The Harmonizer
Contents
1. I VIm Im V I Im VIm Im V Minor A Im Vm Vm natural vic ES ES harmonic Im Im VI IIm V melodic Im bVI IVm V harmonic Set Indicator N aau 1 Progression Formulas G Harmonic Paths 1 Progression Formulas Chord Progression Map The way chords are placed one after the other in a piece of music is called a chord progression The Roman numerals indicating chord degree are used to designate the chords in a progression For example in the key of C major a l IV V7 one four five progression indicates the chords Cmaj Fmaj and Gdom7 In the key of F these chords would be Fmaj Bbmaj and Cdom7 This section of the Harmonizer shows the formulas of the more common chord progressions in major and minor keys All of the major progression formulas pre sented here are based on the major scale However the minor progressions are based on the minor scale indicated within parentheses 26 Harmonic Minor Scale The harmonic minor scale is another variation of the natural minor scale By raising the seventh note of the natural minor to a major seventh interval this scale resolves to the tonic with more movement However this leaves a minor third interval between the sixth and seventh note This openness gives the scale an exotic character This scale is some time called the snake charmer scale Harmonic Minor Scale 9th 11th 13th R 2nd 3rd 4th Sth 6th MnO lm D p L2. C Major Scale 1st lonian wW Ww hf w Ww w fh D E F G A B C D 2nd Dorian w jhj w w w h w E F G A B C D E 3rd Phrygian h w w w h w w F B C E IE 4th Lydian w w w h w w h G A BC D E F G 5th Mixolydian w w h w w h w A B C D E F G A 6th Aeolian w h w w h w w B C D E F G A B 7th Locrian h w w h w w w Triad Chords Major amp Minor Scales Chords are created when several notes of a scale are played simultaneously A triad chord is made up of the 1st 3rd and 5th note of a scale or mode There are seven triad chords that belong to each major and minor key Because these chords are made up only of notes from one key they are called diatonic to that key When you dial the Harmonizer to a particular key you will see triad chords with their corresponding notes appear in the highlighted windows Each chord begins with the first note of a mode This note is called the root of the chord The tonal distances between st 3rd and 5th notes differ according to the mode This gives the chords their different sounds SS Window major 3rd minor 3rd major 7th I b7th 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Major and Natural Minor Scales N gt wW m7 Phrygian a F i A N C E i Lydian fig G B Ie D i F me G Highlighted notes indicate a Adding these notes to a triad produces triad chord a chord called a 7th chord 4 Fourth Note Extensions Major amp Minor Scales A fourth note can be added to a triad to give it a more interest
3. The Harmonizer sk User Manual and Theory Guide Sample P ages Key to Musical Symbols sharp ex G diminished chord ex D 7 A major chord ex CA7 b flat ex Bb half diminished chord ex F77 minor chord ex D 7 4 natural ex FA augmented chord ex A 7 m minor chord ex Dm7 dom dominant chord ex Gdom7 maj major chord ex Cmaj7 o 2 2 o 2 6 see e eo amp o of e i 2 ees o P Tae o FGA B C cDEFGABCODE Caring for your Harmonizer To ensure enjoyment of your Lotus Music Harmonizer for a long time e Keep your Harmonizer dry e Keep your Harmonizer away from excessive heat e Handle your Harnonizer gently Do not use force e Keep your Harmonizer away from dirt and dust 30 Day Limited Warranty This product is warranted by Lotus Music against manufaturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for thirty 30 days from the date of purchase In the event of a product defect during the warranty period return the product to the address below with a receipt or proof of purchase Sender is responsible for shipping costs Lotus Music will at its option repair or replace the product and deliver it at no charge except for shipping This warranty does not cover damage caused by liq uids heat abuse accident misuse alteration or abnormal usage Lotus Music 503 Wals
4. am grateful that you have chosen Lotus Music as one of your guides If you have any questions or comments regarding the Harmonizer invite you to contact our company by fax phone or email Tom Michero President of Lotus Music 503 Walsh St Austin Texas 78703 www lotusmusic com tel fax 512 472 8989 info lotusmusic com Introduction The Harmonizer shows you important musical concepts every muscian should know This guide will help you understand these concepts and how they are presented on the Harmonizer This area of knowledge about musical concepts is called music theory Understanding it allows you to make more expressive choices when composing or impro vising and provides you a language to communicate with other musicians The Harmonizer shows you major and minor keys the chords that belong to those keys the notes that make up those chords chord progressions and much more The Harmonizer presents music theory in a visual way which reinforces the training your ear gets when you play your instrument It also offers many technical answers to curious musicians The Harmonizer is appropriate for musicians of all skill levels in the same way a calcula tor is appropriate for math students For the beginner the Harmonizer offers a basic guide to scales and chords For the more advanced musician it is a reference tool that can help them compose and improvise The Harmonizer consists of several sections Each section is lis
5. f music find the D then move counter clockwise one note The result is G the tonal center What does the Harmonizer do The Harmonizer helps new and seasoned musicians learn and apply music theory principles to composing and improvising The Harmonizer s patented design shows musical concepts in a visual format making learning easy and fun The Harmonizer works for any instrument The Harmonizer aids musicians with scales amp modes chord construction chord progression chord substitution intervals modulation transposition The Harmonizer is perfect for any musician who wishes to deepen their understanding of music theory and enhance their playing ability Its easy to use format works like a slide rule Simply dial the Harmonizer to any key and view all the information about that key instantly ae Ad Lotus Music Copyright 2004 Lotus Music All rights reserved
6. from the notes of another scale A mode begins and ends on a note that belongs to the original scale and has all the same notes as the scale from which it is derived The difference is simply the begin ning note Modes have names depending on what note of the original scale the mode begins on The first mode derived from the major scale begins on the first note of the scale and is called lonian The Dorian mode begins on the second note and so on w w h w w w h w w h w w w h C lonian Mode D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D Dorian Mode pD E F G A B C D E F G A B C E Phrygian Mode E F G A BC D EN F G A BC F Lydian Mode F G A BC D E F G A B C G Mixolydian Mode G A B C D E F G A B C Modes of the RES Mod oellan Mode C Major scale A BoC n EE oS A aes B Locrian Mode Be C D E F G A Ba C Although these modes share the same notes as the scale from which they are derived when played they have subtly different sounds Soloists often base their improvisations on modes and change from one mode to another as the chords change in a song The different tonal gualities of the modes is a function of the relative spacing of the notes from the beginning note The diagram below shows the names of the modes of major scales the notes they begin on and the spacing of notes in the mode This example shows the modes of C major However the spacing between notes and the mode names are the same for all the major keys Beginning note of major scale C D E F G A B
7. h half step IG GE Gd Gad a 12 half steps C Chromatic scale C D 2 E F a G Si A M Bc In the above example the scale begins and ends on C If we wanted we could repeat the sequence of tones to higher or lower octaves The tones that make up the octave have been given letter names A B C D etc Sometimes a single tone is called by two different names i e C and Db D and Eb major 3rd minor 3rd major 7th 2nd Sth 3rd 4th R D Scale Degrees Aeolian B D natural minor scale i i i ren Chord Note Extensions Mode Names 3 Triad Chords Fourth note extensions Parallel minor scale A diatonic major scale on the other hand consists of seven notes spaced in a specific way consisting of whole steps and half steps between them By the way in a system called solmization the diatonic major scale is sung do re mi fa so la ti do The diatonic major scale in the key of C looks like this w w h w w w h C Major Diatonic Scale D Hg ana do la Cc ti do re mi fa SO In the diatonic scale system no matter what key is chosen the spacing of the scale notes in steps is always whole whole half whole whole whole half The beginning note does not affect how the subsequent notes are spaced w w h w w w h G major scale G A B C D E FH G F major scale F G A Bb Cc D E F E major scale E FR GEA B cH DHE Names of Modes Major amp Minor Scales A mode is a new scale derived
8. h St Austin TX 78703 Your satisfaction is important to us Lotus Music Copyright 2004 Lotus Music All rights reserved Table of Contents Introduction ee ee ee ee ee ee Major amp Minor ScaleS sees sesse Key Designator Names of Modes Triad Chords Fourth Note Extensions Chord Note Extensions Scale Degrees Intervals Chord Names Parallel Minor Scale Common Chord Substitutions Chord Degrees Name and Function Substitute Chord Chord Progression Map sesse Progression Formulas Tonic Chord Harmonic Paths Melodic Minor Scale 06 Harmonic Minor Scale sesse IMDFOVISING eise Eer ea GE ERK ee ERGE Pivot Chord Modulation Circle of FINDS ass ve EE ee SEEK Key Transposer ee ees ee ee ae Enharmonics sesse ees see ee ee ee Welcome to Lotus Music Lotus Music is dedicated to your musical learning and believes in making products that will enlighten you to your own musical potential The Harmonizer is designed to make understanding the underlying structure of music easy The Harmonizer is a great tool but you will not become a better musician unless you practice your instrument regularly Learning music is a wonderful journey and offers great personal rewards to those who are ready to take the first step and stick with it The Harmonizer is a tool which will help you travel farther faster wish you the best on your happy musical journey and
9. ing sound Often this fourth note of the chord is the seventh note of the scale or mode Chords that have this seventh note included are called seventh chords Seventh chords are written like this Cmaj7 Dm7 G7 Gdom7 Sometimes the sixth note of the scale will be added instead of the seventh As you might guess this chord is called a sixth chord i e C6 Fm6 Chord Progression Map The number of ways chords can go together to produce new and interesting sounds is nearly infinite Musicians use their intuition and experience to arrange chords in ways that move the music along This notion of movement is important to understanding how to compose and improvise a piece of music The Chord Progression Map shows some often used progressions which create harmonic movement Harmonic Movement Usually the interplay between chords in a piece of music creates the feeling of movement and change Some chord combinations sound uplifting others sound somber and some sound like ocean waves While these harmonies and how we interpret them are nearly endless there is a very simple principle at work Most pieces of music tend to first establish a feeling of stability depart from it create tension then return to the feeling of stability Though some pieces of music demonstrate this more dramatically than others as you train your ear you will become increasingly aware of it 2 Tonic Chord Chord Progression Map Major I IV V I IIm V
10. le is derived from the diatonic major scale and shares the same notes and chords The diagram on the opposite page shows the Major and Natural Minor Scales section of the Harmonizer The topics related to this section are indicated by number and are then described in the following pages of the guide ia Key Designator Major amp Minor Scales When you turn the Harmonizer you will notice different letters appear in the Key Designator window These letters represent the names of the major keys In modern western music the diatonic scale pattern is the basis for fifteen major keys Each of these keys begins on a different note The note that begins a key becomes the name of that key The key of C major is an example of one such key When we start playing a dia tonic scale pattern beginning with C the result is C D E F G A B and C When we repeat the beginning note of the scale we have played an octave An octave is the tonal distance between two notes with the frequency of the higher note being twice that of the lower Diatonic Scale vs Chromatic Scale In our western music culture there are twelve tones between each octave This series of twelve tones is called a chromatic scale The distance between each tone of a chromatic scale is called a half step Two half steps make a whole step There are of course six whole steps in an octave Below is a chromatic scale beginning and ending on C w whole step w w w w w w 6 whole steps
11. n 43 Harmonic Minor Blues Scale Melodic Minor 31 36 The Turnaround The lIm V7 often called two five combination of chords is called a turnaround and is frequently used in jazz Any two consecutive roots on the wheel moving counter clockwise produce a lIm V7 turnaround combination The combination is often played the end of a musical phrase because it turns around the chord progression and starts it over again A turnaround usually leads to the tonic chord In the key of C major the turnaround would be Dm lm Gdom7 V7 C I You will notice that if we begin on the D on the outer ring of the circle and move counter clockwise we encounter the G and the C in the same order as played to create a turnaround Rotating counter clockwise shows the roots for a Ilm V7 I turnaround Ex In the key of F that looks like Gm C7 F Circle Up a Sth C of 5ths Down a 5th Down a 4th Up a 4th Finding the Tonal Center Another use for the wheel is analyzing tonal centers of a piece of music Often a piece of music will change keys You can t always tell the tonal center just by looking at the key signature However since the presence of a dominant chord often determines the tonal center the wheel can suggest a possible center To find the center identify the root of the dominant chord on the outer ring and move along counter clockwise one note This note will probably be the center For instance if a Ddom7 appears in a piece o
12. ocrian i pie cm g When this window is dark Ioniants Eb BO the displayed notes are enharmonically correct See page 39 for details Dorian 4 JS G B D IVm od c A D H G dom7b9 Lydian Ab B c b maj7 Anka B c D Eb G The Layout This harmonic minor section of the Harmonizer is presented similarly to the melodic minor If you are not already familiar with the layout please refer to the melodic minor section of this guide see page 28 The modes of the harmonic minor scale produce some interesting sounding chords which can add originality to a piece of music Below is a comparison of the harmonic minor scale to the natural minor w h w w h w w E ys eee e 7 C Natural Minor Cc D Eb F G Ab Bb C 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8 w h w w h w h h C Harmonic Minor C D Eb F G Ab B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 minor 3rd 30 Improvising Improvising is one of the great creative outlets available to musicians Often a musician will improvise a solo while another plays chords The soloist chooses notes to play over the chords based on intuition experience and a few simple rules Playing Arpeggios Over Chords A simple way to improvise is to play individual notes of a chord while the chord is sounding during a song For instance when a measure has Cmaj7 in it you could play a riff of individual notes made up of C E G B As long as you stick to these notes while the chord is playing your improvising will harmonize with the song Majo
13. r Scale C D EN F G A B C Cmaj7 Playing Scales and Modes Over Chords Another way to improvise is to play individual notes of the scale or mode on which the chord is based For instance since Dm7 is based on the Dorian mode you could play riffs using any notes from that mode Dorian Mode pD E F G A B C D Dm7 Playing Over Dominant and Altered Chords Sometimes it is appropriate to play scales or modes that are slightly different from the scale or mode the chord is based on By doing this you introduce notes that alter the harmony usually making it more dissonant Because altered chords usually sound dissonate they often make good dominant chords The example below shows the notes of G myxolydian against the Gdom7 chord Just below that is the G phrygian 43 mode from the harmonic minor scale Playing this mode over a Gdom7 will make it sound like a Gdom7b9 by adding the flatted 9 to the harmony G Myxolydian G A B C D E F G Gdom7 G Phyrgian 43 G ab B C D Eb F G Ab Gdom7b9 9 bg Below is a table of chords with suggested scales and modes appearing on the Harmonizer that can be played over them The root of the chord becomes the begin ning note of the scale or mode Ex Play G myxolydian over a Gdom7 G7 chord Min6 Dom7 Type of Chord Maj7 Min7 Min7b5 Dom7 9 Dim7 Suggested scale lonian Dorian Locrian Myxolydian Alt bb7 or mode for play Lydian Aeolian Locrian 46 Super Locrian Locrian ing over chord Phrygian Locrian B2 Phrygia
14. ted in the table of con tents of this guide Getting Started The Harmonizer design consists of clear areas called windows arranged in a pattern that displays musical information To operate turn the Harmonizer by holding the clear cylinder in your right hand and the black banded end in your left Then twist your hands in opposite directions You should see letters representing the scale notes appear and change in the windows of the clear cylinder Continue to twist the Harmonizer until the letter indicating the key chord or note you want to know about appears in one of the appropriate windows The Harmonizer s layout will then reveal information you need to know for composing and improvising This guide describes some common music theory concepts and demonstrates how to use each section of the Harmonizer For a deeper understanding of music theory you may elect to consult a music teacher or a textbook on the subject The Harmonizer is designed to demonstrate musical concepts without the use of tradi tional musical notation though being able to read music is certainly helpful Major amp Minor Scales The most important scale used in pop jazz country rock and classical music today is a 7 note scale called the diatonic major scale This section describes the diatonic scale and other musical concepts associated with it including modes chords and intervals The second most important scale is the natural minor scale This sca
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