UNIT 6,

the subdominant
emphasizes
noting

region

of tonal

the dominanr.)

down the numerals

harmony,

whereas

classical

You can learn a lot about

for any sequence

music

typically

chord progressions

that strikes

just by

you when you're playing

pieces or just messing about at the keys.

There are special rules about using chords in second inversion.
should be approached
by a root position
'six-four'

and left by step (a 'passing six-four'),

chord with the same bass note (a 'cadenrial

refers to the old way of showing

intervals

chord

of the notes above the bass as numbers.

we'll see later on, something

just gives the melody
notation

similar happens

six-four').

inversions

The term

by specifying

leaving the keyboard

bass according

with chord symbols.

the bass

the

In the Baroque period, composers

would just write the bass line with these numbers,

decide how to realize the figured

Either

or the chord is followed

player to

to his or her style or mood. As

in jazz when we use a lead sheet

The modern

that

system of classical chord

uses the following abbreviations:

Root position:
First inversion:
Second

inversion:

Melody or harmony first?

Right from the beginning of classical music,

MELODY AND HARMONY

composers, music theorists, and even philosophers

have disagreed about whether melody or barmony
comes first in music. They probably never will

There are two ways to think about the relationship

between melody and harmony.

agree. Even great theorists like Schoenberg and

Schenker have struggled to make sense of tbe way

Harmony

they seem to unfold together.

implied

comes from melody: chords can spell Out a harmonic

by a melody; they provide a harmonization

be played alongside
Melody

the progression

already

the tune.

comes from harmony:

which melodies

structure

- a series of chords that can

chord sequences

can be developed,

through

provide

decoration

source material

from

of the uppermost

part of

in various ways.

In rhe first case, you may want to create the melody yourself before harmonizing
in which case you'll need to think about contour
and phrase

structure,

as well as harmony.

A good melody develops by rising and falling in interesting

while introducing

it,

(the shape of the melody), rhythm,

subtle variations

to a regular underlying

bur consistent

rhythm.

ways,

In early music

the melody line often refleers the character of dance forms - a bit like some popular
styles

roday.

Classical

creating

'question

and

gradually

to a high-point

melodies

often

answer'

effects.

divide

up into phrases

Romantic

melodies

of equal
usually

length,
build

or climax, which can often be delayed for emotional

up

effect.

Have another look at the melodies in the pieces you've played so far in this book.
Which

of the above categories

chord structure

would you place them in? Why not try analying

the

of the melodies. Could the chords have been realized in other ways)

Can you make up a tune of your own chat works with chose chords?
Once you've an idea for a tune of your own, the hardest thing is knowing

what to

do next. So here's what to do:

Try to work out what key and time signature
Try writing

it's in;

it down (you'll need some blank manuscript

paper);

Wrice out che chords for each degree of the scale of che key of the tune;
Look to see if the notes
corresponds

in each bar, half-bar,

form a pattern

to some or all of the notes of one of the chords from the scale;

Once you've found the implied chords, cry extending

96

or beat,

the chord progression;

chat