Harmony Rules!

Here are some rules to help you write chords and cadences:

HARMONY RULES WRITING CHORDS
• Double the root or 5th, NOT the 3rd except in a minor chord (not key). Chord VI is the big exception, DO double the 3rd.
• Try to make the spacing of each chord as even as possible.
• No more than one octave between Alto & Tenor and Alto & Soprano.
• Do not leave out the 3rd
• The 5th may be left out and the root tripled
• Never double the leading note of the scale.
• It is occasionally possible to have Alto and Tenor on the same note.
• Keep the tenor part as high as possible.

WRITING CADENCES
• The leading note of a scale must rise to the tonic.
• When both chords use the same note keep it in the same part.
• Parts move to the nearest note possible.
• No part may move in parallel or consecutive 5ths or octaves.
• No part may overlap or cross another part.
• Contrary motion is desirable where possible.

PERFECT CADENCES
• The perfect cadence is chords V – I and has a very finished sound ideal for the end of piece or section of the music. Write down the available notes, in C Major the notes are GGBD and CCEG. Occasionally it may be necessary to double the 5th of chord I (CEGG) or even triple the tonic (CCCE), to keep to the basic rules.
• Always begin by writing in the bass notes.
• The leading note rises to the tonic.
• The note common to both chords remains in the same part.
• This leaves only one pair of notes which move by step.

PLAGAL CADENCES
• A plagal cadence is chords IV – I and has a finished sound bring the music to a close.
• We work these exactly as for the perfect cadence except there is no leading note.
• Write in the bass notes (the root of each chord).
• Keep the note in common to both chords in the same part (this is the tonic of the key).
• The other two parts should move as closely as possible, usually they can simply both move down a step.

Dear Students,

Thank you to those who have already commented on the videos.

Students who have yet to post their comments please also comment on the Gamelan and Chinese ensemble music videos.

Commenting on videos from different music cultures would greatly aid in your revision!

Students who wish to comment on more than 2 videos are more than welcomed to do so! Bonus marks will be awarded accordingly.

Enjoy the last week of your holidays :)
Ms Chua

Task 2 Music Video

Task 2: video 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOfYrc51eQU&feature=related

Task 2 Music Video

Task 2: Video 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJkNZJf44Yg&feature=PlayList&p=92ED6F75BBDEFF1C&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=14

Task 2 Music Video

Task 2: Video 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tdQa2u1OAs&feature=related

Concerts to attend!

CIMB - 17th Singapore International Piano Festival 2010

23 - 26 June 2010, 8.15pm
Victoria Concert Hall

Chopin at 200 celebrates the bicentenary of Frédéric Chopin, the composer most closely associated with the piano. All four recitals by a fascinating line-up of pianists will explore Chopin's musical innovations, his creative use of past traditions, and his influence on composers and piano music after his time.

		"keyboard artistry on the highest level" - Miami Herald "playing that possesses urgency, personality, imagination and colour" - International Piano "a practically superhuman keyboard technique with artistic eloquence second to none" - San Francisco Chronicle "simply the most important new pianist to appear in recent years, period" - The Detroit News
		"... these are among the finest of all Chopin discs, easily excelling recordings by almost all the most celebrated names in the catalogue." - Bryce Morrison, International Piano "When Pietro De Maria puts his hands on the piano, it comes spontaneously to revive an old definition: he is a poet of the keyboard." - Lorenzo Arruga, Il Giornale "... a marvellous version of Chopin's Etudes... a consistency of thought which is the hallmark of great interpreters of Chopin." - Etienne Moreau, Diapason
		"Not only are his technical abilities mature and amazing, but he is returning to the kind of repertoire that made the "Golden Age of Piano Playing" golden; and he plays it with the electrifying abandon the pieces need." - American Record Guide Jan / Feb 2010 "Grosvenor's performance was so alluring, so alive to the music's poetry, and so colourfully detailed." - The Daily Telegraph "Even the most outlandish difficulties are tossed aside not just as child's play but with a seemingly endless poetic finesse and resource..." - The Gramophone Magazine
		"A mesmerisingly creative talent" - The Boston Globe "Explosive emotion, exquisite sensitivity" - The Daily Telegraph "One of the most individual and absorbing pianists of our time" - The Sunday Times "...tone and touch ofhis playing are so seductive that it's easy to forget how classically correct a musician he is" - The Guardian

Visit http://sso.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=244&Itemid=232
for more information on the performers biography and programme.

Task 2 Music Video

Task 2: Video 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldPMifPbngc

Websites on Gamelan Music

Hello everyone :)

The first week of the holidays have passed and I hope you have been enjoying your well-deserved break.

Here are some interesting/useful websites on Gamelan music to enrich your musical vocabulary:

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Indonesian/budaya_bangsa/Gamelan/Main_Page/main_page.htm

http://www.joglosemar.co.id/gamelan.html

Happy exploring!