Comments on: How To Use Tension And Release In Your Melodies http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/ Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:54:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: The Best Of Graham English 2007 by Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/comment-page-1/#comment-2297 The Best Of Graham English 2007 by Graham English Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:32:33 +0000 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/#comment-2297 [...] ear training or music theory nearly as much as I did in 2006. But I have a few favorites, such as How To Use Tension And Release In Your Melodies, my Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast, Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale, and Ear [...] [...] ear training or music theory nearly as much as I did in 2006. But I have a few favorites, such as How To Use Tension And Release In Your Melodies, my Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast, Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale, and Ear [...]

]]> By: David Sprunger http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/comment-page-1/#comment-1837 David Sprunger Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:14:48 +0000 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/#comment-1837 Hello Graham - great article! I also have posted a video piano lessons titled 'Tension and Release' at www.playpianotoday.com/tr1 Best wishes! Hello Graham – great article! I also have posted a video piano lessons titled ‘Tension and Release’ at http://www.playpianotoday.com/tr1

Best wishes!

]]> By: Graham English http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/comment-page-1/#comment-1834 Graham English Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:57:13 +0000 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/#comment-1834 Thanks for your comment. It makes total sense. Light and dark can be another way to describe tension and release. I'm sure we could come up with many different metaphors to describe all the different continuums that exist in music, as well as in nature. By the way, I love the sound of Lydian, and especially F lydian. I also like E phrygian which I voice similarly to F lydian. In the right hand from botton to top: F,A,B,E. In the left hand, for F lydian you obviously use an F. But drop it down a half step to E; used in John Coltrane's "After The Rain." Thanks for your comment. It makes total sense. Light and dark can be another way to describe tension and release. I’m sure we could come up with many different metaphors to describe all the different continuums that exist in music, as well as in nature.

By the way, I love the sound of Lydian, and especially F lydian. I also like E phrygian which I voice similarly to F lydian. In the right hand from botton to top: F,A,B,E. In the left hand, for F lydian you obviously use an F. But drop it down a half step to E; used in John Coltrane’s “After The Rain.”

]]> By: L J Schenck http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/comment-page-1/#comment-1833 L J Schenck Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:00:14 +0000 http://i.grahamenglish.net/1033/how-to-use-tension-and-release-in-your-melodies/#comment-1833 I enoyed your approach to tension and relaxation in melodic writing. It reminded me of an approach that I studied in a Jazz Theory course that focused on modal approaches to harmony and melody. One of he aspects of the course was with the harmony using the notes that most defined the particular character of the mode that was being used. For example, the F Lydian mode would have the F in the base and the harmonic notes would be something like the #4 (Bnat) of course and then the E to show that it was major tonic/SubDominand and the A to show it was major and maybe the D to distinguish it further. Basically the most definitive notes of the scale was use, but in practice any notes of the mode could be voiced as a chord. Now for the similiarity. Instead of using ii-V7-I for progressions, there needed to be a nother way of classifying the harmonic progression. We used the Ron Miller text and he rated all the modes and altered modes into a relative dark to light catagory. This is much like the tension and relaxation that you use in your article. Thus you may start with the dark modes and then progress to lighter modes and then back and forth until you came to a resting place. Both his and your approach reminded me of some of the approaches of Paul Hindemuth's writings about harmonic progression as well as the rules of the early theorists. I am just so happy to see that others are still listening to music and studying it in these different ways and that there is still good solid music theory thought going on in the music world. Thank you for your article. If I have condensed my explination too much and you don't have any idea what I am talking about, please e-mail me Thanks, L J Schenck I enoyed your approach to tension and relaxation in melodic writing. It reminded me of an approach that I studied in a Jazz Theory course that focused on modal approaches to harmony and melody. One of he aspects of the course was with the harmony using the notes that most defined the particular character of the mode that was being used. For example, the F Lydian mode would have the F in the base and the harmonic notes would be something like the #4 (Bnat) of course and then the E to show that it was major tonic/SubDominand and the A to show it was major and maybe the D to distinguish it further. Basically the most definitive notes of the scale was use, but in practice any notes of the mode could be voiced as a chord.

Now for the similiarity. Instead of using ii-V7-I for progressions, there needed to be a nother way of classifying the harmonic progression. We used the Ron Miller text and he rated all the modes and altered modes into a relative dark to light catagory. This is much like the tension and relaxation that you use in your article. Thus you may start with the dark modes and then progress to lighter modes and then back and forth until you came to a resting place.

Both his and your approach reminded me of some of the approaches of Paul Hindemuth’s writings about harmonic progression as well as the rules of the early theorists. I am just so happy to see that others are still listening to music and studying it in these different ways and that there is still good solid music theory thought going on in the music world. Thank you for your article.

If I have condensed my explination too much and you don’t have any idea what I am talking about, please e-mail me

Thanks,
L J Schenck

]]>