Modality: Same Place, New Beginning
Last week I covered the topic of motifs and melodies, and for the next few weeks we'll be working through the components that make up their anatomy. However, we'll be breaking from the convention of typical theory texts in that we won't be discussing scales and chords just yet. Instead, the initial focus will be on modality, intervals, and voice leading. The main reason for this is that modality existed long before chords, functional harmony, and other Common Practice techniques; a lot of these concepts simply do not apply or translate well to modes anyway. Rather than expecting the reader to forget everything they've read, or risk the misapplication and over generalization of concepts we'll start from the actual beginning.
Motifs and Melodies: The Power of a Single Voice
I'll generally try to write these blogs in a way that they are continuations from each other, but some (last week's for example) are strictly for clarifying terms or concepts that will be used quite often. Eventually I may write a linked glossary, but that's for another time. This week we'll be looking at motifs and melodies, and ways to approach them as both a writer and listener. We'll start by establishing some definitions.
Frequency, Pitch, and Notes: The Building Blocks of Building Blocks
Similar to the relationship between video games and programming the experience of listening to, and even to some degree writing music is built on layers of abstraction from 'lower level' type concepts. Part of being a competent composer and musician is to understand the lower level concepts, and be able to work at various levels of abstraction. At the highest level of just listening you're not immediately concerned with things like form. Moving one layer down you may be focused on overall form, but not be focused on specific chord progressions. From there layers move down from chord progressions->chord voicings(inversion)->voice leading->counter point(voice independence)->intervals->motifs/melodies->notes->pitch->frequency->silence.