Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson entitled, "Developing Chord Progressions".

My name's Mr. Norris, and I'm gonna be taking you through today as we've got a few specific tools that we can use to develop our chord progressions in our compositions, so let's get stuck in.

Our outcome for today's lesson is, "I can use harmonic devices to develop a chord progression." Some key words that I'm gonna be using, "harmonic rhythm", and this is how often the chords change.

"Pedal note", this is a base note that stays the same while chords change above it.

"Drone", a drone is a long sustained sound, often it is low-pitched and consists of two notes together, which are typically the tonic and dominant.

And then finally, "extended chord", an extended chord is a chord that includes more than three different notes.

So, we'll be exploring all those concepts throughout the lesson.

The first part of the lesson today is looking at harmonic rhythm and devices.

Harmony plays a vital role in compositions, helping to set the mood, and character.

As well as choosing chords and combining them to make chord progressions, composers need to think about a few different things.

The rate or the pace at which the chords change, so how often the chords change.

And then, other devices that can enhance the harmony as well.

I'm gonna be exploring both of these in this lesson.

The harmonic rhythm is how often the chords change, this is often once per bar, but it can be faster or slower than that, it really depends on piece of music and the effect the composer is trying to create.

Typically, when the chords change more often, the music sounds more exciting, that's not always the case, but generally, it has that effect.

A slower harmonic rhythm might suit a more expansive, and lyrical composition.

Let's take a look at this example here.

In this example, the harmony changes several times in every bar, what effect would you say this creates? Let's have a listen.

(dramatic piano music) So, as we can hear there, there were lots of chord changes within each bar, and it gives it the feeling of being quite dramatic, quite energetic, and quite intense.

In this second example, the harmonic rhythm is slower as the chords only change once per bar, I'd like you to think about the contrast, and the mood, and the character that this creates.

(tense piano music) So, as we can hear there, one chord change per bar every four beats, and I would say that creates a less frantic mood, it's still quite intense because of the harmony, because the repeating base notes, but it's less frantic, and less dramatic, I would say.

Some other devices that we can use are called "pedal notes" and "drones", and these can be used to change the feeling of the harmony.

These harmonic devices can create dissonance, remember, that's when there's clashes between notes, and it does this within the chord progression.

They can be useful tools for the composer to create a harmonic interest and excitement, and they're often used in film music to create suspense.

They operate independently of the chord progression as well, so they can be added without changing the chords, while still affecting the overall harmony.

And that might sound a little bit confusing, but let us dig into what they actually are, and it will make sense.

Pedal notes are usually the tonic or dominant note of the key, but composers can use any note they wish, there's no hard or fast rule around this.

Tonic or dominant tend to work best and they're the most common ones that composers will use.

Remember, the tonic is the first note of the scale, so if we're in Amin, our tonic is "A" and the dominant is the fifth note of the scale, so that would be "E" in the case of Amin.

Here, we're in Amin, and we can see in the left-hand part, we've got repeated A's playing throughout.

So, this pedal uses the tonic note of they key, uses the note "A".

Let's have a listen to this, see what it sounds like.

(tense piano music) Let's have one more listen.

(tense piano music) So, we can see there, the chords are changing in the right-hand, but the left-hand is playing this constant "A" all the way throughout, and that's a pedal note, and in this case, it's a tonic pedal, because it is the first note, the tonic of the key.

Drones are long, sustained sounds that have some similarities to a pedal, so they're not the same thing, but there are some similarities and they're often used in a similar way.

Usually, they consist of two notes, which would be the tonic and dominant notes together in the key, they're sustained while the harmony changes above.

So, let's have a look at this example here.

We're in Amin, and we've got on the left-hand there, "A" and "E", so that's the tonic and the dominant notes played constantly throughout, it's sustained throughout.

Let's have a listen to what this sounds like.

(dramatic piano playing) So yeah, the sort of similar effect to the pedal, but there, obviously we're using two notes together.

Let's check your understanding.

What does harmonic rhythm refer to? Is it the speed of the music? The speed of the chord changes? Or, the rhythm of the chord changes? I'll give you a few seconds to come up with your answer.

And the correct answer here is the speed of the chord changes, how often the chords change, is what harmonic rhythm is.

Which two of the following are features of a pedal? It remains the same pitch? It typically uses the tonic or dominant note of the key? It changes pitch when the chords change? Or, it uses both the tonic and the dominant at the same time? So, choosing two, which are features of a pedal? I'll give you a few seconds to choose your two answers.

And the best two answers here then would be, that it remains the same pitch, so our pedal must stay on the same note throughout.

And it typically uses the tonic or dominant note of the key.

So, well done if you picked up on those two.

For Task A, we've got a set of chorus down below, Dmin, F, G, Emin and Amin.

Using these chords, I'd like to create two different chord patterns by changing the harmonic rhythm, and by adding a pedal or a drone.

So, we're gonna create one that changes the harmonic rhythm of the chords we've got there, and we've got another one that changes the chord pattern by adding a pedal, or a drone.

Some success criteria to consider.

So, the first is that you've arranged the chords into an order, you don't have to use the order there on screen, you can use a different order if you'd prefer.

The second, is you consider how quickly you change chord.

Then you need to make sure you've chosen the tonic or dominant of your first chord, and used it as a pedal while your chords change.

So, if for example, you use an Amin chord as your first chord, you're gonna wanna choose the tonic or dominant of that chord as you pedal throughout.

And then finally, you've listened back to your chord patterns and considered what effect they have on the mood of the music.

So, I'd like to reflect a little bit on the effect of these changes, of these harmonic devices on the mood of your music.

So, you can pause my video now, and have a go.

The second part of this task, I'm gonna show you an example.

I'd like you to consider the choices that the composer has made here.

Comment on the chord sequence using the success criteria, and in particular, I'd like to think about what harmonic devices have been used, and how successfully do you think they've been used as well? Let's have a listen, and have a look at the notation onscreen as well.

(dramatic piano music) I'm gonna play it one more time, here we go.

(dramatic piano music) And just while you're completing this task, you can pause my video.

Okay, let's review this one.

So, the chord sequence uses a pedal for the first three bars, well done if you picked up on that, we can see the sustained "D" all the way through.

The pedal is the dominant of the opening chord.

So, we've got a G-chord at the start, and "D" which is used in the base as the dominant of that chord, it's the fifth note chord.

The harmonic rhythm changes in bar three as the chords change more quickly.

So, in bar three we can see that there's one chord for a crotchet and then it changes chord.

Whereas in all the other bars, the chords last for four beats.

This example doesn't always use the suggested chords, so we've got the use of Cmin in bar two, and A-flat major in bar three, and this creates unnecessary dissonance, and makes the key unclear.

Now, that might be an effect that in certain musical context you would go for, however, when we're focusing on writing a really effective chord sequence, using really dissonant chords like that can make the key less clear, and therefore, make the harmony less effective.

Well done if you picked up on any of those points.

Let's move on there after the second part of our lesson.

And for this, we're looking at extensions and voicing.

Although triads are a good starting point for chord sequences, by moving away from these, we can create more interesting chord progressions.

Remember, a triad is our basic chord with three notes evenly spaced.

Chords do not have to include three notes.

By adding notes to a triad, we can extend the chord, that's what we.

This creates an extended chord.

The harmony becomes increasingly dissonant as you add more notes.

Can you think of any extended chords? I'll give you a few seconds.

So, you might have come across lots of different extended chords, or you might never have come across them at all.

Some of the more common ones are chords that have seven in the name, so for example, "C7", or "Gmaj7".

Or, you might've come across other ones as well that have things like six in the title, like "F6", or things that have other numbers as well.

For example, "Amin flat 9" or something like that.

There are lots of different chords, you might've thought of them, but if you've not heard of them, don't worry at all.

Seventh chords, which use the seventh note of the scale are common, especially in jazz and blues, but we can also add other notes to a triad.

So here, we've got an "Amin7" chord notated at the bottom there, it sound like this.

(soft piano music) And that's where we've got a triad with the seventh note on the scale added at the top, so there are four notes in that chord, so an Amin7 chord.

Added notes are often a third apart from the previous note, not always, if we had a sixth chord for example, that wouldn't be a third apart, but often they are.

So, in this case we can see there, if we look at that Amin7 chord, we've got an Amin triad, and then the top note, which is a seven, is a third above the note below it.

This is how we would play that on our piano.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false, a seventh chord has four notes in it.

And then justify your answer as well, using one of the following statements.

It uses the triad, plus the seventh note of the scale.

Or, it takes it's name from the number of notes in the chord.

I'll give you a few seconds to work out your answers.

And the correct answer here there is "true", a seventh chord has four notes in it, and we can justify that because it uses the triad of the seventh note of the scale.

So, the number, it doesn't tell you how many notes are in it, it tells you which notes are added, so seventh chord has four notes.

Well done, if you got both of those correct.

Is it possible to have extensions beyond the seventh? If you keep adding thirds, eventually you return to the root note of the chord.

This chord would sound really muddy if used.

That means it would sound really unclear what the harmony is.

It's just like if you played every note on the piano at the same time, it would just sound like a mush of sound, really.

Down below we can see an example of a really overextended chord, where we've got seven notes in it or stacked thirds on top of each other, and if we added one more note, we would get back to the root note of that chord, which is "D".

Let's just have a listen to what that would sound like.

(soft piano music) As you can hear, it's a really complex sounding chord, and the harmony isn't particularly clear from it, so we do need to think carefully where we're using extensions, about how many notes we are adding, and how complex we're making those chords, it is possible to go over the top.

You could experiment with adding only one additional note to a triad, but seek to use extensions beyond the seventh.

Let's have a look at this example.

If we add only one extra note here, it creates quite a clean sounding chord.

So, in comparison to the one that we just heard, where it was very muddy, all the notes sort of mushed together because there are so many notes, this one where we've got a Dmin triad, and then we've just added an "E" on top, will sound much cleaner.

Let's have a listen.

(soft piano music) So, you can hear there, although we've still got an extended chord, the harmony is clearer, and it creates a much cleaner sounding chord, so it's something to bear in mind when we are creating extended chords.

You could also explore different inversions of your chord by changing the order of the notes.

Retake that same chord that we just used, which was Dmin, "D", "F", and "A", with an "E" added on top.

We could also arrange it in these four different inversions where the order of the notes has been changed.

This is how we would play them.

In each one, the lowest note moves to the top of the chord each time, so all we're doing is shifting the order and moving the bottom note to the top.

Let's have a listen to what those four chords would sound like.

And what I'd really like you to focus on here, is just thinking about, what effect does each different inversion create? How are they different from each other in terms of the mood, or the character, or the feeling that they create? Here we go.

(soft piano music) So, I would describe this as each chord creating a slightly different colour, and this is one of the more sophisticated things we can do when we're composing with our harmony, is to think really carefully, not only about what chord we're using, but how the inversion of the chord, and the way we arranged the notes in the chord can create a colour, or the character that we want it to, because every different inversion of the chord creates a slightly different feeling in a slightly different colour.

Let's check your understanding.

Which two of the following can be used to develop chords? Changing the notes in a chord.

Using inversions.

Or, extending the triad by adding other notes.

And the best two answers here then really are, using inversions, and extending the triad by adding other notes.

If we change the notes in a chord, we are fundamentally altering that chord.

Whereas, when we just want to develop chords using inversions and adding extensions, still keep the underlying harmony, the basic harmony of that chord, but they develop it and make it slightly different.

For Task B, you're gonna use the chords below, or your chord pattern that you used in Task A, and I'd like you to develop the chords by using extended chords, and inverted chords.

So, we've got those five chords there, Dmin, F, G, Emin and Amin.

And some success criteria is that each chord has one new note added, and that some chords have been used in a different inversion.

And think about the chord shape, to avoid leaps between chords here.

So, the way you might use inversions is to try and avoid having big jumps between chords on your instrument.

Try and think about using inversions to allow your hand to stay in just one area of the piano, that's a nice way of thinking about how to use inversions successfully.

So, without further adieu, there are your chords, or you can use your other ones, have a go at doing some extensions and some inversions of these chords.

You can pause my video, and give that your best shot.

Let's move onto the second part of this task, this composer has taken those chords, and developed them, I'd like you to consider the choices that they have made, and using those success criteria that we just discussed, I'd like to comment on this chord sequence, your notation's on screen, and I'm gonna play it for you now, here we go.

(soft piano music) I'll play it one more time.

(soft piano music) Okay, so pause my video, I'd like you to comment on what this composer has done, what works, how it matches the success criteria, and what could be improved about it.

And pause my video now.

Here are some of the things you might've said then.

Every chord has one extra note added, so they have all been turned into extended chords, this makes them more colourful, more interesting as chords.

Some of those are being used in a different inversion to avoid leaps between chords.

So, this composer has thought a little bit about what inversion they've used to avoid jumping too far between chords.

There is one point in the chord sequence where there is a leap in between the chords, which is between bar two and bar three.

But other than that, there's lots of nice use of inversions to avoid too many jumps.

Well done if you picked up on those comments there.

Let's move on there to the final part of this lesson.

And here, we're looking at developing new harmonic ideas.

Think about the chord sequence in a composition you're working on, what compositional tools can you think of, that you could use to develop your harmony? Pause my video just while you have a quick think.

Here are a few of the things you might've thought of, you could change or vary the harmonic rhythms, so how often the chords change.

You could use a pedal note or a drone underneath the chord progression.

You could add extended chords, so remember, adding those extra notes to your triads to add more colour.

And you could change inversions as well, remember, that's a really powerful way of developing our chords.

Which two of the following would change the harmony in your composition? Adding a pedal? Adding extended chords? Or, moving the chords to a different instrument? I'm giving you a few seconds to choose two answers.

And hopefully there, we all got, adding a pedal, and adding extended chords.

Those are two ways that we can change the harmony.

And if we just move the chords to a different instrument, that doesn't actually change the harmony, it will change the timbre, but it won't change the actual notes that are being playing, so therefore the harmony would stay the same.

Well done, if you got that correct.

For Task C, you're gonna develop your existing chord progression or compose a new, contrasting chord sequence.

Here are some success criteria for you to consider.

You should have played through your developed chords, and be happy with the sound.

So again, as we always come back to it, make sure that when you're creating musical ideas and composing, you're always reflecting on them and thinking fundamentally, "Does that sound good?" "Does it sound how I want it to sound?" You should've developed your original chord sequence by using a pedal or a drone, some extended chords or inversions.

You should've varied the harmonic rhythm, remember, that's how often the chords change, so you don't want it the same all the way through.

And you might vary that harmonic rhythm to create certain effects, so remember, if we speed up the harmonic rhythm, or make it less consistent, then that creates a feeling of intensity or drama, whereas if we have a slow, consistent harmonic rhythm, it feels more settled.

The changes capture your desired mood and character, so remember, whatever you're going for with this harmony, you still want it to create that mood and character of the composition that you're aiming for.

And then finally, make sure you've considered wider compositional choices that you can make, including tempo, dynamics, and articulation.

So, always thinking about those expressive elements that we can use to add expression to our composition.

So, you can pause my video now, have a go at developing your existing chord progression, or composing a new contrasting one.

Okay, let's move on.

The last part of this task, I'd like to consider how the success criteria applies to your developed chord progression so far.

So, we're gonna reflect on your chord progression and where you've got to with it.

Here are a few questions that will help you reflect.

Which devices have you used to extend your ideas? Have you used pedals? Have you used drones? Maybe you've used some inversions? Are the chords distinctive and interesting? And have you considered the harmonic rhythm? What mood, and character is suggested by your choice of harmonic ideas? Is there variety and interest? And then finally, what expressive elements have you used? So, you can pause my video while you complete that reflection.

Let's summarise today's lesson then.

Changing the harmonic rhythm can add interest to a composition, it can dramatically alter the mood in a piece.

Harmonic devices such as pedal notes and drones are useful for building harmonic tension, and also adding colour.

And by adding extensions to chords, composers can enhance the expressive qualities of chord sequences.

So, that's the end of our lesson, hopefully you feel like you've got some food for thought, some ideas as to how you can go on, and develop your chord progressions, make them a bit more sophisticated, make them really serve the purpose and the goal of your composition really well by creating that specific mood and character that you're going for.

And also, how you can develop chord sequences that you already have, to add a little bit of variety into your composition.

So, best of luck with your composing, and I'll see you in another lesson.