343. CHROMATIC SHIFTS OF PAIRS OF CHORDS AS A TECHNIQUE FOR FULL CHROMATIC TONALITY

 For the concept of Chromatic tonality see posts 263, 336, 334 .

This concept of chromatic shift of a pair of chords is as follows : Let a pair of chords X1->X2 , that are chords of a diatonic scale S. The 3 possible relations of (X1,X2) is chromatic (roots  differ by a 2nd or inverse ), melodic (roots differ by a 3rd or inverse ) and harmonic (rotts differ by a 4th or 5th).

Now the chromatic shift preserves this relation of X1,X2 but may take this pair outside the diatonic scale as it shifts by an interval of one semitone or one tone  which may not be of the diatonic scale S.

This shift may change the character ofthe chords X1, X2 from major or minor or dimisnhed to another from the types major , minor or diminished.

By continuing this chromatic shift we return again after 1,2, or 3 steps to a pair of chords of the diatonic scale .

Of course it is not only that athe pair of chords are shifting but also the melody theme relating these 2 chords is shifting also to other scales, and after 1,2 or 3 steps returns again to a melody theme of the the initial scale S.

Here are some example in the diatonic scale S=C major

1) X1=Dm   X2= G  (harmonic relation of X1,X2) 

Dm->G

Dbm->Gb

C->F

2) X1=C   X2= F (harmonic relation of X1,X2) 

C->F

B7->Em

Bb7->Eb

Am->Dm

3) X1=Am   X2= C (melodic  relation of X1,X2) 

Am->C

Abm->B

Gm->Bb

G->Bd

4) X1=Em   X2= Am (harmonic  relation of X1,X2) 

Em->Am

Fm->Bbm

Gbm->Bm

Gm->Cm

ETC

342. Can we make a cornetti (DIATONIC TRUMPET OR DIATONIC FLUGELHORN ) out of soprano saxophone or an oboe?

The picture below is of a mute cornett (diatonic piccolo  trumpet) . The trumpet-like small cornett mouthpiece is inside the narrow upper hole of the wooden tube.

The picture below is a trumpet-like cornetti mouthpiece which is smaller than the trumpets (inner diameter from 12mm to 15mm, Trumpet mouthpieces have usually inner diameter 16mm-17mm.) .

If a mouthpiece with inner diameter of the cup of 13,5mm-14mm is attached to an oboe, it will give a   modern type of cornetto (diatonic trumpet) with keys and more or less the fingering ofthe oboe. The sound compared to the trumpet is less loud because of the smaller bell and more sweet because the oboe is not made from brass metal. 

The sound compared to the traditional of oboe with double reed is more smooth bass and melo , less penetrating and in generalmore human and pleasent. Neverthless as it is known the brass instruments and cornetti mouthpiece embouchure is by far more difficult in stability and pitch compared to that of double reeds.

The same applies if instead of  an oboe we utlize a soprano saxophone with a cornetti mouthpiece with 14,5mm-15mm inner diameter of the cup.  Even a french horn mouthpiece would fit and would give a very good 1st octave! It will become a DIATONIC FLUGELHORN   OR CORNETTO  with fingering chart more or less that of the soprano saxophone. The sound  is very close tthe flugelhorn sound , and compared to it is  slightly more instrospective and less loud because of the smaller bell compared to a flugelhorn. The pitch is a bit more volatile with the soprano sax body, when the same french horn mouthpiece is utilized both in the flugelhorn and the soprano sax, and easy changing in the embouchure compared to a flugelhorn, because of the smaller length tube of the soprano saxophone. But with a smaller mouthpiece of 14,5mm-15mm of inner diameter of the cup,as in wooden cornetto this  pitch variability is improved.  The fingering system of the saxophone played in such a way as a flugelhorn with a cornetto or french horn mouthpiece is by far more intuitive and straight forward as a diatonic instrument compared to the valves system of the flugelhorn which is better for the chromatic 12-notes scale rather than 7-notes diatonic scale. 

The sound compared to the sound of the soprano saxophone is more smooth bass and melo , less penetrating and in general more human and pleasent . Neverthless as it is known the brass instruments and cornetti mouthpiece embouchure is by far more difficult in stability and pitch compared to that of single reeds.

341 THREE EMBOUCHURE TYPES FOR TRUMPET AND BRASS INSTRUMENTS. ROLLING IN WITHOUT NARROWING ROLLING OUT AND NARROWING ROLLING OUT OR UNFURLING WITHOUT NARROWING

 

SMILING EMBOUCHURE (ROLLING IN WITHOUT NARROWING) , PUKCER EMBOUCHURE (ROLLING OUT AND NARROWING) AND MAYNARD FERGUNSON (MF) EMBOUCHURE (ROLLING OUT OR UNFURLING WITHOUT NARROWING) FOR TRUMPET AND OTHER BRASS INSTRUMENTS 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLE_-ly8hrQ&t=1394s&ab_channel=CharliePorter 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uuRhCxoihM&t=395s&ab_channel=BryanDavis-AirflowMusic 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6AzzmNuXU0&t=11s&pbjreload=101&ab_channel=LynnNicholson

340. SCALES OF A CHORD AND ARPEGGIOS IN THEM AS WELL AS RELATIONS OF THEM, AS IDEAS IN IMPROVISING OVER CHORD TRANSITIONS

 This article, describes techniques to improvise over chord transitions X1->X2 based on a  choice of a chord scale S(X) of each the chord X (e.g. chord scale or scale of a chord of  the C major chord may be the Ionian mode of the C major scale) 

Arpeggiating in such a scale is considered as an improvisation fitting to the chord, under the rule that more than 50% of the time (that because of the uniform  arpeggiation it means more than 50% notes of the scale of a chord ) the notes have more than 50% of intervals relative to  the notes of  the chord that are melodic (3rds) or harmonic (4th or 5ths) rather than  chromatic (2nds). 

Arpeggiating the scale means that more or less in the average we have  a uniform distribution of the duration of  the notes of the scale , which is a statistical concept. 

Then the chord transition X1->X2  can be improvised by

1) Common notes of the 2 chord scales S(X1), S(X2)

2) Vector-chord arpeggios (=chord-closure arpeggios e.g. chord closure of the chord c-e-g is the c-d-e-f-g) of X1 , X2 inside S(X1) S(X2) that are the closest possible

3) Same pattern simple arpeggios  over S(X1) , and S(X2) and  although we change scale we do not change the arpeggio pattern.Here the common featute of the improvisation  betweenn the 2 chords is not common notes but common rhythmic arpeggiating pattern.

ETC.

Here are 4 videos that explain it with piano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqHlXP6-B6Y&ab_channel=RuslanSirota&fbclid=IwAR2HtO6dp-pCJeA1a1bzkni4Jz7v9PjUtssCOkt3EEGp07E-LLXTfEf8-PU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H4W6FweTn8&ab_channel=RuslanSirota&fbclid=IwAR2HtO6dp-pCJeA1a1bzkni4Jz7v9PjUtssCOkt3EEGp07E-LLXTfEf8-PU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM5Oik0oWnU&ab_channel=RuslanSirota&fbclid=IwAR2HtO6dp-pCJeA1a1bzkni4Jz7v9PjUtssCOkt3EEGp07E-LLXTfEf8-PU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4FadyY9g28&ab_channel=RuslanSirota&fbclid=IwAR2HtO6dp-pCJeA1a1bzkni4Jz7v9PjUtssCOkt3EEGp07E-LLXTfEf8-PU

339 FOUR EFECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF IMPROVISATION IN RHYTHM IN HARMONY IN MELODY AND IN PSYCHOLOGY

REALM OF HARMONY

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

BASIC PRINCIPLE 1 CHORDS HARMONY POLARITY 

HARMONY POLARITY : HERE WE PLAY WITH OUR FEELINGS OF HARMONY AND THE POLARITY BETWEEN BEING INSIDE THE HARMONY OF THE UNDERLYING CHORD 

(THE RULE IS THAT AT LEAST 50% OF THE TIME MORE THAN 50% OF THE INTERVALS THAT ARE CREATED FROM  EACH NOTE OF THE MELODY WITH THE NOTES OF THE CHORD ARE MELODIC (INTERVALS OF 3RDS OR INVERSES) AND HARMONIC (INTERVALS OF 5TH OR 4TH) AND NOT CHROMATIC (INTERVALS OF 2NDS)). 

ABASIC PRINCIPLE TO SATISFY THE ABOVE RULE IS TO PLAY INSIDE A DIATONIC SCALE THAT CONTAINS THE CHORD (AT IONIANA, DORIAN OR ANY MODE). ANOTHER IS TO PLAY WITHIN THE SUBSCALE OF THE 5 NOTES CHROMATIC CLOSURE (INSIDE A DIATONIC SCALE) OFTHE NOTES OF THE CHORD.

IF WE KNOW HOW TO IMPROVISE OVER A SINGLE CHORD AND PAIRS OF CHORDS AS ΤΗΕ BASIC 3 CHORD TRANSITIONS (HARMONIC, MELODIC, CHROMATIC) THEN WE KNOW HOW TO IMPROVISE IN ALL CHORD PROGRESSIONS EITHER PRE-COMPOSED OR IMPROVISED!

WHEN CREATING A CHORD PROGRESSION WE MAY START WITH THE BASIC TRIAD OF CHORDS 1M , 4M, 5M AS ROLES OF TONAL-DOMINSNAT-SUBDOMINANT AND THEN RE-HARMONIZE BY SHIFTING AND SUBSTITUTING CHORDS WITH THE SAME ROLES IN NEIGHBORING MODES OF THE SAME DIATONIC SCALE. IN ADDITION WE MAY APPLY TECHNIQUES OF CHROMATIC TONALITY WHICH EXTEND THE 7 NOTES O THE DIATONIC SCALE TO THE FULL 12 NOTES OF THE CHROMATIC SCALE AS IN POSTS 336, 263, 334.

WE ENHANCE THIS PRINCIPLE WITH THE OVERTONES ARPEGGIO PATH   FOR OVERTONES INSTRUMENTS OR OVERTONES TUNINGS OF STRINGS . THIS STATES THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN A NOTE AND YOU ARE WANDERING OF HOW MUCH OUTSIDETHE THE UNDERLYING  CHORD AND WHERE TO GO, THEN THE THE FRIENDLY CHARMING  PATH TO FOLLOW   IS TO ASCEND OR DESCEND FROM THIS NOTE ACROSS THE OVERTONES OF THE INSTRUMENT WHICH ESSENTIALLY ARE A MAJOR CHORD (IN THE BRASS INSTRUMENT BY BLOWING LESS OR MORE) AND WHEN YOU REACH A NOTE EITHER STAY IN IT IF IT IS SUITABLE OR SHIFT TO A CLOSEST ONE  WHICH IS SUITABLE (E.G.IN THE TROMBONE BY THE SLIDE).  IN THE STRING INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE NOT IN OVERTONES TUNING THIS FRIENDLY CHARMING PATH IS NOT AN OVERTONES SEQUENCE BUT   A CHROMATIC  SEQUENCE OF MINOR 2NDS (SEMITONES).

REALM OF RHYTHM

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

BASIC PRINCIPLE 2: THE POLARITY OF REPETITION AND VARIATION IN THE RHYTHM

WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW A RHYTHM WHICH IS AN ABSOLUTE REPETITIVE PATTERN, BUT SOMETIMES WE VARY THE RHYTHM TO POLY-THYTHMS. AN UNDERLYING RHYTHM MAY BE UTILIZED ALSO TO CREATE MUTATIONS OF MELODIC THEMES, ALL OF WHICH THOUGH ARE PARTIAL PATTERNS OF A SINGLE RHYTHMIC  PATTERN.

REALM OF MELODY

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

BASIC PRINCIPLE 3: THE POLARITY OF REPETITION AND VARIATION  IN THE MELODY  (IMITATION, ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION)

MELODIC MONOTONICITY-VARIATION POLARITY . HERE WE PLAY WITH OUR FEELINGS OF MONOTONY AND VARIATION  AND THE POLARITY BETWEEN BEING MONOTONOUS BY REPEATING A MELODIC THEME AND BEING INNOVATIVE . WE  CREATE TRANSLATIONS, INVERSIONS AND MUTATIONS OF IT (MUTATIONS BASED ON THE FRIENDLY CHARMING PATH AS ABOVE OR A COMMON UNDERLYIN RHYTHMIC PATTERN FOR ALL MELODIC THEMES). 

IN MODERN DIGITAL MUSIC THIS HAS BEEN PARTIALLY REALIZED AS LOOPS AND ARPEGGIATORS. 

WHEN ASSIMILATING AND VARYING IN AN INNOVATIVE WAY  A MELODIC THEME WE MAY KEEP THE NOTES AND CHANGE THE RHYTHMIC PATTERN, OR KEEP THE RHYTHMIC PATTERN AND CHANGE THE NOTES.

A SOURCE OF SIMPLICITY IN MELODIC IMPROVISATION IS THE CONCEPT OF SIMPLICIAL SUBMEODY (SIMPLE LIKE A BASS LINE SEE POSTS 72, 65  ETC ) WITH ABOUT ONE NOTE PER CHORD.  THE SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY IS ALSO EASILY WRITABLE PARALLEL TO THE CHORD PROGRESSION. BASED ON THE SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY EVERY ELEMENTARY MELODIC THEME HAS A  TRACE AS  A DIRECTED PAIR (OR VECTOR) OF NOTES OF THE SIMPLICIAL SUBMELODY CALLED SIMPLICIAL MELODIC THEME OR DOLPHIN WORD (SEE POSTS 114, 282, 231  ).

REALM  OF  PSYCHOLOGY 

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

BASIC PRINCIPLE 4: THE POLARITY OF THE PRIORITY ON MUSICAL FEELINGS VERSUS INSTRUMENTS HABIT AND THEORETICAL PRECONCEPTIONS .

THE BIOWARE OVER THE HARDWARE.  HERE WE GIVE PRIORITY TO THE ACQUIRED PSYCHOLOGY AFTER LISTENING MANY MELODIES OF OUR PERCEPTION OF MUSIC OVER HABITS OF PLAYING THE  INSTRUMENTS OR OF THEORETICAL PRECONCEPTION IN THE MUSICAL ONTOLOGY:  WE SPENT 5 ONLY MINUTES A DAY TO SING A MELODY THAT WE LIKE (KNOWN OR NEW) AND THEN PLAY IT AS IMPROVISATION  ON OUR  INSTRUMENT (see also post 288 ). 

338. THE LIPOPHONE CHALUMEAUX A CORNETTI TYPE WIND INSTRUMENT EASILY PLAYABLE , WITH THE ACOUSTICS OF THE CLARINET AND CHALUMEAUX RATHER THAN THE TRUMPET

This is AN INNOVATIVE IDEA,  CLASSICAL wind instrument combining the advantages of cornett, trumpet and clarinet.

1) It utilizes as sound generation method of buzzing the lips with trumpet mouthpieces (or wooden cornett mouthpieces ) , as brass instruments do. Thus for those that love this sound of the human lips in a trumpet mouthpiece  as modulated by a material tube , the lip-o-phone, it is an instrument that they like too.

2) It utlizes the simpler method of diatonic scales notes layout and fingering system of a clarinet (e.g. if no keys an only holes a 8front +1 thump fingering system) based on the 1st and 3rd overtone mainly , which is simpler fingering for 7-notes diatonic scales melodies compared to a valved trumpet which based on at least 5 overtones and which with the valves  favors the 12-notes chromatic scale

3) Its size compared to the root pitch is like that of the clarinet and in overall the wind instrument resembles a classical wooden cornett which also generates sound by buzzing the lips inside very small trumpet-like mouthpiece, except that it is not conical as the cornett but of straight tube as the clarinets.

4) Because it is not utilizing a cone or bell at  the end the sound is not penetarting and loud but gendle silky, and soft as the other wind instruments (flute, clarinett, cornett etc).  It must be noticed though that  the art of buzzing the lips at a stable resonating pitch  to the tube, as it is known from the brass instruments,  is not easy.  Playing brass instruments is more difficult than playing a duduk, a clarinet, or a saxophone just because of the lips buzzing stability issues not to mention the chromatic and non-diatonic layout of the notes by the valves (or slide). Still the lipophone is easier to play compared to a trumpet and most brass instruments and about as easy as playing the wooden cornett. Still more difficult than a duduk, a  clarinet or a saxophone. If it is utlilized wooden cornett mouthpieces instead of brass trumpet mouthpieces, the pitch of the lips buzzing is more stable.

5) Sizes of 70 cm and root Bb3 are normal , but if someone would like lower roots Bb2 F2 , C2 etc and still be able to play them easily we should use flexible plastic pipes or tubes coiled around a cylinder, so that we can put the 8+1 holes close,  and cover themeasily as if playing an alto A4, or Bb4 flute. A method much like that of the medieval wooden rackett wind instrument or the coiling of the tube of the brass wind instruments. 

In the next picture is such Lipophone rooted at D3 and in the 2nd photo for comparison a conical type cornett (diatonic piccolo trumpet) . The cornett has a  fingering system much like a whistle and saxophone (slightly different) , while the Lipophone a fingering system excatly as the clarinet. 

And if for  the body we utilize a  clarinet tube and for mouth piece a french horn mouthpiece then this is shown in the next pictures

The picture below is of a mute cornett (diatonic piccolo  trumpet) . The trumpet-like small cornett mouthpiece is inside the narrow upper hole of the wooden tube.

The picture below is a trumpet-like cornetti mouthpiece which is smaller than the trumpets (inner diameter from 12mm to 14mm, Trumpet mouthpieces have usually inner diameter 16mm-17mm.) .

A cornetti (diatonic piccolo trumet) mouthpiece can fit best  after appropriate adoption to a 

piccolo size clarinet tube or chalumeaux to give a  more modern  type of a soprano Lip-o-phone. Cornetti types mouthoieces are optimalin the 4th and 5th octaves.

1) As it turned out after experimentaion the various sizes of cornetti and brass winds mouthpieces are optimally correlated to particular octaves rather than particular instruments

2) Under this approach and classification the optimal octaves and mouthpieces go like this

 a) Cornetti mouthpieces (11mm-15mm) are optimal in the 5th octave of the piano

b) French horn mouthpieces and mega 7C trumpet mouthpieces  are optimal in the 4th octave of the piano

c) Alto-horn mouthpieces are optimal in the 3rd octave of the piano

d) Double trombone mouthpieces are optimal in  the 2nd octave of the piano

3) From this point of view   cornetti mouthpieces have a market musical need (besides cornetti players) for a big population of piccolo trumpet players! Inspite of the fact that  due to industry tradition the musician themselves do not know it because they have not tried it! 

I have tried it and they make greatly easier the playing of the piccolo trumpet compared to standard piccolo trumpet mouthpieces that are too big for the 5th octave! 

4) Also the use cornetti mouthpieces for the oboe did not give very satisfactory results as the playing for some reason was falling to start from one octave lower than that of oboe.  Instead the french horn mouthpieces for oboe were much satisfactory and besides a bit of volatility in the sound depending on the embouchure the intsrument was functional

The same exactly with the soprano saxophone and cornetti and French horn mouthpieces.

The correlation of mouthpieces and octaves holds also even for overtones flutes when instead of a fipple lips-base mouthpieces a re used.

337. HARMONY -MELODY AND SIMPLICITY-COMPLEXITY

Historically the harmony was created at the 2nd generation of music (classical polyphonic music) as  a   drone simple countermelody of  rather complicated melodies So there is the pre-occupation that melodies are complicated and accompanying harmonies are simple. And indeed there is a large number of famous folk and artistic songs that it is so.

Nevertheless after the 3rd and 4th generations of music (Jazz, folk jazz and digital music) we notice the reversing of this and we have a large number of beatiful songs where the melody is very simple while the parallele chord progression is complicated. Sometimes  there is a larger number of chords compared to  notes in the melody, or we have a single note in the melody having two accomanying chords etc. Here the harmony of the accompanying chord progression is like a polyphonic countermelody which is more complicated than the melody itself. 

A classical example the famous Lous Armstrong song What a wonderful world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBs82KnJllg

In the 4th generation of music , the digital music with looping and arpeggiators , this mode of songs with simple melody and complicated harmony is more often and also easier to compose, when you are a (jazz)  guitarist who has spent much time in learning and feeling chord progressions.