There is a greater likelihood that a chord tone and an important beat will coincide. Also, in a C Major scale for example, there's a greater likelihood of C being that note. Next up, E and G are statistically equivalent in strength. After that D and A receive equal weight. Finally, F and B come in last.
The different rhythmic positions will have varying degrees of gravitational pull on the chord tones. In a measure of 4/4, the first beat of the measure has the biggest chance of occurring simultaneously with a chord tone. The third beat has only a slightly lower magnetic influence on chord tones. The 2nd beat of the measure is next in line. The fourth beat has lower attraction still.
Upbeats as in the "and of 1,2,3 and 4" have even less pull. 16th note subdivisions begin to function only as ornaments to the beat they neighbor and have no attraction on chord tones of their own.
Of course, if you put chord tones on every beat in every song, it will be boring. Sometimes playing chord tones in a melody on beat 1 is enough. Oftentimes, it isn't. If you have a case where that isn't working then you can put a chord tone on beat 3 as well to give that measure a little more unity. If there are no chord tones on beats 2 and 4 then it can create a nice tension and release through a few measures or a whole section.
In syncopated music it often sounds good to put chord tones off the beat so then you could have chord tones on the "and of 1" and the "and of 3". Or on most if not all of the off beats. This makes a nice contrast to sections where chord tones fall on the beat.
If you were working with a melodic series of pitches but with a new melodic rhythm, and if you wanted the chord tones to fall on the beat, (syncopated or not) you could repeat a note which was a chord tone that was falling on the "and of 2" for example so that beat 3 would also get that chord tone.
The other option would be to repeat the previous note instead which would push the onset of the chord to start on beat 3, not before.
Also, you can end on a weak rhythmic position in a chorus but then you probably don't want to end on a stronger rhythmic position in the verse. The strongest ending positions are...
แสดงบทความที่มีป้ายกำกับ syncopation แสดงบทความทั้งหมด
แสดงบทความที่มีป้ายกำกับ syncopation แสดงบทความทั้งหมด
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 9 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Songwriting Intermediate II
The last chord of the verse sections should have Subdominant function which may be the actual subdominant chord. Taking the example of a verse starting in C Major then it's last chord could be F Major but other chords can serve as substitutes for subdominant function. The second chord D minor will work.
You just don't want to end on the I or the V chord in the verse unless you know how to treat them, such as placing the IM7 chord in 3rd inversion weakening it's tonic function. Now you have the first and the last chords of the verse and the first chord of the chorus. Often the chorus ends on the I chord but you can also use another chord that can substitute for the tonic function such as the iii chord. Following these "rules" for harmony will help avoid wandering chord progressions.
Another thing to think about is what the Beatles used to do. They would say if the chorus doesn't have any chromaticism then the verse will: either in the melody or in the chord progression or both. Another way to do that is if there is chromaticism in the melody in the verse then there won't be chromaticism in the chorus' melody but can be in the chorus' harmony in order to change things up.
The same idea applies to the melodic rhythm. One section can have some syncopation, while the other is more flat footed. Or if the melody is flat footed then the accompaniment is syncopated and visa versa. That's not something I've employed much consciously but I'll give it a shot at some point not that I probably haven't already done it unintentionally.
Also the first phrase within a section can be syncopated while the second phrase is flat footed or the antecedent within the first phrase is syncopated while the consequent is more on the beat within the first phrase. Cuban and African music even take it down to the level of one or two measures, where the first measure of the Clave is syncopated and the second measure is on the beat.
Hope that helps. I'd say good luck but it's mostly skill.
You just don't want to end on the I or the V chord in the verse unless you know how to treat them, such as placing the IM7 chord in 3rd inversion weakening it's tonic function. Now you have the first and the last chords of the verse and the first chord of the chorus. Often the chorus ends on the I chord but you can also use another chord that can substitute for the tonic function such as the iii chord. Following these "rules" for harmony will help avoid wandering chord progressions.
Another thing to think about is what the Beatles used to do. They would say if the chorus doesn't have any chromaticism then the verse will: either in the melody or in the chord progression or both. Another way to do that is if there is chromaticism in the melody in the verse then there won't be chromaticism in the chorus' melody but can be in the chorus' harmony in order to change things up.
The same idea applies to the melodic rhythm. One section can have some syncopation, while the other is more flat footed. Or if the melody is flat footed then the accompaniment is syncopated and visa versa. That's not something I've employed much consciously but I'll give it a shot at some point not that I probably haven't already done it unintentionally.
Also the first phrase within a section can be syncopated while the second phrase is flat footed or the antecedent within the first phrase is syncopated while the consequent is more on the beat within the first phrase. Cuban and African music even take it down to the level of one or two measures, where the first measure of the Clave is syncopated and the second measure is on the beat.
Hope that helps. I'd say good luck but it's mostly skill.
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