345. CHROMATIC TONALITY ON THE LEVERED HARP

 The levered harp as played in Paraguay , Combia,  Peru etc is a diatonic instrument tuned to a fixed initial diatonic scale, bu during the playing ofthe song some levers are move to provide one or more of the 5 chromatic or "blue" note that extend the 7 notes of the diatonicscale to the 12 of all notes. In particular 

we have the 5# chromatic note  , for harmonic minor ofthe aeolina  mode shifts, the 2# and 5# for double harmonic minor shifts ofthe aeolina mode, and slso 4# and 6# for chromativ shifts as in the overtones diatonic scale of the  brass instrumenst between 8th and 16th overtones. Finally the 1# also for neopolitan shifts of the aeolian mode. 

Thus the practice o the leverd harp in the latin americacountries realizes what we have describe here as chromatic tonality in the posts 336, 334, 263, etc

344. THE REALLY APPROPRIATE MOUTHPIECES FOR THE PICCOLO TRUMPET ARE THE 12mm-13mm OLD TIMES CORNETTI MOUTHPIECES.

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 ).