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    Common Chord Modulation

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    Annisa
    This document outlines a systematic method of common chord modulation developed by Nadia Boulanger. It consists of 5 parts: 1) A table of common chords found in major, harmonic minor, ascending melodic minor, and descending melodic minor scales. 2) Cadences with a constant tonic but changing triad type. 3) Cadences with a constant triad but changing tonic. 4) Applications connecting cadences to modulate between distant keys. 5) A conclusion stating the method is thorough but not complete, and could be expanded or applied in various musical pursuits.

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    Common Chord Modulation

    Uploaded by

    Annisa
    274 views9 pages
    This document outlines a systematic method of common chord modulation developed by Nadia Boulanger. It consists of 5 parts: 1) A table of common chords found in major, harmonic minor, ascending melodic minor, and descending melodic minor scales. 2) Cadences with a constant tonic but changing triad type. 3) Cadences with a constant triad but changing tonic. 4) Applications connecting cadences to modulate between distant keys. 5) A conclusion stating the method is thorough but not complete, and could be expanded or applied in various musical pursuits.

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    This document outlines a systematic method of common chord modulation developed by Nadia Boulanger. It consists of 5 parts: 1) A table of common chords found in major, harmonic minor, ascending melodic minor, and descending melodic minor scales. 2) Cadences with a constant tonic but changing triad type. 3) Cadences with a constant triad but changing tonic. 4) Applications connecting cadences to modulate between distant keys. 5) A conclusion stating the method is thorough but not complete, and could be expanded or applied in various musical pursuits.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    274 views9 pages

    Common Chord Modulation

    Uploaded by

    Annisa
    This document outlines a systematic method of common chord modulation developed by Nadia Boulanger. It consists of 5 parts: 1) A table of common chords found in major, harmonic minor, ascending melodic minor, and descending melodic minor scales. 2) Cadences with a constant tonic but changing triad type. 3) Cadences with a constant triad but changing tonic. 4) Applications connecting cadences to modulate between distant keys. 5) A conclusion stating the method is thorough but not complete, and could be expanded or applied in various musical pursuits.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 9

    1

    ASystematicMethodofCommonChordModulation

    byDerekRemes

    ThefollowingmethodwasdevelopedbyNadiaBoulangerasasystemof

    modulationtonearbykeysusingcommonchords.Nadiawroteallthecadences
    herself,andtaughtthemethodtoDavidConte,amongothers.Davidgavealecture
    onthesubjectattheEuropeanAmericanMusicalAllianceinParisin2010,whichis
    whereIwasintroducedtoit.

    PartI:ThetableofCommonChords

    TRIAD

    TYPE

    Major

    Minor

    I,IV,V

    ii,iii,vi

    vii

    none

    Harmonic
    Minor
    SCALE

    V,VI

    i,iv

    ii,vii

    III+

    TYPE

    Ascending
    MelodicMinor

    IV,V

    i,ii

    vi,vii

    III+

    Descending III,VI,VII
    MelodicMinor

    (Natural)

    i,iv,v

    ii

    none

    Major

    Diminished Augmented

    Acrossthetoparethefourbasictriadtypes:major,minor,diminished,and

    augmented.Ontheleftarethefourscaletypes:major,harmonicminor,ascending
    melodicminor,anddescendingmelodicminor(ornaturalminor).Thesystem
    worksbestwhenthetableismemorizedaccordingtotheverticalcolumns(by
    triad).Forinstance,whenyouhaveamajortriad,memorizethatitcanbeI,IV,Vina
    majorscale;V,VIinaharmonicminorscale,etc.

    PartII:ConstantTonic,ChangingTriadType

    Thenextstepistolearnallofthefollowingcadencesinallofthe12keys

    onecadenceforeachtriadinthetableabove.Noticethatallthechordsareinfour
    voicesandinrootposition.Alsonoticethatthethreeuppervoicesarealwaysin
    closeposition,exceptforthedeceptivevi.Trytomemorizetheoutervoices,which


    usuallymoveincontrarymotion,andthenfillinthemiddlevoicesbelowthe

    soprano.

    IhavearbitrarilychosenDMajor/DMinorforexample.ThetonicDwill

    remainconstantwhilethestartingharmonieswillchange.Thecadencesare
    identifiedbythefirstchord,whichislabeledwithromannumerals.Therhythmis
    alsoarbitrary;whatmattersistheprogression.

    Themostimportantaspectofthissectionisthatthelastchordisalwaysthe

    same.
    MajorTriadsinMajorScale:

    MajorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

    MajorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

    MajorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

    MinorTriadsinMajorScale:

    MinorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

    MinorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

    MinorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

    DiminishedTriads(inRootPosition)inMajorandMinorScales:

    Diminishedtriadsalmostalwaysappearinfirstinversiontoeliminatethe

    tritonebetweenthebassandtheothervoices.Therefore,Ihaveincludedthe
    followingcadencesmyself.Noticethatregardlessoftheinversion,diminished
    chordsalwaysdoublethethird.

    DiminishedTriads(inFirstInversion)inMajorandMinorScales:

    AugmentedTriadinHarmonicMinorandAscendingMelodicMinorScales:


    PartIII:ConstantTriad,ChangingTonic

    Thissectionswitchesthevariablesoftheprevioussection.Before,weused

    chordsallderivedfromtheDMajororDMinorscale,alwaysendingwithDMajoror
    DMinorasourtonic.NowwebegintomodulatebykeepingaDMajororDMinor
    chordasthefirstchordineachoftheaboveprogressions.Noticethatthefirst
    romannumeralofeachcadenceisstillthesamebecausethechordfunctionhasn't
    changedthecadencehassimplybeentransposed.

    Themostimportantaspectofthissectionisthatthefirstchordisalwaysthe

    same(majororminor).

    MajorTriadsinMajorKey:

    MajorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

    MajorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

    MajorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

    MinorTriadsinMajorScales:

    MinorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScales:

    MinorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScales:

    MinorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScales:

    DiminishedTriads(inRootPosition)inMajorandMinorScales:

    DiminishedTriads(inFirstInversion)inMajorandMinorScales:

    AugmentedTriadinHarmonicMinorandAscendingMelodicMinorScales:

    PartIV:Application

    Onedisadvantageofthismethodisthatthe"targetkey"hastohaveatonic

    chordwhichisacommonchordtothe"originalkey"scale.Modulationstomore
    distantkeyscanbeachievedthroughconnectingthecadencestogetherlikelinksof
    achain.Thefollowingisasimpleapplication.AMajorbecomesIIIinF#Minor,F#
    MajorbecomesIIinC#Minor,F#MinorbecomesIIIinDMajor.(Amodechange
    fromF#MinortoF#Majorinmeasure5facilitatesmodulationtoamoredistantly
    relatedkey.)

    Thenextexampleisamoreartisticapplicationusinginversions,suspensions,

    andseventhchords.TheGMinortriadchangesfromivinDMinortoiiinFMajorin
    measure4.Noticetheaugmentedtriadonthethirdbeatofm.6thatresolvesdowna
    fifthtoBflatMajor(asitdoesintheabovecadences).TheDMinortriadinm.9
    becomesiiiinBflatMajor.Alsonoticehowtheaugmentedtriadonthethirdbeatof
    m.11resolvesdownafifthtoaNeapolitan6inDMinor.Theunusualprogression
    (vi6vii6i)fromtheabovecadencesoccursinGMinorbeginningonthethird
    beatofm.14.TheFaugmentedtriadreturnsonelasttimeasahybriddominant
    chordinthethirdbeatofm.15,andresolvesbrieflydownafifthtoBflatMajor
    beforechangingtoDMajor.Thisexamplestaysinmorecloselyrelatedkeys.

    PartV:Conclusion:

    Theappealofthissystemisnotsomuchinitsoriginalityasinits

    thoroughness.However,itisbynomeanscomplete.Anewchartcouldclassifyall
    theseventhchordsinthefourbasicscaletypes,orcouldbranchouttoincludenon
    standardscales.Thissystemcouldbeappliedinanalysis,composition,or
    improvisation.Whateveryourinterests,Ihopethatyouhavefoundthismethodof
    commonchordmodulationtobeinterestingandofvalue.

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