# My Utterly Spiffing Guide to Light Music - Part 2 - Five Part harmony & Block chord writing



## alexballmusic (Nov 29, 2017)

Jolly hockey sticks! I've finally managed to put together a second episode to this pet project of mine. 

This time getting right into the nitty gritty of basic five-part harmony and block chord writing. The video assumes you have some musical knowledge and can read the scores, otherwise it would be several hours long!

Hope you enjoy.


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## PaulBrimstone (Nov 29, 2017)

Spiffing!


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## alexballmusic (Nov 29, 2017)

PaulBrimstone said:


> Spiffing!



One might say, utterly so.


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## Paul T McGraw (Nov 29, 2017)

That razzes my berries. Such a chrome plated little number would be perfect for a Friday night in the passion pit. You dig?


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## vintagevibe (Nov 30, 2017)

I literally nearly fell off my couch laughing at this. I don’t know if you’re only a composer but you need to be creating the film as well! You’d be channeling John Cleese if he we’re dead. Jolly good, carry on and several other English cliches.


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## DynamicK (Dec 1, 2017)

I say...well done old chap.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 1, 2017)

vintagevibe said:


> I literally nearly fell off my couch laughing at this. I don’t know if you’re only a composer but you need to be creating the film as well! You’d be channeling John Cleese if he we’re dead. Jolly good, carry on and several other English cliches.



Haha, glad you enjoyed. I work in TV as a composer and music producer. Maybe I could start asking my colleagues to help up the production value at some point. My ultimate desire at the end of this series is to put an entire composition together in the style and have it performed by a small orchestra.


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## Si_Withenshaw (Dec 1, 2017)

"Only a hooligan would do that" - that line cracked me up 

Great video, looking forward to the next one!


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## vintagevibe (Dec 1, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> Haha, glad you enjoyed. I work in TV as a composer and music producer. Maybe I could start asking my colleagues to help up the production value at some point. My ultimate desire at the end of this series is to put an entire composition together in the style and have it performed by a small orchestra.



If that is you doing the voiceover I say do more of it!


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## alexballmusic (Dec 1, 2017)

vintagevibe said:


> If that is you doing the voiceover I say do more of it!



That is me. True story - about 6 or 7 years ago I was supervising music on a TfL radio ad. It started with a 50s announcer and then the music and voice over morphed into the present. I did a guide voiceover with the music to demonstrate how it worked and then Hollywood actor, Mark Strong came in to do the proper VO.

They liked my 50s voice so much, they got me to come to the studio to replace Mark Stong's opening VO and that's what went on air! I've got the ad somewhere.


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## TGV (Dec 2, 2017)

Another smashingly top-hole episode. Chuck me a handful, I say! Your televised instructions even give a bloody foreigner such as myself a jolly good chance of sounding British. I could throw this together in an hour or so: https://hearthis.at/tgv/spiffing1/

Better make sure those Brexiteers don't find out about it.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 2, 2017)

TGV said:


> Another smashingly top-hole episode. Chuck me a handful, I say! Your televised instructions even give a bloody foreigner such as myself a jolly good chance of sounding British. I could throw this together in an hour or so: https://hearthis.at/tgv/spiffing1/
> 
> Better make sure those Brexiteers don't find out about it.



Ha! Glad to see others having a crack at it.


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## Oliver (Dec 2, 2017)

thats absolutely fabulous!!!!


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## givemenoughrope (Dec 2, 2017)

You're out of your mind. 

I love this. 

And thanks!!


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## storyteller (Dec 2, 2017)

"rambunctious.little.pumpkin." "Okey-cokey."

subscribed. 

Love it. Great vid!


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## Fox (Dec 2, 2017)

Delicious!


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## tmhuud (Dec 2, 2017)

Loved it! Well done! I must be a hooligan as the Em7b9 sounded tasty. Really liked the Bm7B5ADD9 too.


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## Sebastianmu (Dec 3, 2017)

Love


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## tack (Dec 3, 2017)

Fun video!

I confess initially I invested a little too much attention into whether or not Alex _actually _has a British accent. But then he pronounced "sixth" as "sicth" and the jig was up.

Either that or he has as an admirable attention to accent detail.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 4, 2017)

tack said:


> Fun video!
> 
> I confess initially I invested a little too much attention into whether or not Alex _actually _has a British accent. But then he pronounced "sixth" as "sicth" and the jig was up.
> 
> Either that or he has as an admirable attention to accent detail.



I'm British. Although this isn't how I talk in real life. Maybe I _should_ start talking like this in real life...


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## alexballmusic (Dec 4, 2017)

tmhuud said:


> Loved it! Well done! I must be a hooligan as the Em7b9 sounded tasty. Really liked the Bm7B5ADD9 too.



The m7b9 is quite cool, just generally find in the scores I've studied that they use half or full diminished and not the 9. But expect there's loads of examples where they do as it's a big genre.

Starting to put the next episode together with the advanced harmony stuff. Got some absolute belters to look at. Will take a while to make it into a cohesive and logical episode, but hope to have done in the next couple of months.


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## Sebastianmu (Dec 4, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> Starting to put the next episode together with the advanced harmony stuff. Got some absolute belters to look at. Will take a while to make it into a cohesive and logical episode, but hope to have done in the next couple of months.


Looking forward to it, Alex! Thanks for making these!


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## jemu999 (Dec 4, 2017)

Brilliant! Videos like this remind me how plain old music theory still is the best way to painlessly and logically arrange music. This whole business of me "scoring straight to DAW" really diminishes that process imo.

Anyhow... Alex... you did an amazing job putting this together. Please give us more!


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## Hywel (Dec 6, 2017)

Stunningly, splendiferous, a great hoot of a video to watch and listen to. Educationalising me too.

Hywel


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## Fab (Dec 6, 2017)

nice, and great channel also!


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## Gary Eskow (Dec 6, 2017)

Well done...do you know if David Rose used double stops or divisi in his piece? Thanks, Gary


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## bdr (Dec 6, 2017)

Gary Eskow said:


> Well done...do you know if David Rose used double stops or divisi in his piece? Thanks, Gary


I’m sure it’s divisi. Henry Mancini's arranging book discusses his approach.


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## zolhof (Dec 6, 2017)

Dear Mr Folly, thanks for sharing and brightening my day, I feel like I’m floating on cloud 9!


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## YaniDee (Dec 6, 2017)

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative, keep them coming!
Followed your tips, and came up with this:


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## R. Soul (Dec 6, 2017)

Really enjoyed that. Educational and hilarious at the same time


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## alexballmusic (Dec 6, 2017)

Gary Eskow said:


> Well done...do you know if David Rose used double stops or divisi in his piece? Thanks, Gary



David Rose definitely used divisi. I hired the score a while back and it was marked "divisi".


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## alexballmusic (Dec 6, 2017)

zolhof said:


> Dear Mr Folly, thanks for sharing and brightening my day, I feel like I’m floating on cloud 9!



Cloud maj9, surely?


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## sbkp (Dec 7, 2017)

This is my favorite video of all time. Please do all of music theory next so I can send some aspiring friends to your channel.


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## LamaRose (Dec 7, 2017)

Q, is that you? M wants you back in the lab, ASAP!

007


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## alexballmusic (Dec 7, 2017)

LamaRose said:


> Q, is that you? M wants you back in the lab, ASAP!
> 
> 007


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## Bollen (Dec 8, 2017)

"since this is light music, we must do it under a pseudonym..." Haa, ha, ha, ha!

Although technically speaking an Amin7b5 is in fact diatonic to G major, in the same manner a Csus4 would be. They're known as secondary chords!


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## alexballmusic (Dec 8, 2017)

Bollen said:


> "since this is light music, we must do it under a pseudonym..." Haa, ha, ha, ha!
> 
> Although technically speaking an Amin7b5 is in fact diatonic to G major, in the same manner a Csus4 would be. They're known as secondary chords!



Thanks. I'm trying to get it right but my theory isn't as good as it should be.

In the next video I'm covering altered and substitute chords. I'll have to read up on secondary chords so I define them correctly.

For example I've got a section that starts in Eb and modulates to C major midway through. Chord pattern is: Ebmaj9, Gb9, Dm7, G11, G9#5, Cmaj7, Eb9, Am7, Ab6.

In Eb, I'd say Gb9 is a substitute chord as it's flattened and the tonality is changed. Would Dm7 be a secondary chord?

Then G11 is a secondary dominant to modulate to C where the pattern repeats, other than the Ab6.

Sound right?


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## Bollen (Dec 8, 2017)

Difficult subject to discuss on a thread. If the section begins on Eb, but Eb has not been established as a tonal centre, then you cannot treat the Eb as a tonic. If I were to assume that the piece is in G major and this is a new section in which the first chord is Eb, then I would call this 'temporary' detour from diatonic chords a transition or tonicisation, depending on length of the detour. In any case, it would throw any modulation method out the window and free you to move back to G major without hindrance. However, if you're going to C major, then the modulation is actually between G and C and the Eb is a transition chord. 

Now, moving from G to C via Eb is actually quite easy, considering that Eb is the descending 3rd degree of G and the ascending 4th degree of C, which would imply that the Eb is in fact chord I and not IV of Bb (which has no relation to C). Eb also contains a C minor chord which often acts as a minor I chord i.e. tonic in western tradition. So in other words you could say you're using a minorisation in order to establish your new key... Consequently:

The Eb is not foreign to G, the Gb insinuates a departure from G, the Dmin confirms it, the G11 insinuates a modulation to Cmin, the G9#5 suggests the key will be a melodic minor, then surprise! We landed in major! Then the following three chords simply establish the new key by way of a V/trV (i.e. a V of a tritone substitution) the VI and then a tritone substitution of V (trV). 

So yes, the G11 is in fact a secondary chord (more appropriately written G7sus4, unless you want the 3rd and 9th included.) But is both a secondary of C major and Cminor, which is why it works so well.... Ha! Haven't thought about this stuff for a while, it looks absolutely bonkers when you write it down...

In summary: 

Eb (I or iii of C minor)
Gb9 (suggests a trV to F major)
Dmin7 (primary II of C, but also VI of F, a bit of a tease since you can't tell where it's heading)
G7sus4 (a secondary V of C major or minor)
G7#5 (melodic minor V of C minor)
Cmaj7 (chord I, semi-established as new tonic)
Eb9 (V of trV of C)
Amin7 (VI of C major)
Ab6 (suggests trV of C if the next chord is Cmaj. An Ab7#11 would make this more certain).

Hope this helps and if not you could always look up an Octatonic System of Tonal organisation and the first few chapters would explain everything you need to know about modern tonal harmony. It's available for free on the internet.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 8, 2017)

Bollen said:


> Difficult subject to discuss on a thread. If the section begins on Eb, but Eb has not been established as a tonal centre, then you cannot treat the Eb as a tonic. If I were to assume that the piece is in G major and this is a new section in which the first chord is Eb, then I would call this 'temporary' detour from diatonic chords a transition or tonicisation, depending on length of the detour. In any case, it would throw any modulation method out the window and free you to move back to G major without hindrance. However, if you're going to C major, then the modulation is actually between G and C and the Eb is a transition chord.
> 
> Now, moving from G to C via Eb is actually quite easy, considering that Eb is the descending 3rd degree of G and the ascending 4th degree of C, which would imply that the Eb is in fact chord I and not IV of Bb (which has no relation to C). Eb also contains a C minor chord which often acts as a minor I chord i.e. tonic in western tradition. So in other words you could say you're using a minorisation in order to establish your new key... Consequently:
> 
> ...



Wow. Amazing! Thanks so much.

I feel a bit of a fraud doing these videos because you're proof that my harmony knowledge is rather weak. But then perhaps it helps explain it that I've got to simplify it so much to understand any of it. Brings it back to basics.

I'll incorporate your explanation into my video. Thanks again!


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## jules (Dec 8, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> I feel a bit of a fraud doing these videos because you're proof that my harmony knowledge is rather weak.


Your videos are awsome, fun and enlightening. Keep them going !


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## alexballmusic (Dec 8, 2017)

jules said:


> Your videos are awsome, fun and enlightening. Keep them going !



Thanks Jules! 

Always trying to make them better.


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## Bollen (Dec 9, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> Wow. Amazing! Thanks so much.
> 
> I feel a bit of a fraud doing these videos because you're proof that my harmony knowledge is rather weak. But then perhaps it helps explain it that I've got to simplify it so much to understand any of it. Brings it back to basics.
> 
> I'll incorporate your explanation into my video. Thanks again!



Well that's the problem right there, I might know this subject inside and out but do I teach it? Do I make spiffingly good videos to offer this information for free? Nope, just another lazy musician whose knowledge will die with him...

What you do is commendable! I have the highest admiration for people that make educational videos like these... for free!


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## alexballmusic (Dec 11, 2017)

Bollen said:


> Well that's the problem right there, I might know this subject inside and out but do I teach it? Do I make spiffingly good videos to offer this information for free? Nope, just another lazy musician whose knowledge will die with him...
> 
> What you do is commendable! I have the highest admiration for people that make educational videos like these... for free!



Thanks very much. I've wound up doing it because nobody else has covered it on YouTube. Needs to be done!

Can I ask your theory opinion on something quick I'm looking at in the next video?

I'm noticing in the scores that a common thing to do is change chord IV to a #IVm followed by IVdom7. Trevor Duncan does it in several pieces and it sounds quintessentially "Light Music".

So a chord pattern in Cmajor would go Cmaj9 / F#m7 / F7 and then continue on and resolve in Cmajor.

Would you describe the F#m7 as a substitute chord as the tonality and pitch has changed? And the F7 as a secondary dominant?


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## Bollen (Dec 11, 2017)

Dear Alex, you know what they say: " teach a man to fish".

First I would urge you again to read the Octatonic System, it would take you a couple of hours on a Sunday. You only need to read chapter 3 and 4, the rest is academic w*****g. I even found you a link here.

OK, so some definitions:

Primarys and secondaries may refer to a chord quality or a dominant function, two very different things. For example, in the key of C major primary chord I is Cmaj (and/or with extension: C6/9, Cmaj7, etc) and Csus4, Csus2 and Caug are secondaries. This is because they're still formed out of diatonic notes in C but they violate the overtone series. However, the function of I is still present in a more vague state. 
The primary dominant in C is G major or G7, a secondary dominant is any dominant that resolves to a diatonic chord of C (except the tonic obviously) i.e. A7, B7, C7, D7, Eb7, E7 and F#7. Of course you could also have tertiary dominants i.e. a dominant that resolves to a secondary dominant, etc. But these are rarer.

Substitutions: in general it refers to replacing something that is common practice for something similar or equivalent. The two most common forms are modal interchange (MI) and tritone substitution (trX). So for example if you have a perfectly diatonic progression in C major but at some point you have an F7, then that F7 is a MI of chord IV, because the subdominant function is still there but the "mode" of the chord is different. A very common MI is using the natural 6th over chord I on a minor tonality (e.g. F# over Amin) also minorising the dominant e.g. G7#9 to Cmaj7. In the latter example you're using the 'natural' dominant of C minor in a C major piece, a bit like you did with your last post. (Note: a minorisation/majorisation is also an MI, it just has a different name because it's older than other forms). A tritone substitution is replacing any dominant, primary or secondary, for its tritone equivalent which always contains the same tritone interval between the 3rd and the 7th.

In terms of your progression I confess I have never seen an F#min7 in that particular place, it's often a diminished or half diminished. In any case they would all be primary chords with F7 being an MI of IV. The closest F#min related to C is that of II of E major, which depending on the duration (2-3+ bars vs half a bar) would make it either a 3rd degree tonicisation or 3rd degree transition, which is only relevant if you later want to use more material from E major.

Hope this helps, I'm not as rusty as I thought...


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## Bollen (Dec 11, 2017)

An afterthought: maybe we could collaborate to make some harmony videos in the future. I also find that the subject is shallowly covered on the internet... They never get to the cool stuff!


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## alexballmusic (Dec 11, 2017)

Bollen said:


> Dear Alex, you know what they say: " teach a man to fish".
> 
> First I would urge you again to read the Octatonic System, it would take you a couple of hours on a Sunday. You only need to read chapter 3 and 4, the rest is academic w*****g. I even found you a link here.
> 
> ...



Wow! Thanks so much. It is pretty damn complicated, so really appreciate this. That makes sense. Your knowledge is superb.

Will definitely read the octotonic literature and get my head around it more.

On a basic level I can do it. I can switch some chords around and do some chromatic changes here and there and come up with something that sounds very much like Light Music. But explaining why is more difficult, so trying to avoid using completely the wrong terms.

In the new year when I've got the whole thing together I might run it past a few people privately first to peer review it.

Would that be OK if I ping you a link sometime?


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## alexballmusic (Dec 11, 2017)

Bollen said:


> An afterthought: maybe we could collaborate to make some harmony videos in the future. I also find that the subject is shallowly covered on the internet... They never get to the cool stuff!



We pretty much are collaborating now! You're the brains, I'm the guy who does the 50s voice over.


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## Rasmus Hartvig (Dec 11, 2017)

I love it SO much! Great video. I was forcibly keeping my laughter down to grab all the neat tidbits in there 

From a fellow lover of that style, thank you so much for these videos.

Here's a little thing in the same ballpark, that I did a few years ago. Now I feel an urge to go back and extend it with tricks from your video.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 11, 2017)

Rasmus Hartvig said:


> I love it SO much! Great video. I was forcibly keeping my laughter down to grab all the neat tidbits in there
> 
> From a fellow lover of that style, thank you so much for these videos.
> 
> Here's a little thing in the same ballpark, that I did a few years ago. Now I feel an urge to go back and extend it with tricks from your video.




Nice track! That kind of legato string passage with more complex harmony is what the next video is going to be about.

Trying to get the explanation and examples clean and clear to make one cohesive episode.


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## Rasmus Hartvig (Dec 11, 2017)

Thanks man! Really looking forward to the next one. It's the ultimate respite from the grim reality of 2017. Lifesaving stuff old chap!


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## Bollen (Dec 12, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> In the new year when I've got the whole thing together I might run it past a few people privately first to peer review it.
> 
> Would that be OK if I ping you a link sometime?



Absolutely, by all means!



alexballmusic said:


> We pretty much are collaborating now! You're the brains, I'm the guy who does the 50s voice over.



Ha! You mean I'm the nerd and you're the talent! Saw a wonderful documentary about Delia Derbyshire last night and I couldn't stop thinking about you, ha! Especially because the played 'light' music at the beginning of the show to contextualise the era she was working in and how revolutionary she was.

I'm serious about the collaboration, I would happily write the script, produce the slides and material. I could even edit the video if you gave me some pointers, I've done some in the past. We could do one about the overtone series and modes as a test.


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## alexballmusic (Dec 13, 2017)

Bollen said:


> Absolutely, by all means!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Delia Derbyshire - absolute pioneer. I met a guy who worked at the Radiophonic workshop many years ago. He was gutted when they shut it down.

I've kind of stumbled into doing these Light Music breakdowns, so wasn't planning on doing any more theory series beyond it as they're such hard work, but there was one video I wanted to make which was a breakdown of Alan Silvestri's Predator score. Full of Predator jokes obviously.

Do you know that score? It's basically a masterclass in the Octotonic scale and harmony thereof.


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## Bollen (Dec 13, 2017)

alexballmusic said:


> Delia Derbyshire - absolute pioneer. I met a guy who worked at the Radiophonic workshop many years ago. He was gutted when they shut it down.
> 
> I've kind of stumbled into doing these Light Music breakdowns, so wasn't planning on doing any more theory series beyond it as they're such hard work, but there was one video I wanted to make which was a breakdown of Alan Silvestri's Predator score. Full of Predator jokes obviously.
> 
> Do you know that score? It's basically a masterclass in the Octotonic scale and harmony thereof.



Yeah, the radiophonic workshop was truly a special place!

Yes I know that score, Silvestri is remarkably under rated in film music. 

Although you're technically correct, octatonic refers to any scale made up of 8 notes. Classical harmony in the 20th century was surprisingly behind the times in both terminology and analysis. They were trying to tie everything to what came before without acknowledging external influences. Therefore I prefer to refer to that particular scale as either symmetric octatonic or symmetric diminished, in order not to confuse them with others e.g. fundamental scales (major or minor scales with 8 notes).


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## alexballmusic (Dec 13, 2017)

Bollen said:


> Yeah, the radiophonic workshop was truly a special place!
> 
> Yes I know that score, Silvestri is remarkably under rated in film music.
> 
> Although you're technically correct, octatonic refers to any scale made up of 8 notes. Classical harmony in the 20th century was surprisingly behind the times in both terminology and analysis. They were trying to tie everything to what came before without acknowledging external influences. Therefore I prefer to refer to that particular scale as either symmetric octatonic or symmetric diminished, in order not to confuse them with others e.g. fundamental scales (major or minor scales with 8 notes).



That's the chap. Heard it called the diminished scale to avoid confusion with other 8-note scales.

Both Predator and Back to the Future get masses of material - melodic and harmonic from that scale.

I was watching BTTF the other night and was chuckling at how much material he recycled into the Predator score.
Works really well though.


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## RobbertZH (Mar 6, 2018)

The presentation is wonderfull fun and makes me smile. So really in style.
But at the same time your tutorials are genuinely informative and practical!
Thanks!


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