102. THE METHOD OF UNACCOMPANIED IMPROVISATION BY ALTERNATION OF CHORDS VARIATIONS WITH SHORT MELODIC THEMES VARIATIONS

THE METHOD OF UNACCOMPANIED  IMPROVISATION BY ALTERNATION OF CHORDS VARIATIONS WITH SHORT  MELODIC THEMES VARIATIONS,  

See also post 295

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.


THIS METHOD BECOMES EASY, FOR 3 OR MORE STINGS INSTRUMENTS (TENOR GUITAR, UKULELE, BOUZOUKI, OUD , SAZ, MANDOLIN, VIOLIN , CELTIC DIATONIC HARP  ETC) WHEN A SINGLE PRIVILEGED DIATONIC (OR CHROMATIC SCALE) IS MARKED ON THE FRETBOARD. ALSO ONOTHER DIATONIC INSTRUMENTS LIKE FLUTE, PANFLUTE, CHALUMEAU CLARINETT SAXOPHONE HARMONICA ETC. THE MELODY IS IMPROVISATIONAL GOING UP OR DOWN AND THE ALTERNATED CHORDS ARE CHORDS AS TRIADS OF MARKED NOTES THUS OF THE DIATONIC SCALE AND ON THE LOCAL 3-STRINGS THAT INCLUDE THE MELODY STRING. IF IT IS A DIATONIC WIND INSTRUMENT THEN THE CHORD IS SUBSTITUTED WITH ITS ARPEGGIO . OF COURSE IT WORKS BEST FOR DIATONIC SCALES BECAUSE EVERY SUCH TRIAD IS A USUAL CHORD MINOR MAJOR OR DIMISHED. FOR CHROMATIC SCALES LIKE HARMONIC MINOR AND DOUBLE HARMONIC MINOR THE CHORDS ARE LESS COMMON. 

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS NO STRICT REQUIREMENT THAT THE CHORD JUST BEFOR OR AFTER THE INTERMEDIATE MELODIC IMPROVISATION FITS HARMONICALLY AS ACCOMPANYING CHORD OF THE MELODY. BUT IT CAN OF COURSE. THUS THIS CONCEPT OF IMPROVISATION WHICH IS MAINLY FR A SINGLE INSTRUMENT IS A WIDER CONCEPT THAT THE USUAL CHORD ACCOMPANIED IMPROVISATIONS

We continue the discussion of the post 82, about chord-independent and unaccompanied melodies  composition and improvisation.

Studying some of the musical pieces of Bach for solo instruments (e.g. 

BWV 1013 - Partita in A Minor for Solo Flute  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Datoqxx-biw) we may be inspired for the next method of unaccompanied improvised soloing:

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

The melody is like a man wandering-walking in a town, who spends much time at squares and garden of the town that his is exploring. The squares and garden  are the chords, played in the solo , preferably a single chord spanned in two octaves, At this time of the soloing the emphasis is on the harmony. But when continuing till the next "garden or square"   then the emphasis is on the melodic themes and their affine structure dynamics (see post 97 and 101). How much time is spent in "gardens" ( chords) or "street-walking" (transition melodic themes) is a matter of choice of the improviser. If the melody is unaccompanied, then at the same time the chord progressions is improvised in this way. 

When spending time within a "garden" or "square" in other words within a chord the best idea is to have the chord in 4-notes form e.g. like a with 7nth or with 6th, and in the current octave or in the next. Then start the melody at a note of the chord and end it again at a note of a chord in this or the next octave. For example we may compose the melody from 3-notes micro-themes, the first and last inside the  chords and the middle possible outside the chords.  Since the chord has 4-notes and the scale  7 notes the passing or transient notes are only 3, less than the 4 of the chord, therefore, any such melodic theme fits harmonically to this chord.

Here is an example :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhbGeuMWVpM

To be more specific: This simple and beautiful  method of improvisation is to play in the harp or piano  with the left hand a simple random melody in lower octaves , (It applies to all scales and also to  the Byzantine or harmonic minor and harmonic double minor scales) and then with the right hand at higher octaves , a triad chord with always middle note the last note of the simple melody of the left hand (or root or dominant note but always the same rule during the improvisation)  . For guitarist that have fingernails at the right hand and no finger nails at he lefts hand playing a simple low pitch melody and then such an alternation of chord with the right hand is easier and more convenient (See also the Colombian harpist Edmar Castandeda). Of course this improvisation can be done also with a (diatonic or harmonic simple minor  or harmonic double minor) wind instrument, and instead of chord we play the arpeggio of the chord in single or in two octaves.

An interesting elaboration is that at the melodic theme we give rhythm that creates harmony. By this we mean that we apply a rhythm with long-short syllables in the musical word as in post  77 and 92. E.g. rhythms like 1/2, 1/4 1/4, or 1/3, 1/3 1/3. The long duration notes usually will fall on the even or odd steps of the scale thus will create more often chords.

Then also a good choice of the next alternating chord is that the chord has end-note or root note the same end-note of the previous melodic theme, and as first note or last note so that the chord spans at the side lower or higher of the least note of the melodic theme, where  the melodic theme spans more notes. 
Still a more elaboration in the improvisation is that when  it is the turn to play the chord we play actually 2 chords that are relative chords. E.g. if the melody starts from lower pitches and ends with C, we not only play the chord Am =A-C-E , but after that the lower-relative chord F=F-A-D. If on the other wand the melody ended at C again but descending from higher pitches , then we play again the chord Am= A-C-E but then we play the upper-relative chord   C=C-E-G. After the two chord we play again another transition melody , and so one. 
In a keyboard or harp , at least according to my preferences, it is more beautiful, to play the melodic themes at lower pitches e.g. in the 3rd octave, and the chords at higher pitches of the 5th or 6th octave. Chords are not comprehended well by the human perception in the 1st or 2nd octave, while at the higher octaves are vivid and clear. Also ifthe alternation of melodic themes and harmony is a type of dialogue, it is more natural that the harmonic answer which is more perfect answer is given at the higher frequencies, while the wondering questions at the lower frequencies. 

We must remark here also the next: We argue that any note of the diatonic scale fits harmonically with any major of minor chord of the same diatonic scale because the number of harmonic  mutual intervals created (that is intervals of 3rds, 6ths, 45ths, or 4ths) is greater than the number of chromatic intervals created (that is intervals of 2nds or 7nths).

Of course this does not mean that a note fits the same well with any of the chords of the same diatonic scale. Not at all!

This is mild statement to that claim of jazz that any note of the 12-notes chromatic scale fits in improvisation with any major or minor chords as long as the type and number of created intervals chromatic  or harmonic dissonant or consonant is desirable as musical and expression effect.

For example an harmonic profile difference may exist in the part of the melody that is wandering in the "Garden" of a chord  (or  in more technical terminology in the chord-local 7-notes scale see post 103) in which case we may have percentage of intervals by 3rds or 6ths +4ths 5ths>=66%  and when it is "street walking" between the "gardens" in which case we may have percentage of intervals by 2nds >=50% 

An example of this method is e.g.  in the major F pentatonic scale in the harp (when it is tuned in C major) where we alternate the root chord F major with any combination of notes and then also the D minor again with any combination of notes.

This method of alternation of chord and transition melodies" becomes even more clear if we take    as simplistic and extreme example   MELODIES WITH 100%  INTERVALS OF 2NDS:
Such melodies give the feeling of coherence in the melodic moves.
We must notice that even if we use, say 100%, intervals of 2nds in a scale, we may still create harmony. E.g. in such an extreme case of melody, the harmony is created by persisting and passing  again and again from notes of an interval of the scale. E.g. if such an interval of successive notes of the scale is x(i), x(i+1), x(i+2) , or  x(i), x(i+1), x(i+2), x(i+3), x(i+4) , and the time spend on each of these notes is in the average equal, then the harmony and underlying chord that is created is the  x(i),  x(i+2),  x(i+4) because these are more than the   x(i+1),  x(i+3), and thus the melody spends more time in the chord x(i),  x(i+2),  x(i+4) among other chords for the time that is in the interval  x(i), x(i+1), x(i+2), x(i+3), x(i+4).  

SPENDING MORE TIME PER NOTE ON SPECIFIC NOTES:
Similarly if we take again the extreme and simplistic example of melodies with 100% intervals of 2nds, and we want for a time interval to have as harmony and underlying accompanying a chord  X=(y1,y2,y3), then its about sufficient to spent about equal time per note to all other notes except in one or more of these  notes y1,y2,y3, that we spent much more time per note (making theme temporary centers of the melody)  creating thus the effect of this underlying chord harmony. So for the method of "chord-and-transition melodies" where all the melodies is 100% from intervals by 2nds, simply when we wander in the "garden" of a chord, we spend more time per note on the notes of  the chord. While when we move as transition from one chor to another we spend equal time per note to all the non-chord notes. Of course if we did not have the restriction of 100% intervals by 2nds, another method would be instead of spending more time to the notes of the chord , spending almost no time at all to notes not to the chord.

Especially the intermediate time that the improviser needs for his next melodic theme idea, is always good to be spent harping on a chord, around the last note. Obviously the result will be much more recognizable if we move always inside a scale. e.g. a diatonic scale, therefore being at a note there are 3 primary choices of a chord around it, and the rest of the choices are more distant and secondary.

Of course the simplest transition melodic theme is the strait scale of intervals of 2nds. But for more beautiful and elaborate unaccompanied melodies , a more complicated affine structure of melody is required (see post 97, 101)

Conversely of course if one has in his mind a chord progression then this may guide him  in the unaccompanied melody improvisation. But the chords duration and time is variable when improvising in an unaccompanied melody.

As a chord progression has an simplicial sub-melody (harmonic or Chromatic) or as default simplicial sub-melody we may take the roots of the chords, we may compose the chord progression after composing a simplicial sub-melody of the roots of its chords, that   are also the centers of the full melody. (See post 114 about higher-order syntax of the Dolphin language as method of composition of melodies)

Thus the "squares"now of random walk are not chords but single notes, that are chose by improvisation at first and then we "walk" in waves and randomly , possibly by repeating patterns in moving till the next "square" which is the next note of the simplicial sub-melody. So both the full melody and simplicial sub-melody are improvised at the same time but the simplicial sub-melody is an easier simpler improvisation which is done at first, while the afterwards improvisation of the full melody fill the details. Like in a journey that we may chose easily the "town stations" but the in between details of walking inside around the "town stations" are decided when being there and not before. 

For the structure of the bridging melodic themes we may remind what we wrote in the post 96

In an chord-progression independent melody improvisation no chord progression is determined from the beginning. Nevertheless chords are emerging in the melody as it is improvised in the current methodology of this post. Once such a chord is highlighted  my the melodic movement , then of course a chord-local 7-notes scale is definable for this chord as in post 103. And melodic themes variations may occur inside this chord- local 7-notes scale as in post 96, before we move to a next chord of the independent melody. We may notice though that the melodic moves between such chords of the melody need not highlight any chord at all, so the above variations inside the chord-local 7-notes scales apply only during chord-time of the melodic improvisation. But the variations as in post 96 apply also during moves between chords.

We have already mentioned types of symmetry for the melodic themes that are

0) An affine pattern of the melody which is independent of a realization in  a mode or in a scale (see post 97)

1) Reflection to a horizontal axis (time)

2) Reflection to a  vertical axis (pitch)

3) Point symmetry to a time point

4) Pitch translation

5) Recursive pitch waving ascending or descending.

6) Cyclic or balanced behavior   in ascending-descending.

7) Dilation on the size of intervals (waved changing of the 3 melodic densities or speeds). Usually the melody starts with low melodic speeds or densities , accelerates to higher speeds or densities and then decelerates again to lower speeds or densities, as is also the motion of bodies in dancing.

8) Statistical types of symmetries.

9) Furthermore, the melodic themes may be organized at small time level by the micro-rhythm of the "melodic words" e.g. 3:1 or 2:1 time duration ratio of the long-short notes, the long inside the underlying chord and the short possibly outside the chord. The melodic word is a basic micro-theme of 

the melody. The interval of the long-short notes is a basic step-interval of the melody and it is avoided to me an interval of 2nd , instead an interval of 3rd, 4ths/5th, 6th , 7th or 8th (see post  92 ). The next basic interval in the melody, is the pitch distance among two successive melodic words, which is usually  zero, an interval of 3rd, 4th, 5th etc.

10) or at a larger time scale, by the relevant poetic measure (11-syllables poetry, 15-syllables poetry, 17-syllables poetry) that determine the pattern of repetitions in the melodic themes E.g. 3 repetitions at 4th measure resolution-change or 4 repetitions and at he 5th resolution-change .

11) We may determine a statistical profile of statistical frequency of intervals in the melody such that the highest statistical  frequency of intervals of the melody are mainly the next intervals in the next preference order 5th, 4th, 8th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd. A happy melody tends to avoid sad and dissonant intervals and use instead happy harmonic intervals

12) As the micro-themes (melodic "words") develop over notes ascending and descending over even or odd number steps of the diatonic scale (as in such a way that chords are shaped) the total results, as intended,  is to use eventually all the notes of he diatonic scale, so that the melody has high scale-completeness measure (see post 86 about chromatic music ). This principles somehow determines the preferred chord progressions (E.g. I, IV, V7) .

13) Although we may focus in such an organized symmetry of the melody during a single underlying chord, the true harmony of the fast melody may use "ghost chords" around this single chord (see post 87 about ghost chords ).  

 E.g. if the chord progression is I, IV, V7 used where IV and V7 are ghost chords, then substituting IV with ii or vi and V7 with vii or iii, we get at least 9 more combinations and variations for the ghost-harmony of the melody , that essentially only the chord I is sounding. E.g. (I,ii,vii), (I,ii,V), (I,vi,V), (I,iv,vii) ,(I,ii, iii) ,(I,vi,iii), (I,vi,V), (I,IV,vii), (I,IV,iii).

14) A fast melody should balance properly repetition and  innovation during its development

It is obvious that a simple guitar harping is not a sufficient concept to grasp the required above high organization of the melody even during a single chord. The guitar has only 6-strings while to lay-out the previous organization structures may require many notes and the chord considered at two octaves rather than one only octave.

A video about melody writing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl-V2IsUprQ


HERE ARE MORE IDEAS

MY PERSONAL APPROACH:

My personal approach to similar type of improvisation is as follows

HARDWARE  IDEAS

1) INSTRUMENT I utilize a 4-strings instrument instead of 3-stringsm although sometimes a 3-strings too. Of course I may use a 6-string instrument.

2) STARTING SCALE I chose a basic scale, usually the natural defoult scale of the instruent which is marked on its fretboard.

3) The TUNINGS are preferably overtones cuatro tunings thus cavaco cuatro or Swedish troll fiddle tuning. But I can also use the venezuala cuatro or ukulele (guitar tuning of 4 highest strings)

4) CHROMATIC TONALITY
Although I chose a diatonic scale, that is from 7 notes I involve also some or all of the 5 blue notes that result to all 12-notes of the musical universe. This is usually done in chords by convrting major to minor and vice versa E.g. a stanard chromatic extension ofthe chords of the diatonic scale is 3M instead of 3m and 7M instead of 7d. But also the minors  6m can become 6M when resolving to 2m and also the 3m to 3M when resolving to 6m, and the 2m to 2M7 when resolving to 5M. In addition we may suround each major chord with two dimisnsihed chords an interval of 2nd away, that resolve to them, in the same way that the 7dimished resolves to 1M. I have a composed collection of more than 800 chord progressions in tonality , chromatic tonality and general multitonality in which I can resort to improvise with melodic bridges metween the chords as in 10) and 11) below.

For the next steps I will enlarge more in the subsequents paragraphs

CHORD-BASED IDEAS

5) I improvise on major-minor lternations of HARMONIC CYCLES
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.

6)  I improvise on major-minor lternations of CHROMATIC  CYCLES (like Andaluzian cycle)
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.

7) I improvise on ISOMORPHIC CYCLES OF CHORDS (X1-X2-X3etc) with (Y1-Y2-Y3 etc) Most often of chromatic sequences that are melodic or harmonic isomorphic . I bridge them with small melodic themes too.

8) 2-VOICES AMBIGUITY REVEALED
I ascend or descend  a mode of the scale with 2-voices simulteneous notes intervals of 3rds. The ambiguity of  them is that they can be part of a minor or dimished chord  (sad feeling) or a major chord (happy feeling).  So 1st I play the 2-voice interval andthen I reveal it as major ot minor chord depending on the mood and to if I am ascending or descending.

MELODIC THEMES BASE IDEAS

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

9) SMALL MELODIC THEMES VARIATIONS
The idea here is to start with short and rythmic melodic themes and apply the 3 basic variations , like translation (chromatic, melodic, harmonic) inversions and mutations. The structure of the melodic themes may mimic the chords accompanying a melody. Instead of chords here we may have an isokratic a drone  or intermittently repeating melodic theme , which may be an "arpeggio" of the closure of a chord, and over this we add sequentially a higher octave melodic theme that is varied and evolves.

MIXED CHORD AND MELODIC THEMES IDEAS

10) "WALKING THROUGH PARTS OF  A  TOWN", FLUID-CHORD-TRIADS or 2-VOICE ACCOMPANYING OF MELODY.

This idea is very old idea  in ancient folk music before the era of classical music when complicated melodies where accompanied by power chords that are essentially 2-voices chords. It is an idea also similar to the next below at 11) except that instead of alternating standard 3-voices chords with melodic themes, we  are struming or arpeggiating on a single triad which is not standard major or minor and so that it is constantly changing at each note of the melodic themes so that the 2 lower notes are rather stable and are used as 2-voice chord which accomnies the 3rd note which is changing faster and is usually the higher.

11) "TRAVELING AMONG AND WITHIN TOWNS"

This is a generic type of improvisation where I improvise "randomnly"  with melodic themes that are translated , inverted and mutated mainly within the diatonic scale, but at their standing notes (melodic centers) I apply arpegiation or struming of the close local major or minor/diminishd chord which fits to the melody at that time. The choices are only 2-3 at each time. Here the metaphor for the melodic themes is traveling and the metaphor for chords is "town"

12) OVERTONES VERTICAL GATES
This applies especially well in overtones tunings and of course on the full 6-string 1st overtones tuning. I improvise horizontally with melodies and at the standing note a cross-over vertically at the local overtones "gate" which is of course an extended overtones arpeggio of a major or minor chord.



OF COURSE IN THE 4TH GENERATION DIGITAL  MUSIC  MAKING THAT KNOW  IS BEEN BORN, THE ABOVE METHOD OF ALTERNATION OF CHORDS (ARPEGGIATED) AND MELODY CAN BE VERY WELL PLAYED WITH SOFTWARE THAT CREATES MUSIC CALLED ARPEGGIONOME (for iOs ) OR ARPIO (for Android) by Alexander Randon. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandernaut/) Furthermore withother less automated softare like the ThumbJam we can still make such improvisations ina very efficient ,easy and beatifull way.

101. THE DOLPHIN LANGUAGE: MELODIES COMPOSITION BASED ON MELODIC ORDER-TOPOLOGICAL SHAPES. HOMEOMORPHIC VARIATIONS . A TRINARY VISUAL ALPHABET FOR MELODY COMPOSITION

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

We defined in post 96 the affine or order-topological structure of the melody. Now the order-topological structure is strongly correlated with types of emotions (sadness , joy , serenity etc) therefore it a primary choice in composition or improvisation. . As the order-topological  structure is independent of a mode within a scale (see post 100) or a  modulation among scales, any alternative or different realization of the same order-topological structure of the melody, generates melodic improvisation.

This method applies either when a chord progressions is predetermined or when a free unaccompanied melody is composed too.

We must use  here the classification of the order-topological shapes of melodic themes to cycles, expansion and contraction as in the post 107. Such classification shapes are made from concatenation of up, down and horizontal vector, therefore it is considered a trinary alphabet  visual language. It is called Dolphin's language in honor of the whistling communication o dolphins and whales.

We must also study the post 108. Since the translation variations are also homeomorphic variations of a melodic theme. The only two independent variations are the inversions (time and pitch) and the homemorphic variations.

To design and compose such variations we need to  write the sequence of the shapes (as with harmony we need to write the sequence of the chords).

We may call such sequences similarly pitch-order shapes of melodic themes progression (POMT progression).

The  POMT-progression either over a scale or not  can be  an alternative composition and improvisation method that starts with the melody and not from the harmony of a give chord progression. But of course determining a scale e.g, a diatonic scale makes things a lot simpler in the composition, and then the chords follow immediately.

As we remarked this method applies either when a chord progressions is predetermined or when a free unaccompanied melody is composed too.

ORDER-TOPOLOGICAL VARIATIONS ON THE ARPEGGIO-SCALE MORE THAN 2/3 OF THE TIME AND ON THE CHORD-LOCAL 7-NOTES SCALE LESS THAN 1/3 OF THE TIME.

If we do not restrict to a scale but we use a predefined chord progression, then we may realize the order-topological shapes of the POMT-progression over the arpeggio-scales during each chord with rare, meaning less than 30% of the times, melodic embellishments with notes outside the arpeggio-scale e.g. full scale by 2nds going up or down that in practice fits all chords of a diatonic scale or realization of the order-topological shape by 2nds in the chord-local 7-notes scale [see post 103] or even on notes of the chord-local 7-note scale that are outside the chord. The order-topological theme may be a musical word or micro-rhythmic melodic theme as in post 92, or concatenations of them so that in total the total  time duration of notes of it that are notes also of the chord is longer and preferably >=2/3 of the total time compared to the total duration of the notes of it that are outside the chord and its arpeggio-scale  (e.g. inside the chord-local 7-notes scale).  

Chopin  uses an beautiful technique (but also a technique  in Greek folk melodies of Rebetika) where , the notes of the melody are most often  pairs of simultaneous notes (harmonic intervals) of the arpeggio-scale, but also the notes outside the arpeggio scale are again pairs of simultaneous notes (in harmonic intervals of 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 8ths etc) that are borrowed from the next or previous (or in general any other) chord of the chord progression (or of the underlying 7-notes scale if there is one). In this way even the chromatic outside the chord parts of teh melody have harmony!

When the chord changes we change also the arpeggio-scale as if in a modulation. We may also have not a pre-determined chord-progression but only a predetermined (non-ordered) set pf chords, and we chose the next chord interactively as we compose the POMT-progression. One of the most common techniques in the melodies of Beethoven and Mozart is the order-topological shape of ascending or descending in a waving way in 2 or 3 octaves the arpeggio-scale of the underlying chord, which is often (<1/3 of the times) embellished with similar waving ascending or descending but this time by 2nds in a full diatonic locally underlying scale.

We see from this that the abstract concept of order-topological melodic theme is very fruitful and information-economic tool for the variations in the composition of the melody.

MELODY-HARMONY INTERACTIVE COMPOSITION. A preliminary design of the placement of the melodic themes based on a sequence of  placements of power chords, may correspond to a composition that requires a full chord progression. Nevertheless a power-chord e.g. C4-g4-c5 does not specify if it is  minor or major chord,or other type of chord. But a power chord it can be considered as a spacial case of a chord, therefore all the technique with the HSS and CSS in post 109 may apply. If the melody composition is recursive and we determine the next power-chord and melodic theme only after the previous is composed, then it can be considered a melody-harmony interactive method, that neither is predetermined but both are together composed. We may of course predetermine a scale but this is not always necessary. 

Since determining a scale determines also a set of chords but not an ordered sequence of the (chord-progression), we may also conceive such a more lose condition in the composition of the melody : Instead of a predetermined chord progression a predetermined set of chords with no pre-decided order. Then as we want to go to the next melodic theme, w just choose a next chord from the predefined set of chords, and apply the method of the post 109.

Once a POMT-progression is determined, and also we have determined the realization of these order-topological melodic shapes with notes, then conversely we may  determine the chord progression, so that a chord is accepted as underlying for a melodic shape, if its notes as notes of the melodic theme in total do not sound less (preferably >2/3 of the total time) compared to the total duration of the notes of the melodic theme that do not belong to the chord. This of course may determine more than one chord. And we may chose with criteria of better quality chord progressions relative to the alternatives. Or if one particular chord progression and chord transition is more common in the particular style of music. We may also put a requirement of lest possible  number of underlying chords, which means that if for the previous melodic theme , and previous chord, is so that its notes as notes of the melodic theme both current and previous  in total do not sound less (preferably >2/3 of the total time) compared to the total duration of the notes of the two melodic themes that do not belong to the previous chord then we extend the duration of the previous chord to the current melodic theme. 

This interactive method for reasons of simplicity may compose as correlated harmony a power chord always in various positions, but the harmonic and chromatic simplcial sub-melody need again calculation. The power-chord play only the role of placing the melodic theme, inside the scale, and requiring that the melody passes from harmonic intervals of 8th or 5th. The actual chords that finally would accompany the melody may be different!. The reason that we may prefer to set only power-chord restrictions on the successive melodic themes is because we may want to give priority to the sequence and "logic" or dynamics of the order-topological shapes of the melodic themes, their development,  repetitions and balance , compared to a preset harmony by a chord-progression.

The boundaries of the range of the available instruments upper and lower (usually 2 or 3 octaves) serve as reflectors, where the melodic themes may have inversion variations either  in pitch or time.

Example 1 : After choosing a scale (which is equivalent with predetermining a specific set of chords) we compose the full melody by a pitch-order shapes of melodic themes progression (POMT progression) which is nothing else that drawing a sequence of order-topological shapes, and then realizing them with intervals in the scale. The final underlying appropriate chord progression will follow. 

Example 2: As a practice with this method, we may take for example a sequence of bars of the prices of a financial instrument in the stock-exchanges or inter-bank market, and give simple rules to convert  the order-topological shapes of price movements to homeomorphic  such melodic themes (possibly in a single scale) of various pitch intervals, and get thus a full melody composition. Of course we may focus only on nice repetitive shapes which are constraint to fit in to successive power-chords and disregard time intervals with relatively chaotic movements. Thus repetitive patterns of collective emotional behavior will be converted to nice single instrument melodies.

We give some examples.



Here is an imagination  poem by me about dolphins that actually speak by whistling, and say beautiful poems and philosophical treatises.

The speaking dolphin 

My friend said the dolphin 

look at the beauty 

of the water space

with the golden light

at its top

I have traveled

from continent to continent

But the humans do not

understands us

They hunt and they prison us.

I have saved many

drowning men 

and I have carried them

to the sea-shore

I talk to the wales

and you do not 

understand them too

The sea knows our songs

with the story of our races

Man oh man!

I do not have hands

I do not have legs

But I think and I whistle

in our trinary language 

I think and I whistle

the poems that I compose

for my friends

Man Oh man!

Please learn 

to speak with us

for we are 

the most sentient 

of the animals

(This post has not been written completely yet) 

100. The concept of within a scale inner translations (modes) of songs versus modulations among scales.

99. The hexagonal 2D patterns (Terpstra Keyboards) of the diatonic harmony . Isomorphic layouts of notes

I CONSIDER THE IDEA OF A 2-DIMENSIONAL RECTANGULAR OR HAXEGONAL LATTICE (THE LATTER IS MORE DENSE) AS KEYBOARD CONFIGIRATION OF NOTES AS BEST OPPORTUNITY OF TOUCHSCREEN SOFTWARE AND BEST WAY OF ARRANGING NOTES FOR PLAYING MUSIC ,IMPROVISING AND COMPOSING. 

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THE NOTES CAN CORRESPOND TO THE VERTICES OF A HEXAGONAL LATTICE.

Isomorphic layouts of notes 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZczraF3dzU0&t=96s

FOR CHORDS THE BEST WAY SEEMS TO BE THAT OF NAVICHORD,, IN OTHER WORDS ONE AXIS BY FITHS AND IN ANOTHER AXIS BY 3RDS. FOR MELODIC IMPROVISATIONS ITIS INONE AXIS BY 5THS AND IN ANOTHER AXIS BY 2NDS.
The latter is as the harmonic-chromatic layout  here the Wicki-Hayden layout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicki%E2%80%93Hayden_note_layout
Another is as here the harmonic-melodic layout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_table_note_layout

The Navichord (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRdH_6cxLRg) is a wonderful application that sets the notes in 2-dimensional hexagonic arrangment as in the Serpstra keyboard. The major and minor chords are triangles of notes in it, and are played by pushing in the cenrer of the triangle. The 3 local relations ofthe chords (chromatic=no common notes, melodic=2 common notes and harmonic=1 common note) are immeditely seen.  The chord scales and chord progressions for  composition are realized by the chord sequencer .


http://terpstrakeyboard.com/


We will describe 3 different types of Terpstra keyboards for the diatonic harmony.

1) One based on the alternating major-minor intervals of 3rds (or short wheel by 3rds as in post  79 . Notice also the tuning of alternate minor and major thirds seem to occur for a 5-string Mexican instrument the Jarana huasteca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarana_huasteca)

2) one based on the intervals of 5ths and 4ths, and
3) one based on the intervals of 2nds (tones and semitones). 

We will enumerate all possible hexagonal such Terpstra  keyboards for the diatonic harmony.

The value of such harmonic Terpstra  keyboards, is that they give very fast an convenient placement of notes as instrument,  for fast and easy, different types of improvisation.

(This post has not been written completely yet)

98. Linear fingering scales in the guitar

By linear fingering scales,in the guitar we mean scales, that are realized at maximum in each string, so the notes are in linear order, giving the necessary direct visual perception of the pitch distances. Si the more than 3 octaves of the guitar should be realized in a minimum number f strings. What is the most convenient way to do so? And  convenient according to which criteria?

(The post has not been written completely yet)

97. THE ORDER-TOPOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF A MELODY

An important emotional structure of a melody, is that parts of it ascend or descend linearly or waving   in other words the pitch order of notes but without particular reference to how much. In other words the qualitative  dynamics of up and down and oscillations and not of what interval or scale. In mathematical geometry the structure of  shapes which is not its metric properties bu rather the order of points is called Affine geometry and Affine structure. Which is also under the more general abstraction of the order-topology of an entity.

So let a melody as a sequence of notes a(1),a(2),a(3),a(4),a(5) ...a(n)

If we are not interested in what scale it is and what are the intervals a(n)-a(n+1)

but only to that as far as pitch is concerned that a(n)>a(n+1)  or a(n)=a(n+1) or a(n)<a(n+1).

An transformation f of the melody such that this pitch-order structure is preserved id a(n)<a(n+1) then f(a(n))<f(a(n+1) and similarly for = and > is said to preserve the affine structure of the melody.

The order-topological structure of the melody is highly responsible for the emotional impact of joy or sadness, but the details of the harmony is not included in the order-topological structure.

(This post has not been written completely yet)

96. Organized symmetry and symmetric organization of a melody.

A fast and good melody requires appropriately organized symmetry and further organization patterns based on pitch-order emotions dynamics, rhythm, and harmony.

In order to understand better this rich concept, and separate it from the harmony, we will consider the part of the melody, which is parallel to a single chord, from all the chord progression of the song.

The organization of the symmetries of the melody is understood better over the "melodic corridor"
(See post 94 )

We have already mentioned types of symmetry for the melodic themes that are

0) An affine-topological pattern  of the melody which is independent of a realization in  a mode or in a scale (see post 97)

1) Reflection to a horizontal axis (time)

2) Reflection to a  vertical axis (pitch)

3) Point symmetry to a time point

4) Pitch translation

5) Recursive pitch waving ascending or descending.

6) Cyclic or balanced behavior   in ascending-descending.

7) Dilation on the size of intervals (waved changing of the 3 melodic densities or speeds). Usually the melody starts with low melodic speeds or densities , accelerates to higher speeds or densities and then decelerates again to lower speeds or densities, as is also the motion of bodies in dancing.

8) Statistical types of symmetries.

9) Furthermore, the melodic themes may be organized at small time level by the micro-rhythm of the "melodic words" e.g. 3:1 or 2:1 time duration ratio of the long-short notes, the long inside the underlying chord and the short possibly outside the chord. The melodic word is a basic micro-theme of 

the melody. The interval of the long-short notes is a basic step-interval of the melody and it is avoided to me an interval of 2nd , instead an interval of 3rd, 4ths/5th, 6th , 7th or 8th (see post  92 ). The next basic interval in the melody, is the pitch distance among two successive melodic words, which is usually  zero, an interval of 3rd, 4th, 5th etc.

10) or at a larger time scale, by the relevant poetic measure (11-syllables poetry, 15-syllables poetry, 17-syllables poetry) that determine the pattern of repetitions in the melodic themes E.g. 3 repetitions at 4th measure resolution-change or 4 repetitions and at he 5th resolution-change .

11) We may determine a statistical profile of statistical frequency of intervals in the melody such that the highest statistical  frequency of intervals of the melody are mainly the next intervals in the next preference order 5th, 4th, 8th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd. A happy melody tends to avoid sad and dissonant intervals and use instead happy harmonic intervals

12) As the micro-themes (melodic "words") develop over notes ascending and descending over even or odd number steps of the diatonic scale (as in such a way that chords are shaped) the total results, as intended,  is to use eventually all the notes of he diatonic scale, so that the melody has high scale-completeness measure (see post 86 about chromatic music ). This principles somehow determines the preferred chord progressions (E.g. I, IV, V7) .

13) Although we may focus in such an organized symmetry of the melody during a single underlying chord, the true harmony of the fast melody may use "ghost chords" around this single chord (see post 87 about ghost chords ).  

 E.g. if the chord progression is I, IV, V7 used where IV and V7 are ghost chords, then substituting IV with ii or vi and V7 with vii or iii, we get at least 9 more combinations and variations for the ghost-harmony of the melody , that essentially only the chord I is sounding. E.g. (I,ii,vii), (I,ii,V), (I,vi,V), (I,iv,vii) ,(I,ii, iii) ,(I,vi,iii), (I,vi,V), (I,IV,vii), (I,IV,iii).

14) A fast melody should balance properly repetition and  innovation during its development

It is obvious that a simple guitar harping is not a sufficient concept to grasp the required above high organization of the melody even during a single chord. The guitar has only 6-strings while to lay-out the previous organization structures may require many notes and the chord considered at two octaves rather than one only octave.

AN EXAMPLE OF A TYPE OF MELODIES THAT MAY EXHIBIT SUCH ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE AS ABOVE ARE THE CHORD-COURT MELODIES BASED ON "MUSICAL WORDS"

Here we concentrate one only simple organization structure which the closest corresponded in the poetic language and lyrics is the word. So we introduce a concept of micro-melodic theme, called

MUSICAL WORD that we may agree to symbolize say by w. It consists of a very small number of beats higher than 2 e.g.  3 or 4, and we may symbolize it with 0,s and 1,s , which means that at this beat if no sound is heard it is zero, while if a sound is heard it is 1. E.g. (0101) or (011) etc Now we divide the word in its LONG PART , that symbolize by L(w) , and SHORT PART . that we symbolize by S(w) and so that in time duration, or beats it holds that L(w)/S(w)>=2 (e.g. L(w)/S(w)=3 etc).

The musical-words or melodic micro-themes need not be by intervals of 2nds! They can be by intervals of 3rds and 5ths or 4ths! 

PITCH OSCILLATIONS AND THE MELODIC MICRO-RHYTHMIC-THEME
The musical-words or melodic micro-themes need not be by intervals of 2nds! They can be by intervals of 3rds and 5ths or 4ths! Actually as we shall see in the RULE OF OSCILLATION below its ends may be the required oscillation which most often is an interval of 5th or 4th. E.g.on of the most common such dancing pattern is the (1,1,1), where 2 of the 1's is the long part and 1 is the short part. It may start so  that these 3, 1's are the notes of the underlying chord a kind of harping) , but then it dances away so that only two of the 1's are eventually notes of the underlying chord. The number 3 here most often in dancing comes from the 3-like steps of the running horse. It corresponds also to the basic harping of a 3-notes chord.  It is also a micro-rhythmic pattern that repeat either inside or outside the chord. In this way by going up and down the diatonic scale,   this very micro-rhythmic structure of the melodic micro-theme, by odd and even steps creates chords and diatonic harmony. Of course the chord changes may be fast , so actually we are talking about ghost-chords! (see post 87 about ghost chords ). 
When playing or improvising  such melodies, with the vibraphone (metallophone) , the 2 , 3 or 4  mallets, correspond to this oscillating melodic micro-theme.

Such musical words may be ascending, descending or waving. Ascending as excitation may be small (intervals of 2nd) low middle (intervals of 3rds) or high middle (interval of 5th or 4th) or high (intervals of  8th or higher) Of course, as they are combined, they definitely create the effect of waving. BUT the waving is not the very standard by intervals by 2nds but a richer one, that involves many intervals of 3rds and even 5ths, and 8ths. The simplicial sub-melody of such melodies are movements mainly with intervals by 3rds and 5ths. There is also acceleration and deceleration as the melodic theme starts and ends.

E.g. we may descend with a chord say Am and its relative C (out of chords would be notes of G), and ascend with its chromatic-complementary thee G7 (out of chord notes would be those of Am or C ) etc. In other words, we ascend with even or odd notes and descend conversely. Here although we may utilize only 3 chords (Am, C, G) the alternating-changing may be fast covering practically all waving and melodies of the pentatonic or diatonic scale. The scale-completion of the melody (see post 86)  , may be at the next octave rather than in the same octave!
The rhythmic repetition 3 times then the 4th is different is more common than 2 times repeated then 2 times a different. The total range of waving say of the first 3 repetitions may be of size a 5th, while the 4th measure a range of size an 8th, or vice versa.

Let us also assume that the chord progression that underlines the melody is the X(1), X(2) ,...X(n).

As we wrote in previous posts, the melody consists by a progression of melodic themes, that are transformed, by the 4 main transformations or translation, inversion, dilation and rhythmic transformation. This is indeed happening in to the melodic micro-themes or melodic or musical words during the part of the melody that sounds during say the chord X(i) i=1,2...n, BUT we impose here a very important structure which is the key to the beautiful folk melodies, and makes them compatible with the chord progression that underlines, the melody. And this rule is a 

RULE1 OF TRANSIENT AND CHORD NOTES. Obligatory part: In simple words, each musical-word w , that has underlined chord X(i) has the notes of its long part L(w) , to be notes of the chord X(i), (which includes extended forms of X(i) like X(i)maj7 or X(i)7 or X(i)add9 or X(i)sus4 ) while , the notes of its short part S(w) to be transient and belonging to the notes of the neighboring chord that is X(i-1) or  X(i+1), (which includes extended forms of X(i+1) like X(i+1)maj7 or X(i+1)7 or X(i+1)add9 or or X(i+1)sus4) or and more rarely to the rest of the chords of the chord progression. And if so if it contains a note from a non-adjacent chord Y(j) of the progression, then usually somewhere in the progression there is a transition X(i)->Y(j) or Y(j)->X(i) . We keep the transient notes sound at most 1/3 of the time only and the notes of the chord at least 2/3 of the time, because of the rule of long and short parts of the musical word or micro-theme. No mentioning of any scale is necessary in this definition (as usually there are more than one) but only of the chord progression, which is compatible with our enhanced concept of modern harmony. Nevertheless the chord progression over which this technique produces fast melodies may contain very fast chord changes, and may not be identical with the actual chord progression that the instruments play as background to the melody. This is the concept of "ghost chords" in the melody as described in the post 87. E.g. The full ghost-chord progression may be D G D G D A D. While the chords really played is only D. 

RULE2 An alternative rule is that a musical-word w , that has underlined chord X(i) has the notes of its long part L(w) , to be notes of the chord X(i), (which includes extended forms of X(i) like X(i)maj7 or X(i)7 or X(i)add9 or X(i)sus4 ) while , the notes of its short part S(w) to be transient and is one only intermediate not between the notes of the  chord X(i) (usually a 2nd away from the notes of X(i) and preferably but not obligatory this additional note to be a note of the other chords of the progression, again preferably and if possible of the previous or next chord, rarely on  of other chords. And if so, if it contains a note from a non-adjacent chord Y(j) of the progression, then usually somewhere in the progression there is a transition X(i)->Y(j) or Y(j)->X(i) .In this way we keep the transient notes sound at most 1/3 of the time only and the notes of the chord at least 2/3 of the time, in addition to the rule of long and short parts of the musical word or micro-theme. Even if we did not have the structure of micro-themes as musical-words with long and short notes , and we are playing in a random way the three notes of the chord plus one transient, in equal time in the average, we are still in the harmony of this chord, because of the proportion 3:1. And this would still hold if we used 2 transient notes in which case we would have the time proportion 3:2.  But in addition to this rule if we want also the intervals of 3rds, 4ths, 5th and 8th to be more than 2/3 of all the intervals the way is to apply harping in a chord say with 6 or 8 steps on notes, where it is added only one intermediate note in the chord (e.g. 7nh, 6th, 4th or 2nd) and so that the created intervals of 2nd are only 2 in the 6 or 8 intervals. Then we shift to a relative chord an interval of  3rd away or to a resolution transition which is a chord in an interval  5th or 4th away , or we even shift to a chord a 2nd away in which case we do not use any additional note, and we continue so.  So finally %3rds+%4ths/5ths/8ths>=2*(% 2nds) . Again the chord progression over which this technique produces fast melodies may contain very fast chord changes, and may not be identical with the actual chord progression that the instruments play as background to the melody. This is the concept of "ghost chords" in the melody as described in the post 87. E.g. The full ghost chord progression may be D G D G D A D. While the chords really played is only D. 

THEREFORE EVERY CHORD PLAYS THE ROLE OF A MINI CENTRAL SUB-SCALE AROUND WHICH THE MELODY DANCES FOR A WHILE ALTHOUGH IT  IS STEPPING ON OTHER NOTES TOO BUT NOT FOR LONG, THAT ARE MAINLY THE NOTES OF THE NEXT CHORD-SUB-SCALE. 

RULE 3 OF OSCILLATION OR BALANCE
THE COURT-MELODY USUALLY  OSCILLATES INSIDE AN INTERVAL OF 5TH OR 8TH. AND IT MAY BE OF THE NOTES OF THE HARMONIC SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY (oscillating link or bridge of chords) OR THE ROOR-DOMINANT OF THE CHORD, OR MIDDLE 3RD AND 6TH OR 7NTH OFTHE CHORD (internal bridge of a chord).

RULE 4 OF AFFINE STRUCTURE BALANCE
The melody if ir ascend then it descends and vice versa. The imblanace of thsi rather slight to indicate joy or sadness respectively. (For the Affine structure of a melody see post 97)

RULE 5 OF PITCH SCALE-COMPLENTESS
THE MELODY IS DESIRD TO USE AS EVENTUALLY MANY AS POSSIBLE OF ALL THE NOTES OF AN INTERVAL EITHER OF THE 12-TONES CHROMATI SCALE OR OF A 7 NOTES DIATONIC SCALE.


WE MAY CALL SUCH A CHATTY FAST MELODY THE CHORD-COURT MELODY OR SIMPLER THE CHATTY COURT MELODY OF THE CHORD PROGRESSION.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT THE COURT-CHATT MELODY MAY USE OSCILLATIONS BETWEEN THE NOTES OF THE HARMONIC SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY THAT ARE MAILY INTERVALS OF 4TH, 5TH AND 8TH.  (SEE POST 9, 65, 72 )

GENERAL REMARKS ABOUT MELODY-CHORD CORRELATION 

0) When a melody is created without reference to any chord-progression (see e.g. post 82 about INDEPENDENT MELODIES ), then an statistical profile with high percentages of intervals of 5ths, 4ths, and 3rds compared to 2nds is sufficient to make it an beautiful harmonic melody. But if there is already a chord progression, and we improvise with a melody on it, 

1) then during the time interval that a chord is sounding, we may want to have notes of the melody that include at least one note of the chord and in overall the time that notes of the melody that belong to the chord ,sound, is longer that the total time that the rest of the notes not in the chord is sounding during the chord. This is a quite strong rule. 

2) A weaker rule is simply the requirement that the notes of the melody during the sounding of the chord, contain  notes of the sounding chord, and probably that compared to their neighboring notes, the notes in the melody of the chord, sound longer during the sounding of the underlying chord.

3) If we abolish even this rule then we have an independent melody parallel to an independent chord progression, which is entirely acceptable in Jazz. In an independent melody, from the chord progression, we feel the harmony of the chord progression, but we apply all , some or none of the previous rules to some or of the chords.

(This post has not been written completely yet)