BA1 - UNIT SEVEN (of TEN)
Harmony, Base-Treble Matching & Drones
SLIDES (Compressed) & COMMENTS
Harmony, Base-Treble Matching & Drones
SLIDES (Compressed) & COMMENTS
Web Slide 1-7-1 Zoom Slides 1 & 2
1-7-2 Slide 3
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Slide 3 - BA1b - Outline
In the first six Units of BA1, we covered a brief introduction to melodies. In Units 7 we will introduce tunes, where there are bass contributions to harmony, including that provided by bass drones. |
1-7-3 Slide 4
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Winter 2022 Schedule
In Unit 8 we will focus on "drone-like" accompaniment and provide a brief introduction to "beat" taps. In Units 9 & 10 we will further develop our "beat" tapping skills for both waltz-time and common-time tunes. |
1-7-4 Slide 5
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Unit 7 topics.
The first four topics relate to harmony and bass-treble button matching. Topics 5 to 7 cover an introduction to drones. |
1-7-5 (Topic 1) Slide 6 & 7
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Treble harmony
In general, "harmony" can covers a wide range of musical combinations, from the very consonant to the quite dissonant, potentially contributing to the full spectrum of emotional responses in listeners. |
1-7-6 Slides 8 to 12
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Comparing pairs of notes within an octave
(using the inside-row on a G-C accordion as an example). The first group, with simple mathematical ratios, represents the ideal. The second group represents the real ... close, but not "ideal". |
1-7-7 Slides 13 to 16
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Four questions:
The answer to each of the first three is "NO!" The answer to the fourth questions requires the further investigation outlined in the next slide. |
1-7-8 Slides 17 to 22
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Comparing notes:
The unison (i5 & o6) is considered the most consonant, followed by the octave (i3 & i6), the perfect fifth (i3 & i5), the perfect fourth (o4*& i4*) and Major 3rd (i3 & i4) Historically the tritone (e.g. i4* & i6*) is considered the most dissonant. Some others, including the Major 2nd, are somewhat dissonant |
1-7-9 (Topic 2) Slide 23
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Forming treble chords
Although not listed on previous slide, the pair i4 & i5 is also somewhat consonant. Since the i3 & i5 pair and i3 & i4 pair are also consonant, we can unite these three pairs to form a consonant triad, a major chord, in this case, the Cmajor chord. Its notes are C, E & G. |
1-7-10 Slide 24
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Forming treble chords
Using the G-C accordion as an example, we can show the Gmajor scale, and use the outside row triad o3, o4 & o5 to form the Gmajor chord. Usually, these chords are written as C and G, where the "major" label is assumed. |
1-7-11 Slide 25
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Chord Summary
Play C in root form, with buttons i3, i4 & i5 Next, play it in 1st inversion form, using buttons i4, i5 & i6 Then, play it in 2nd inversion form, using buttons i5, i6 & i7 Each sounds a little different, but each is still a C chord. |
1-7-12 Slide 26
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Featured tune (i)
Mary had a little lamb. Here the tune ends with the treble chord using buttons [i3 i4 i5] if on the inside row, or buttons [o3 o4 o5] if on outside row. |
1-7-13 (Topic 3) Slide 27
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Moving to bass-end notes and chords
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1-7-14 Slide 28
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Labelling bass notes & chords:
ob1 = G chord ob2 = G bass-note ob1* = D chord ob2* = D bass-note ob3 = C chord ob4 = C bass-note ob3* = G chord ob4* = G bass-note The "b" can be omitted where the bass-end is understood. |
1-7-15 Slide 29
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Bass-end notes & chords for four different accordions
The G-C accordion is used in most of our examples. |
1-7-16 (Topic 4) Slide 30
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Process for matching treble & selected bass-end buttons.
We'll start with the outside row push, then the outside row pull then the inside row push and the inside row pull |
1-7-17 Slides 31-36
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Starting with the outside row and the bellows PUSH:
Also, starting with treble button 2, we will take one treble note at a time and compare it with (i) the G chord (ob1) and (ii) the G bass note (ob2) The ranking is "listener" subjective, and can also vary among accordions. |
1-7-18 Slide 37
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Listener Summary-
Observation 1 |
1-7-19 Slides 38 to 40
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Starting with the outside row and the bellows PULL:
Also, starting with treble button 2*, we will take one treble note at a time and compare it with (i) the D chord (ob1*) and (ii) the D bass-note (ob2*) The ranking is "listener" subjective, and can also vary among accordions. |
1-7-20 Slides 41 & 42
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Listener Summary-
Observation 2 |
11-7-21 Slide 43
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Starting with the inside row and the bellows PUSH:
Also, starting with treble button i2, we will take one treble note at a time and compare it with (i) the C chord (ob3) and (ii) the C bass note (ob4) The ranking is "listener" subjective, and can also vary among accordions. |
1-7-22 Slide 44
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Listener Summary-
Observation 3 |
1-7-23 Slide 45
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Starting with the inside row and the bellows PULL:
Also, starting with treble button i2*, we will take one treble note at a time and compare it with (i) the G chord (ob3*) and (ii) the G bass note (ob4*) The ranking is "listener" subjective, and can also vary among accordions. |
1-7-24 Slides 46 & 47
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Listener Summary-
Observation 4 |
1-7-25 (Topic 5) Slides 48 & 49
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This slide gives the idea behind the use of drones in music.
It applies to a wide range of listening experiences from symphony orchestras in a large concert hall to a couple of friends in the basement, one on an accordion and the other strumming a guitar |
1-7-26 Slide 50
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This slide outlines what we mean by a musical "drone"
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1-7-27 Slide 51
Some bagpipes are constructed with three different lengths of drone pipes: longer, medium and shorter, with bass & low-tenor notes (possibly very low A, low A, and low E, for example), for better harmonization with the chanter.
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And here is a prime example of one type of musical drone: the Scottish bagpipe (also known as a Great Highland Bagpipe, or GHB)
The drone contains the same bass notes ("low A" and an "octave-lower A"). The pipes & chanter are often claimed to be in the key of A (but the key is actually just slightly higher than Bb). While this drone note does not harmonize well with all the notes on the chanter, it works for the tunes that are frequently played on Scottish bagpipes. |
1-7-28 Slide 52
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Accordion drone:
We'll keep bass button 2 pressed on the PUSH and button 4* pressed on the PULL. On a G-C accordion this will provide a drone accompaniment to a melody played on the outside row. Just for "FUN" and as a finger exercise! |
1-7-29 Slide 53
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Featured tune (ii)
Auld Lang Syne Use the bass drone described in the previous slide to accompany the treble melody. |
1-7-30 Slide 54
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Featured tune (iii)
Amazing Grace Use the bass-note drone to accompany the melody. |
1-7-31 Slides 55 to 57
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Bass-end Chord Drone
Use bass-end button ob1 (on push) and button ob3* (on pull) to create a chordal drone. |
1-7-32 Slide 58
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Featured tune (iv)
Long, long ago Play this with chord-drone accompaniment. |
1-7-33 Slides 59 & 60
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Home Practice Tune (i)
You are my sunshine This is a practice of the use of the treble chord [3 4 5] to end the song. |
1-7-34 Slide 61
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Home Practice Tune (ii)
Mull of Kintyre A bass-note drone practice tune. |
1-7-35 Slide 62
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Home Practice
Tune (iii) All people that on dearth do dwell A chord-drone practice tune, using buttons ob1 and ob3* |
1-7-36 Slides 63 & 64
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Reminder of next individualized practice session.
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1-6-37 Slides 65 & 66
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Looking ahead
to Unit 8 |
1-6-38 Zoom Slide 67
