MELODIC STUDIES
Learning melodies in a number of keys is important for all musicians. it allows for more flexibility and confidence, especially when playing with a vocalist, who might want to perform a song in a different key to accommodate their singing range. chromatic transposition means taking a line and moving everything, the melody and chord progression, up or down by a certain interval. so, for example, by transposing a melody from Bb to D, all of the notes move up a Major 3rd and they retain their exact relative interval shape. the underlying harmony also moves up a Major 3rd. with diatonic transposition, on the other hand, the underlying harmony remains the same. the shape of the melodic line will generally be the same but there may be some slight note alterations depending on the requirements of the harmony or the scale that it comes out of. here’s an example:
take a simple melodic phrase like: Bb D Eb C F G F. let’s say the underlying chord is Bb Major.
if we transpose it up chromatically by a Major 3rd we get this: D F# G E A B A. the chord becomes D Major and the each note of the melody is moved up by a Major 3rd.
if we transpose it up diatonically by a third we get this: D F G E A Bb A. the chord remains Bb Major. the notes are still derived from Bb Major but each note is shifted upward by a diatonic 3rd.
for reasons of good voice leading, when transposing diatonically, there are a few rules to keep in mind:
- if the harmony is Major or Dominant, all 11ths (4ths) should be raised.
- if a Dominant harmony is resolving to Minor, all 9ths (2nds) and 13ths (6ths) should be lowered. the 13th (6th) of a Minor chord of a ii-V moving to Minor may be lowered.
- if the harmony is Half Diminished, all 9ths (2nds) should be lowered.
- fully Diminished and Augmented chords, because they are not typical 7 note scales, present some challenges that i won’t go into just yet… for now, i suggest using your ear and your intuition when working with them.
other than those exceptions, i make alterations according to the requirements of the chord. several years ago, as a student in NYC, i had the opportunity to study briefly with pianist Gary Dial. he showed me some exercises for chord study. the goal was to hear and play a certain degree of each chord and then add chromatic or diatonic neighboring tones. he devised three-note patterns (for example: chromatic 1/2 step above, chromatic 1/2 step below, chord tone) to be played over every chord of a progression. it’s an interesting exercise that i study to this day. the melodic study that i’m posting here evolved out of those exercises. i think it’s a great ear training tool as well as a cool way to find interesting lines that are hiding in every song you’ve heard or written. in the PDF below, i wrote out “Body And Soul” in the original key. then i transposed it diatonically by a 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th. playing through the different transpositions is a great way to expand your understanding of the melody and the progressions it is based on, to see other paths the melody might have taken…
Tags: Exercise
September 28th, 2009 at 2:02 AM
Thank you sir, you have blown my mind :) So simple, should be obvious, but instead its brilliant. If you have more of these, I for one won’t complain a bit if you post them!