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Chord Progressions

The document provides information about the skills required to pass the Leaving Certificate Music Composition exam in Ireland. It discusses writing melodies in various forms, including continuing a given opening, setting text to music, and continuing a given dance opening. It emphasizes the importance of shape, structure, and developing phrases musically in the melody. The document also covers harmonic skills like adding bass lines, chord progressions, modulations, and alternate bass. It provides advice on common weaknesses in students' work and outlines a two-year approach to developing the necessary harmonic and melodic composition skills.

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01hern
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929 views

Chord Progressions

The document provides information about the skills required to pass the Leaving Certificate Music Composition exam in Ireland. It discusses writing melodies in various forms, including continuing a given opening, setting text to music, and continuing a given dance opening. It emphasizes the importance of shape, structure, and developing phrases musically in the melody. The document also covers harmonic skills like adding bass lines, chord progressions, modulations, and alternate bass. It provides advice on common weaknesses in students' work and outlines a two-year approach to developing the necessary harmonic and melodic composition skills.

Uploaded by

01hern
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Skills Required for Exam

PPMTA Conference 2004

Leaving Certificate Music


Composition

z Write a 16 - bar melody


Continue a given opening
Set text
Continue a given dance opening
z Provide

harmonic support

Add melody and bass


Add bass and chords
Add melody and chords

Marian Mullen

Melody has style, structure, shape & imagination.

The A Student
z Writes
z Has

creative melodies

the ability to develop phrases

z Makes

an effort to hear the melody

More musical and structured melodies


Better at phrasing melodies for harmonising

cadences etc
Produces good bass lines

A Excellent exploration and development of opening ideas 34-40


Very aware of shape and structure. V.g. point(s) of

B climax. Very musical. Opening ideas well developed.


Good sense of melodic & rhythmic interest; good

C development; points of rest outlined; good sense of

structure and technical knowledge


Fair sense of shape & some awareness of balance
D between phrases. Reasonable sense of structure and
technical knowledge.
Some melodic & rhythmic interest; little sense of

E structure or technical knowledge

Very poor shape; very erratic; no sense of structure or

F technical knowledge

Q1

CONTINUATION OF GIVEN OPENING

No set structure; candidate decides


Development needed
z

Q2 TEXT SETTING

ALL MELODIES MUST HAVE SHAPE AND SENSE OF


DIRECTION

10-15
0-9

Overall melody must grow from opening phrase

Identify motifs

Q3 GIVEN DANCE RHYTHM / METRE / FORM


Given structure must be adhered to

16-21

Both rhythm and melody must develop

Structure must come from words


z

22-27

Development of Opening
Ideas

Structure & Shape


z

28-33

Development must be musical


Created, not designed

Phrase Development

Modulation
z End

answering phrase on dominant


z Hear melody with and without modulation
z Explain
z Apply
Sketch in soh at end of 2nd phrase
Precede with fa
Raise fa to fe

Minor Key Melody

Common Weaknesses
z
z
z
z
z
z

Two -Year Structure


z

No variety/contrast in rhythm at cadences


Accidental incorrect/incorrectly placed
Too many perfect cadences
Returning to tonic at modulation point
Handling of upbeat / rests within phrases
Beaming of notes in compound time

An Approach To Harmony - Intervals

Basics
Notes (treble and bass clefs),

time values, keys

Melody writing
8/16 bars as appropriate
Modulation to dominant (HL)

Intervals are calculated by counting the number


of steps from one note to another inclusive

Harmony

Intervals
Backing chords
Chord progressions
Adding bass

Accidentals do not affect the number of the


interval, but they do affect the quality

Forming a Chord
z Chords

z
z
z
z

A chord is formed by placing the intervals of a 3rd and a 5th


above a note
These notes are called the ROOT (naming note), THIRD
and FIFTH
No matter how these notes are jumbled up, they still form
the same chord
When the root is the lowest note, the chord is in ROOT
POSITION

Major and minor chords are determined by the size of the


3rd of the chord

can be formed on each note of the


scale
z The chords are named by their roots (chord
symbol) and by their position in the scale
(roman numeral)
z All chords do not sound the same. Some are
major and some are minor. Listen

In major keys
I, IV and V are major

When the 3rd is major (4 semitones) the chord is major


3rd

When the

Minor chords are notated by placing an M or min after the


chord symbol, or by lower case in roman numerals

ii, iii and vi are minor


vii is dimished

is minor (3 semitones) the chord is minor

(iii and vii are not on the LC course)

Dominant Seventh

In minor keys
i and iv are minor

If we add the interval of a 7th on top of the 3rd and 5th


of a chord, a SEVENTH chord is formed

V and VI are major


ii and vii are dimished (no need to add dim or
aug to roman numeral)
(III and vii are not on the LC course)

zFor

Leaving Certificate we are restricted to the seventh


chord formed on the DOMINANT (soh)
zThis is called the Dominant 7th chord

Chord Exercises

Chord Progressions
z One

chord followed by another is called a


chord progression
z We use chord progressions to harmonise
melodies
z Some chord progressions sound better than
others

Chord Progressions

Cadence Progressions

Chord

Sounds best going to

Can never go to

Perfect Cadence:

V(7) I

Any chord

Plagal Cadence:

IV I

Interrupted Cadence:

V(7) vi

Imperfect Cadence:

ii V

ii

V7

IV

ii

V, V7

vi

IV

ii

vi

IV

ii

Good Chord Progressions

IV V
IV
NB The chord of V7 is not used in imperfect cadences

Weak Chord Progressions


z Rising

z Primary

triads
progressions
z Rising fourths (I IV; ii V)
z I vi
IV ii
z Cadence

3rds

z ii

I
z V ii

Forbidden
L.N. must resolve

Except

As part of sequence
Start of new phrase

Alternate Bass (Inversions)

Alternate Bass (2)


z Alternate

it is possible to put the 3rd of the


chord into the bass (1st inversion / alternate
bass)
z Roman numerals: b after the number
z Chord symbol:
/+name of note
z Occasionally

bass notes are used to help make


the harmony and bass melody more flowing
z They should not be over-used
z The 3rd of the chord should not be doubled
z 1st inversions sound best when approached
and quitted by step

Alternate Bass (3)


Cadential 6/4

Adding a Bass Line (2)


z

Sketch in bass at chord points


Check accidentals and alternate bass
Dont double the 3rd

z
z

The 5th of the chord of I may be put in the bass in an


imperfect cadence or as an approach chord in a perfect
cadence
This is denoted by c in roman numerals
In each case the chord of Ic must be followed by the chord
of V

Complete bass in style of given opening


Add rhythm
Use the same basic rhythm but elaborate occasionally

to maintain interest
Add occasional passing notes to improve melodic

interest if liked (not compulsory)

Imperfect cadence: Ic V
Perfect cadence:

Ic V - I

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

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