
There are also the
3) CHORD-PROGRESSION SIMPLICIAL SUB-MELODIES (CPSS)
This is defined in the most easy way as consisting from one note per chord of the chord progression and always at the same degree (1st or 3rd or 5th, or 6th, or 7nth or 9nth or 2nd etc)
Here is relevant video that by extrapolating this simplicial sub-melody , we get an improvisational melody, an idea of Jerry Bergonzy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-WsnWCAaA&t=21s
4) The chord-middle note simplicial sub-melody (CMNSS) This is one of the most simple tupes and most characteristic sub-melodies for the chord progression. The reason is that the middle note characterises a chord of it is major or minor, and thus this sub-melody involves notes that sometimes are the critical notes of modulations e.g. from the natural minor o the harmonic minor or double harmonic minor
IN THE NEXT WE DESCRIBE HOW TO CALCULATE THE SIMPLICIAL SUB-MELODY OF THE MELODIC CENTERS OF A MELODY
The notes of maximum distance would be two notes per chord. The 1st would be the maximum distance from the previous chord and the 2nd the maximum distance from the next chord. We prefer usually to simplify it it in to one only note but either two or one only note if necessary we shift to the next octave so as to have the rule that two successive notes of two successive chords of the harmonic simplicial sub-melody have always distance large intervals of 5th, 4th, 8th, 6th.
2.2) After we have defined the simplicial harmonic and the chromatic sub-melody then we may create bridges between its notes by smaller intervals e.g. 3rds or 2nds for a full melody. The best ways is to start from the first note of the Chromatic Simplicial submelody (CSS) of the chord relevant to the previous chord, pass from the unique note of the Harmonic simplicial submelody (HSS) of the chord and end at the 2nd note of the chromatic simplicial submelody (CSS) of the chord relevant to the next chord. (See post 109).
The notes of the harmonic submelody of a chord progression may be used to be somehow the centers or oscilaltion boundaries of a final melody and most often. They may be also be the start and end of the melodic themes. It depends if we create melodic themes inside the chord and around of a note of it which serves as it center or melodic themes linking two of them and their successive chords. For the first way , the melodic themes inside the chord and around the note of the harmonic simplicial submelody can be created as in the post 103 using the chord-local 7-notes scale for each one note of the harmonic simplicial submelody.
There are also the
3) CHORD-PROGRESSION SIMPLICIAL SUB-MELODIES (CPSS)
This is defined in the most easy way as consisting from one note per chord of the chord progression and always at the same degree (1st or 3rd or 5th, or 6th, or 7nth or 9nth or 2nd etc)
Here is relevant video that by extrapolating this simplicial sub-melody , we get an improvisational melody, an idea of Jerry Bergonzy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X-WsnWCAaA&t=21s
4) The chord-middle note simplicial sub-melody (CMNSS) This is one of the most simple tupes and most characteristic sub-melodies for the chord progression. The reason is that the middle note characterises a chord of it is major or minor, and thus this sub-melody involves notes that sometimes are the critical notes of modulations e.g. from the natural minor o the harmonic minor or double harmonic minor
IN THE NEXT WE DESCRIBE HOW TO CALCULATE THE SIMPLICIAL SUB-MELODY OF THE MELODIC CENTERS OF A MELODY
The simplicial sub-melody of the melodic centers is defined by the melodic centers of the melody (see also post 65 about the centers ) .
HOW TO FIND THE MELODIC CENTERS OF A MELODY:
The way to do it is the next
1) We partition the melody , to time intervals or connected pieces of it defined by the property that each one of then has a single underlying chord, and the piece of the melody is maximal with this property
2) Then for each such time interval or piece of the melody, we define as its center, the note of the melody with the maximal time duration. There is one such note for each instance of a chord in the chord progression. The sequence of these notes is the simplicial sub-melody if the melodic centers of the initial melody.
(This post has not been written completely yet)
