Pitch dynamic pattern=melodic pattern = EMOTIONAL MOVE
We must emphasize a basic philosophy here that when playing the musical instrument, we do not only produce musical sounds but also independently emotions in us. And I do not mean that the musical sounds produce the emotions I mean that our self is producing the emotions parallel and in fitness with the musical sounds
The basic pitch dynamic patterns of a
melody are
(three basic categories, horizontal , skew and almost vertical)
The next patterns appear also in the studies of the psychology of speaking among couples!
(see e.g. https://www.gottman.com/ http://www.amazon.com/The-Mathematics-Marriage-Nonlinear-Bradford/dp/0262572303 ).
The smaller a musical interval within an octave the more it signifies sadness, and the more distant, (with maximum a 4th or 5th, as we consider also their inversions) the closer it is to joy.
The main parameters of a "butterflying" or "oscillation" or "waving" embellishments of melodies, that go from one part of the scale or one octave to a next , are at least the next 8.
1) Number of ascending notes (up move)
2) Number of descending notes (down move)
3) Retrace order (which defines the speed of ascending or descending of the waving in the scale. e.g. 1234-2345-3456 etc or 1234-3456-5678 etc)
4) Repeating notes pattern or trill pattern (e.g. if in ascending or descending move one is repeated twice or more times or two notes alternate as trill).
5) The pattern of two or more notes sound simultaneously among the other that sound repeatedly
6) Rhythmic pattern (if the faster part is at the end or at the beginning of the up or down move)
7) The interval pattern of the up or down move (if it is 2nd or 3rd or 4th and higher intervals). Or the scale in which the butterflying is conducted.
8) The 2-level butterflying pattern or larger pattern of up and down moves e.g. (up , up down) (up , up down) , (up down down) ,(up , up down), (up , up down) , (up down down) (common in the Greek folk Buzuki layer and composer Zambetas ) etc . And the larger pattern of repeating and alternating whole butterfly patterns.
As it is understood the number of combinations of these parameters and creation of different ways of butterflying is very big.
From the point of view of the pitch-shape of the butterflying or waving or EMOTIONAL MOVE we may have the next classifications
HORIZONTAL EMOTIONAL MOVES
1) Standing horizontal channel of constant
width (Balance)
2) Standing horizontal channel of diminishing
width (Contraction, expiration with little sadness)
3) Standing horizontal channel of
increasing width (Expansion. initiation with joy)
In 2) and 3) one of the sides of the
channel maybe horizontal which is an "isocratic" pattern
SKEW EMOTIONAL MOVES
4) Ascending waving in channel of
constant width (Joy)
5) Descending waving in channel of
constant width (Sadness)
6) Ascending sequence (Joy)
7) Descending sequence (Sadness)
ALMOST VERTICAL EMOTIONAL MOVES
6) Up spike (extreme joy)
7) Down spike (extreme sadness)
Of course the waving inside the channels may be classified in intervals of 1-2 semitones, intervals of 3-4 semitones, and intervals of 5-7 semiones or higher.
We may simplify the morphology of the melody moves to the next 4 (see also post 59)
1) up/down spike (=large interval of 5th or larger in one or very few steps, extreme emotional effect, excitement , emotional intensity)
2) up/down waving (also called in this blog butterflying, emotional effect of playing either sad of with joy, emotional complication and ambiguity)
3) up/down scaling (direct ascending or descending of notes in a monotone order without waving, emotional effect straight usually with simplicity, emotional clarity)
4) Iso-kratic waving (=horizontal waving with repeating same note, peculiar emotional effect of internal symmetry , and emotional stability )
From these 4 patterns the 1) and 3) are simple and with emotional clarity. The 2) and 4) are with emotional complication and ambiguity.
From the 4 basic patterns only the up/down scaling is in the context of calm and long term stable emotionalism. The other patterns are in the context of complicated and fast changing emotionalism.
Then there are combinations of them. E.g.
an up spike maybe combined with reactionary descending sequence, which is a pair
of emotions extreme joy but then gradual sadness.
Of course if we want more elementary classification of the pitch moves (like not analyzing substances to their chemical type but resort t the 3 elementary particles of electron , neutron and proton), then there are only 3-types a) the (non-waving) up move of pitch (upward vector) , b) the (non-waving) down move of pitch (downward vector) c) and the sustained sounding of a note (horizontal vector)
In song composition we must be careful to follow the next if we
want a song with clear emotions easy to sing by many people and not a song with
mixed not-clear emotions.
Pitch melodic patterns where the emotion
of joy, dominates , are correlated with the harmony of joy that is major
chords , while patterns where the emotion of sadness dominates are
correlated with minor chords.
Pitch melodic patterns where the emotion
of joy dominates , are correlated with the rhythm of joy that is rhythmic
patterns that dominates joy , while patterns where the emotion of
sadness dominates are correlated with the rhythm of sadness (see post 19)
Summarizing in simplistic the correspondence of melodic pitch dynamics and the 4-basic emotions in music (joy, sadness, anxiety, serenity) we have
1) Up pitch moves correspond to joy
2) Down pitch moves to sadness
3) Small pitch intervals of 1 or 2 semitones (chromatic or interval of 2nd) correspond to anxiety
4) Large pitch intervals (e.g. 4th, 5th octave etc) correspond to harmony and serenity.
Summarizing in simplistic the correspondence of melodic pitch dynamics and the 4-basic emotions in music (joy, sadness, anxiety, serenity) we have
1) Up pitch moves correspond to joy
2) Down pitch moves to sadness
3) Small pitch intervals of 1 or 2 semitones (chromatic or interval of 2nd) correspond to anxiety
4) Large pitch intervals (e.g. 4th, 5th octave etc) correspond to harmony and serenity.
Summarizing in simplistic way the correspondence of melodic pitch dynamics and the 4-basic emotions in music (joy, sadness, anxiety, serenity) we have
1) Up pitch moves correspond to joy
2) Down pitch moves to sadness
3) Small pitch intervals of 1 or 2 semitones (chromatic or interval of 2nd) correspond to anxiety
4) Large pitch intervals (e.g. 4th, 5th octave etc) correspond to harmony and serenity.
Some instructive remarks in the composition of the melody based on the chord progression
1) In the part of the chord progression with minor chords, utilize descending melodic moves so that sadness from melody and sadness from harmony fit.Similarly ascending melodic moves for major chords.
2) In the sad melody parts of the melody (and minor chords) utilize rhythmic patterns that start with faster notes and end with slower notes, and the reverse for the happy part (and major chords).
3) In a triad or 7 nth 4-notes chord the most characteristic notes are the middle 2nd note (in 1-3-5 interval notation is the 3) and the 7 nth (if it exists). So for the anxiety part of the melodic moves we may utilize 1-semitone trills around these two notes, or waving with 1 or 2 semitones steps and notes outside the chord in the interval of minor 3rd (3 semitones) of the chord. Alternatively instead of trill or small amplitude waves we may utilize chromatic monotone scaling by steps of 1 semitone , or scaling with steps by intervals of 2nd of the scale, that go from these previous notes of the chord to the same such notes in the next octave. But always make sure that the notes of the chord sound in the average longer, than the notes of these anxiety transition moves with notes outside the chord.
4) Alternate up (happy) and down (sad) pitch moves , or chromatic moves (anxiety), with harmonic (on chord notes) moves (serenity-harmony).
5) Utilize at least 2 octaves, or even 3 for the melodic moves repeating the notes of the underlying chord on the next octaves , so there is sufficient space for melodic moves, to express with sufficiency the emotions.
6) For the duality of emotions anxiety-serenity, it may be utilized also harmonic waves or monotone scaling over 2 octaves at least, on the notes of the chord, but also chromatic trill wave over the notes of this wave or scaling (modulated wave on wave or move) and then return to the pure harmonic wave or scaling on the notes of the chord.
7) A chromatic wave by 1-semitones steps or all notes of the scale (steps by intervals of 2nd) that goes up and down at least 2 octaves, corresponds to a chord sub-progression of the song , of our choice that utilizes almost all the chords of the scale!
We summarize the basic concerns in the melodic improvisation and composition of a voice or melody (similar to the syntax of phrase with subject verb and object etc).
1) Always use a melody motive , theme or move
2) Transform this melodic move which will be the invariant before transform it.
3) Close it by returning to the original motive
The ways to transform it are at least the next 5 and combinations of them
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 (if it is ascending now it will be descending etc)
5) Change it as morphology (from a non-waving ascending it may become waving ascending or iso-kratic)
(The post has not been written yet completely)
