以下是我对Upper Structure的研究笔记,供骨灰玩家玩味。本文谢绝转载,谢谢。 1. Altered ChordWhenever jazz players get bored with the bland dominant 7th chords, they opt for something spicier — the ALTERED chords. The altered chord is a chord derived from the seventh mode of melodic minor scale, which is called the "super locrian mode", or simply the "altered scale". This scale is composed of scale degree 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7, or enharmonically 1 b9 #9 3 b5 #5 b7. In practice, b5 and #4 are used interchangably, same with #5 and b13. The altered scale includes all the altered notes one can substitute for a dominant chord. Theses altered notes bring colorful tensions to the originally dominant chord, and make the resolution even stronger when the chord returns to the tonic. To construct an altered chord, we can add any of the altered note b9 #9 b5 #5 to the shell dominant chord 1 3 b7. For example, G7b9b5 consists of 1 3 b7 b9 b5. However, the 13th note is not always flatted in the altered chords. Chords like G13b9 appear quite often in Jazz. The natural 13th note can be used instead of the b13. The #5/b13 and 13 rarely exist together, as they'll create a dissonant minor 9th interval. To play over an altered chords with a natural 13th inside, Jazz players usually choose the "dominant diminished scale", aka. the "half-whole diminished scale". The scale is an octatonic scale composed of scale degree 1 b9 #9 3 b5 5 13 b7, with alternating half and whole steps between the notes. Although usually omitted, the natural 5th a valid note in this case. There is another scale called "Lydian Dominant" scale 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7 that Jazz players use quite often. It can be used over a specific altered chord, the 13#11 chord. Enharmonically, this chord is also 13b5, so the dominant diminished scale works on it too. 2. Upper structureOn piano, chords can be played with both hands to take advantage of the great frequency range of this instrument and to avoid the muddy cluster sound in closed voicing. More interestingly, each hand doesn't have to play the same chord while playing a chord. What do I mean? Well, for example, if one plays C chord C E G on the left hand and Em chord E G B on the right hand together, the audience will perceive a Cmaj7 chord C E G B instead of two separate chords. This works because the notes in the chords on both hands fit into one single chord, which is called a "polychord". Upper structure is a special case of polychord, where the left hand plays the shell chord, and the right hand plays the "upper structure" triads. The upper structure is either a major or minor triad that contains altered notes, and thus creates a type of altered chord when combined with the shell chord from the left hand. For example, if the left hand plays G7 shell G B F, and the right hand plays A major triad A C# E, we'll end up with a lydian-type G13#11 chord. The idea of upper structure is so handy that Jazz musicians came up with a system to categorize all the possible choices of upper structures for altered chords. There are nine of them in total. Below is the list adapted from Wikipedia (US stands for upper structure):
Let's also include the altered chord with upper structures made up of augmented triads and diminished seventh chord:
3. Method and ResultsThat's cool, but here're the issues. First, the chord names and relationship seem hard to remember. We need to transfer the above concept into something we already understand quite well, so that we can remember and recall them more easily. Second, the table doesn't really provide enough information on how we can apply the upper structure idea effectively over V-I progression. Most of these altered chords with upper structures produce quite jarring sound on it's own. Without a careful choice, we might end up with some unpleasant chord progressions. We want to study which chord fits better and which one does not. Also, we want to be able to create smoothier voice-leading on the right hand and avoid using too many jumps. I think, to better understand and use upper structure, we should put the chord into a diatonic framework. We should ask: from which diatonic chords do these upper structure triads come from? Let's first place the left hand shell chord into the right place. Instead of viewing the lower structure as a I7 chord, we'd better see it as a V7 chord, since V is where the dominant chord is found in both major and minor keys. To simplify a little bit, I'll treat the V7 chord in minor key as III7 chord in its relative major key, so that every upper structure triad will be labelled with a scale degree in major key. Similarly, I'll write the tritone substitution for V7 as bII7, and Tritone sub for III7 as bVII7. Therefore, the scale degree bII, III, V, and bVII are the only four locations one may find the dominant chords. Secondary dominants are not considered in this article, but the reader can apply the rules we discovered onto playing secondary dominant once we understand the primary V-I. Next, I will label the scale degree of the upper structure also in reference to the tonal center instead of the root of the dominant chord. Although we have four possible choices of location for both lower and upper structures, there is only one place for each chord where the upper structure is a diatonic chord. For example, USII may be considered as bIII over bII7, #IV over III7, VI over V7, or I over bVII7. Among the four choices, only I over bVII7 stands out, as I is naturally found in major scale. From the above criteria, I came up with the following table: 4. AnalysisLet's look into what the table suggests. First, all the listed upper structures can be fit into a diatonic framework, except for the diminished seventh chords and augmented triads. Nevertheless, it's obvious that the diminished seventh upper structure functions as an approach chord to both major and minor tonic either a half step above or below the target. On the other hand, the augmented triads contain all the notes, expect for the root, found in the tonic seventh chord of harmonic/melodic minor scale, and thus fit well into the V7 chord in minor key. Second, each altered chord with upper structure has a conjugated chord that shares the same upper structure and a tritone substituted shell chord on the left hand. I've labelled each pair of conjugates in the same color. This means, for example, if we were to play a chord progression from E7#9#5 to Am9, we would get very similar sound by instead playing a Bb13#11 to Am9 progression, because E7#9#5 and Bb13#11 are strict tritone substitution to each other. Third, and most importantly, if we play the altered chord at the location of the lower structure according to the table, we'll get a pretty decent sounding chord progression. The progression sounds good because the right hand chord for both V7alt and I/i chord will arise from the same key. We can follow the same voice leading principles as when we are connecting simple diatonic triads. For example, an E7#9#5 to Am7 is simply a C major triad going to an Am (or C major or Am7 shell) triad on the right hand. Moreover, if we connect III7alt to a VImaj7 chord instead of a vi7, we will create a Picardy Third effect in the sound, generating a unique minor-to-major-key-shift effect. On the contrary, if we connect a V7alt to a i chord, the progression will sounds weak, just like when we connect a unaltered dominant chord to its minor tonic. In addition, if we replace the altered chord by its conjugated tritone substitution, we'll hear the similar mystical effect created by tritone substitution. For example, replacing G7(13) to Cmaj7 with G7#9b5 to Cmaj7, will sound very close to replacing G7 to Cmaj7 with G7b9b5 to Cmaj7. Lastly, conjugated tritone substitution for a major cadential V7 often sounds better as a minor cadential V7, and vice versa. For example, V13#11 resolves to I stronger than III13#11 to vi, and III#9b5 resolves to vi stronger than V#9b5 to I. 5. ConclusionNow, I've demonstrated the key information I've discovered from the table. By mapping the upper structure chord into a diatonic context, I was able to compare the altered chords in both lower and upper structures, and group them into conjugated pairs, and study and use them in a more organized way. I hope this article will shed some light on how you may polish the voice leading in your playing of V-I progressions.
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下面就来听一首收录在这本册子中的曲目吧,这首歌曲是来自70年代面包合唱团Bread的《IF》。 PS: 从编曲中可以感受到董运昌左手小指一定特别发达,当时我在好几个小指的按法上面被虐到了。导致现在我的小指还真的蛮强健有力的!
1. 简介韩国音乐近年来发展迅猛,在流行歌曲的制作上已然和日本的水准平起平坐。韩国音乐圈可不仅仅只有精致包装培养出来的艺人或组合,其中更不乏许多优秀的独立音乐人值得推荐。 今天,我就要来推荐一位我很喜欢的流行电音音乐人——OOHYO。年芳23的她的作品非常抓耳,用得一手柔美的爵士和声,编曲律动感十足。即使24小时Loop无限循环也不嫌腻。 由于受到爵士乐以及电音舞曲的影响,她的歌曲大多充满都市现代感,直教人听着沉迷。一些作品不禁让我联想到80年代日本受Disco影响而流行一时的City-Pop。 最近她有一首歌在Youtube上火了,也就是标题中的这首《PIZZA》。歌曲描绘的是一位少女在失恋后惆怅的心情,坏心情竟让她跟一张小小的披萨饼过不去了。。。 果不其然,此曲使用到了自带忧伤效果的小调来契合歌词的情境。歌曲以Bm小调,和弦进行基于小调的IVm-V7-I。而添加了九度或十一度音的和弦则让情绪更为复杂,渲染出了主人公在精神恍惚间追忆起往昔美好时光时,内心夹杂着的快乐与痛苦。 下面就来欣赏一下《PIZZA》这首歌。 2. 歌曲、歌词及制作原地址:https://oohyomusic.bandcamp.com/album/pizza 曲种风格:Electronica,Rock,Synth-Pop,K-Pop,K-Indie 作曲、作词: OOHYO(우효) 编曲: Eniac(T1,2) 混音、母带: Master Key @ Masterpiece Sound Lab 歌词: [Verse 1] Summer's been boring without you Empty talk and entertainment Been yawning every minute or so Waiting for the phone to ring [Verse 2] What's gotten into me? Can anybody see? Oh love's a crazy game I don't know how to play To make you want to stay I'm too scared to say [Chorus] That I want you I want you back Cause I want you I want you bad Pizza sucks without you It's not a question of appetite Pizza sucks without you Anyway... [Verse 3] Mom and Dad out for a movie I'm stuck at home watching re-runs Don't really feel out going out in the city Or on the Net where everyone's tryin' to look pretty Cause I ain't got no time to impress To try and live up to anyone's stupid interest See I ain't got no time to look back To wonder how it might have been if I had tried [Chorus] That I want you I want you back Cause I want you I want you bad Pizza sucks without you It's not a question of appetite Pizza sucks without you Anyway... [Outro] Pizza sucks without you Everyday it's a bore without you Pizza sucks without you Everyday it's a bore without you Pizza sucks without you Everyday it's a bore without you 3. 和弦谱下图是对歌曲粗略的扒谱。主歌与副歌使用了 iv - V - i - i 四个和弦的循环。而在过渡段使用了iv - V - i - ii/VI - V/VI - VI - V - i 八个和弦的进行。结尾则是在这八个和弦上的循环。 用吉他弹的话,可以使用下面的和弦指法。 |
王蕴藉@知乎吉他乐理老师,《乐理101》、《吉他恋爱手札》专栏作者 |