Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons

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Curtis Ferguson
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1 2016 American String Teachers National Conference Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons Harmony Clinic for Harpists Presented By Felice Pomeranz Publications used as resources from Felice's Library of Teaching Materials Jazzy Beginnings - DVD Harp in the Band, Volume 1 - Play along CD and Workbook Berklee Harp - Berklee Press Publication, May, 2016 Release

2 2016 American String Teachers National Conference Reasons to Improve your Harmony "Chops" (Knowledge) Please ask yourself the following questions: Do I want to learn pieces more quickly? Do I want to reduce my practice time? Do I want to learn pieces more efficiently? Do I want to improve my memorization of pieces? Do I want to reduce my dependence on pedal markings?

3 Reasons to Improve your Harmony "Chops" (Knowledge) Please ask yourself the following questions: (continued) Do I want to know where I am in a piece at all times? Would I like to be able to read lead sheets? Would I like to be able to modulate and transpose music more easily and without fear? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to practice your chords, and chord progressions in all keys!

4 Chart for the Circle of Fifths The circle of fifths is an arrangement of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, each note a 5th lower than the preceding one. As you go around the circle, think of each note as representing a key, the key you are going to practice next. Choose a new set of keys each day and try modulating clockwise and also counterclockwise through several keys. Use with practice routines, chord progressions, and motivic ideas. Jazz players practice the cycle counterclockwise (C, F, Bb, etc.), to create the V/V or dominant/tonic resolutions which commonly occur in Jazz chord progressions. For example here is the harmony from the B section of "I Got Rhythm" by G. Gershwin: D7 D7 G7 G7 C7 C7 F7 F7 Bb

5 Progressions Using Smooth Voice Leading q = Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

6 Progressions in Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

7 Variations using the I IV V I Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

8 Variations using the I IV V I Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

9 @ Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016 Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons Berklee Harp (excerpt) By: Felice Pomeranz Major Triad Exercise in Parallel Motion Hands Together: I IV V I Play this pattern with two hands in parallel motion. Parallel motion is two hands moving in the same direction by the same intervals. The hands are an octave apart. They retain the fingering throughout the exercise. Use a metronome, and play slowly and evenly. It is fine to practice hands separately first. Put your hands together when you are comfortable with the pattern.

10 @ Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016 Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons q = Major Triad Exercise in Parallel Motion Hands Together: I IV V I

11 @ Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016 Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons Major Triad Exercise in Contrary Motion Hands Together: I VI II V I Another progression used extensively in jazz and popular music is I VI II V I. There are many new colors in this progression with the addition of the VI and II chords. The VI and II chords in the major keys are always minor triads. Step 1: Play this new progression in parallel motion. Begin hands separately and then try hands together. Step 2: Once you are familiar with this pattern try this progression with hands in contrary motion. Step 3: Play this progression in a new key each day.

12 @ Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016 Expanding Your Harmonic Horizons Major Triad Exercise in Contrary Motion Hands Together: I VI II V I

13 Jazzy Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz Harp (excerpt) By: Felice Pomeranz Know Your Seventh Chords! Play And Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

14 Jazzy Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz Harp (excerpt) By: Felice Pomeranz Dominant Seventh Arpeggios Do exercises around the Circle of Fifths: 1) C7 G7 D7 A7... 2) C7 F7 Bb7 Eb7... 3) C7 D7 E7 F7... 4) C7 Db7 D7 Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

15 Jazzy Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz Harp (excerpt) By: Felice Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

16 Bonus Exercise: Play this arpeggio series slowly at first. Increase your speed as you become more familiar with the pattern. Lever harps: Play the major seven chord as written. When playing the dominant 7(9) and minor 7(9), play left hand in the first beat and continue with the right hand, adjusting the accidentals with your left hand. Pedal and lever harps: Play a new ninth arpeggio each Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016

17 @ Berklee Harp Berklee Press, 2016

18 Chord Symbol Legend When speaking about progressions such as D-7, G7, CMaj7, you would say the name of the chord the way it is listed in the pronunciation column of the table above. Say "seven" rather than "seventh". If you are talking about chord quality, then say "seventh" as in: "This is a minor seventh chord". See the Chord Type column of the table Pomeranz 2005 Jazzy Beginnings. ASCAP

As Example 2 demonstrates, minor keys have their own pattern of major, minor, and diminished triads:

As Example 2 demonstrates, minor keys have their own pattern of major, minor, and diminished triads: Lesson QQQ Advanced Roman Numeral Usage Introduction: Roman numerals are a useful, shorthand way of naming and analyzing chords, and of showing their relationships to a tonic. Conventional Roman numerals