Lotus Music The Harmonizer User Manual And Theory Manual

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The Harmonizer

User Manual

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Theory Guide

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Summary of Contents for Lotus Music The Harmonizer

Page 1 The Harmonizer User Manual Theory Guide...
Page 2 Sender is responsible for shipping costs. Lotus Music will, at its option, repair or replace the product and deliver it at no charge (except for shipping). This warranty does not cover damage caused by liq- uids, heat, abuse, accident, misuse, alteration, or abnormal usage.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Introduction........Major & Minor Scales......Key Designator Names of Modes Triad Chords Fourth-Note Extensions Chord Note Extensions Scale Degrees Intervals Chord Names Parallel Minor Scale Common Chord Substitutions..Chord Degrees Name and Function Substitute Chord Chord Progression Map....Progression Formulas Tonic Chord Harmonic Paths...
Page 4 Learning music is a wonderful journey and offers great personal rewards to those who are ready to take the first step and stick with it. The Harmonizer is a tool which will help you travel farther faster.
Page 5: Introduction
It also offers many technical answers to curious musicians. The Harmonizer is appropriate for musicians of all skill levels in the same way a calcula- tor is appropriate for math students. For the beginner, the Harmonizer offers a basic guide to scales and chords.
Page 6: Major & Minor Scales
The diagram on the opposite page shows the Major and Natural Minor Scales section of the Harmonizer. The topics related to this section are indicated by number and are then described in the following pages of the guide.
Page 7 Key Designator Intervals Chord Names Major and Natural Minor Scales Major major 3rd minor 3rd major 7th <7th 3rd 4th 7th R 11th 13th Ionian Dorian Scale Degrees Phrygian Lydian Mixolydian Aeolian (natural minor scale) Chord Note Extensions Locrian < E<...
Page 8: Names Of Modes
Names of Modes Major & Minor Scales A mode is a new scale derived from the notes of another scale. A mode begins and ends on a note that belongs to the original scale and has all the same notes as the scale from which it is derived. The difference is simply the begin- ning note.
Page 9: Triad Chords
When you dial the Harmonizer to a particular key, you will see triad chords with their corresponding notes appear in the highlighted windows. Each chord begins with the first note of a mode.
Page 10: Chord Note Extensions
Chord Note Extensions Major & Minor Scales Sometimes notes above the first octave of the scale are added to chords to give them a larger sound. Chords with these notes are called extended chords. Chords with extensions are named according to their highest scale degree, e.g., Cmaj13 (as in the example below).
Page 11 Scale degree also indicates the interval or tonal distance from the beginning note of that scale. For example, the tonal distance from C to G is 3½ steps. In the dia- gram at the bottom of page 10, we see that in the key of C major the fifth note is G.
Page 12: Intervals
Intervals Major & Minor Scales An interval is the tonal distance between two notes. This distance is measured in steps. Each interval has a name. For instance, in the key of C major the distance between C and E is two whole steps. This interval is called a major third because it ends on the third note of a major scale.
Page 13 Interval Name Steps ½ Minor Second Major Second 1½ Minor Third Major Third or Diminished Fourth Names 2½ Perfect Fourth Augmented Fourth or Diminished Fifth Common 3½ Perfect Fifth Augmented Fifth or Minor Sixth Intervals 4½ Major Sixth Minor Seventh 5½...
Page 14: Chord Names
C C h h o o r r d d N N a a m m e e s s Major & Minor Scales Chords are named according to their root note and the intervals between the notes that make up the chord. Chords of a diatonic major scale fall into four types: major, minor, dominant, and diminished.
Page 15 Minor Triad The second note in the C major scale is D from which the Dorian mode is derived. When we choose the first, third, and fifth notes of this mode we get a different-sounding chord from the major. Here the interval from D to F is a minor third (1½...
Page 16 Dominant Chord The fifth note of a diatonic scale begins the Mixolydian mode. When we choose the 1st, 3rd, 5th notes of this mode, it produces a dominant chord . A dominant chord, whether it has three, four, or five notes, creates harmonic tension when played as part of a chord progression.
Page 17 Below is a comparison between a minor seventh chord (m7) and a minor sev- enth flat-five chord (m7<5). Major 3rd Minor 3rd Minor 3rd Locrian Mode Bm7<5 3 steps 3½ steps Dorian Mode Chord Notation There is no one set way to notate chords. This can cause some confusion. For instance, often a dominant seventh chord with G in the root is written G7.
Page 18: Parallel Minor Scale
Parallel Minor Scale Major & Minor Scales This section of the Harmonizer shows the comparison between the major scale and its parallel minor scale. When a natural minor scale has the same starting note as a major scale, it is said to be parallel to it.
Page 19 Special Note: The major keys of D<, G<, and C< do not have a parallel minor associated with them, at least in name. The Harmonizer will display what looks like a D< and G< minor scale, however they are not recognize according to accepted notation practice.
Page 20: Common Chord Substitutions
When the new chord belongs to the same key as the original chord, it is called a diatonic substitution . This section of the Harmonizer shows some of the more common chord substitutions and a few basic rules.
Page 21: Chord Degrees
Roman numerals to distinguish whether a chord is a major or a minor (Dm = ii, Fmaj = IV). The Harmonizer uses upper-case Roman numerals for all chords. However, if the chord happens to be minor, a lower-case “m”...
Page 22 A chord’s theoretical name indicates its relationship to the other chords of the key and gives musicians a way to talk about chords without being specific to a key. A theoretical name is similar to the name given to a position on a baseball team, like pitcher, catcher, or outfielder, etc.
Page 23: Substitute Chord
Substitute Chord Common Chord Substitutions The chords in the windows to the right of the original chord represent fre- quently used substitutions. Substitutions do not work in every case. There are some specific and even complicated rules for substitution, but the final arbiter of a successful chord substitution is how it sounds.
Page 24 The diagram below shows the similarity between notes when chord families in the key of C major are grouped together. Tonic Cmaj7 Family Sub-dominant Family Fmaj7 Dominant Gdom7 Family Bm7b5 Inversions Another kind of chord substitution is accomplished by rearranging the notes of a chord to produce a new chord.
Page 25 Flat-Five Substitution (Tri-tone) Another kind of chord substitution which is often used in pop and jazz music is know as flat-five substitution. This substitution is made by replacing a dominant chord with a new dominant chord whose root is a diminished fifth interval above the original chord’s root.
Page 26: Chord Progression Map
V7 (one, four, five) progression indicates the chords Cmaj, Fmaj, and Gdom7. In the key of F these chords would be Fmaj, B<maj, and Cdom7. This section of the Harmonizer shows the formulas of the more common chord progressions in major and minor keys. All of the major progression formulas pre- sented here are based on the major scale.
Page 27: Tonic Chord
Tonic Chord Chord Progression Map To find a chord progression in the key you want, turn the Harmonizer dial until the desired key appears in the window. This will be your beginning point from which the progressions begin and eventually end. Color-coded lines represent major and minor progressions.
Page 28: Melodic Minor Scale
D E< 2 <3 This section of the Harmonizer shows the harmonized melodic minor scale in a format similar to the Major and Natural Minor Scales section (see page 6). It shows the modes, chords, and notes that make up this scale.
Page 29 Chord Degree allel Minor Scale Melodic Minor Scale (9th) (11th) (13th) 3rd 4th 7th R Melodic Minor m(maj7) E< Scale Degrees and (Jazz Minor Scale) extensions. Dorian <2 E< Lydian Aug. E< E< maj7>5 < Set Indicator Lydian Dom. E< dom7 Mixolydan <...
Page 30: Harmonic Minor Scale
A< VII[ The Layout This harmonic minor section of the Harmonizer is presented similarly to the melodic minor. If you are not already familiar with the layout, please refer to the melodic minor section of this guide (see page 28).
Page 31: Improvising
Improvising Improvising is one of the great creative outlets available to musicians. Often a musician will improvise a solo while another plays chords. The soloist chooses notes to play over the chords based on intuition, experience, and a few simple rules. Playing Arpeggios Over Chords A simple way to improvise is to play individual notes of a chord while the chord is sounding during a song.
Page 32: Pivot Chord Modulation
Chord Degree Key Indicator Pivot Chord Modulation major <VI <III <VII (dom) E< A< B< minor IIIm Chord Family Chord Degree major key B< D< minor key Pivot Chord Pivot Chord Modulation Modulation refers to the changing of the tonal center in a piece of music. While modula- tion can be achieved by simply introducing chords and notes from another key, a subtler way is by pivot chord modulation.
Page 33 Key Indicator 3. Key This window indicates the keys to which the pivot chord belongs. Major and minor keys are differentiated by color. Chord Degree 4. Chord Degree The Roman numerals indicate the chord degree of the pivot chord as it relates to the key that appears in the key indicator window.
Page 34: Circle Of Fifths
Example #3: This shows C diminished as the pivot chord. While C diminished is the VII[ (seven) chord in the key of D< major, in the key of B< harmonic minor it is the II[ (two) chord. D< major VII[ D<...
Page 35 In the circle of fifths diagram you might have noticed that the relative minor of F is D. In the chord substitution section of the Harmonizer, we can see that the chord of Dm can substitute for F major. When we make the change, our I, IV, V, I progression turns into a I, IIm, V, I progression: C, Dm, G and C.
Page 36 The Turnaround The IIm-V7 (often called two-five) combination of chords is called a turnaround and is frequently used in jazz. Any two consecutive roots on the wheel moving counter-clockwise produce a IIm-V7 turnaround combination. The combination is often played the end of a musical phrase because it “turns around”...
Page 37: Key Transposer
B< . Since you want to take a B< instrument to C, you would dial the Harmonizer until C appears in the “To” row above the the tuning note of the non-C instrument in the “From” row. Now, when you read a note from your piece of music, find it on the the “From”...
Page 38 This window shows the number of steps between notes on the “From” line and the “To” line. Dial the Harmonizer until the note you wish to measure to appears above the note you wish to measure from. For instance, when B appears above D, 4½...
Page 39: Enharmonics
As a rule, scales and modes in major and natural minor keys do not mix sharps and flats. So, if you see a scale or mode on the Harmonizer that mixes sharp and flats, or you see a scale that has fewer sharps or flats than it should, it probably indicates an enharmonic note is in the scale.
Page 40 The Harmonizer is perfect for any musician who wishes to deepen their understanding of music theory and enhance their playing ability.