CMGs
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:22 am
Hey all,
I wrote up this mail to Bb to try and explain CMGs.
I wrote it quickly and imperfectly and I want to post it this way. I would love for someone to come along and rip this to shreds, and show me where I went wrong, clarify or otherwise school me/us if necessary.
Hey Bob,
I was thinking, I do have something a little more concrete for you along these lines (the functional harmony thing). I remember mentioning that the LCC says the Lydian scale resolves to its Conceptual Modal Genres. I don't think this is in book I except for hints. But I have a chart from George.
Basically, take the lydian scale and put it over any of its modal tonics. These are all vertical structures.
So
F LYD over F, G, A, B, C, D, or E are all vertical
BUT in addition, you can build triads on scale degrees V (maj), III (min), II (maj), VII (min).
These are the CMGs (Conceptual Modal Genres).
These are called Vh, IIIh, IIh and VIIh on chart A.
So in F lyd, Vh is really an F lyd scale over a C triad which makes C major. IIIh is F lydian over an A- triad which makes aeolian. IIh = F lyd over G triad = G mix. VIIh = F lyd over E- triad = E phryg.
But doing this turns the lydian scale on its ear - it for example, forces the F lydian scale to sound over a different tonic chord (C Maj), which is what turns it into a horizontal sound because now you have two tonics F and C.
So the F lyd scale RESOLVES to its CMGs.
D- G7 C = F LYDVI FLYDII FLYDVh.
Make sense?
I could see another cliff notes coming out of this.
I typed this very quickly as I got into work, I hope there are no errors that prove to be confusing.
One interesting thing. As I recall, in tonal orders 11 and 12 George adds Ih and VIh as CMGs. This makes sense, as 11 t.o. would give us Bb in the key of Flyd, giving us F maj, which does resolve to an F triad horizontally.
Any comments welcome!
I wrote up this mail to Bb to try and explain CMGs.
I wrote it quickly and imperfectly and I want to post it this way. I would love for someone to come along and rip this to shreds, and show me where I went wrong, clarify or otherwise school me/us if necessary.
Hey Bob,
I was thinking, I do have something a little more concrete for you along these lines (the functional harmony thing). I remember mentioning that the LCC says the Lydian scale resolves to its Conceptual Modal Genres. I don't think this is in book I except for hints. But I have a chart from George.
Basically, take the lydian scale and put it over any of its modal tonics. These are all vertical structures.
So
F LYD over F, G, A, B, C, D, or E are all vertical
BUT in addition, you can build triads on scale degrees V (maj), III (min), II (maj), VII (min).
These are the CMGs (Conceptual Modal Genres).
These are called Vh, IIIh, IIh and VIIh on chart A.
So in F lyd, Vh is really an F lyd scale over a C triad which makes C major. IIIh is F lydian over an A- triad which makes aeolian. IIh = F lyd over G triad = G mix. VIIh = F lyd over E- triad = E phryg.
But doing this turns the lydian scale on its ear - it for example, forces the F lydian scale to sound over a different tonic chord (C Maj), which is what turns it into a horizontal sound because now you have two tonics F and C.
So the F lyd scale RESOLVES to its CMGs.
D- G7 C = F LYDVI FLYDII FLYDVh.
Make sense?
I could see another cliff notes coming out of this.
I typed this very quickly as I got into work, I hope there are no errors that prove to be confusing.
One interesting thing. As I recall, in tonal orders 11 and 12 George adds Ih and VIh as CMGs. This makes sense, as 11 t.o. would give us Bb in the key of Flyd, giving us F maj, which does resolve to an F triad horizontally.
Any comments welcome!