# Hexachords information, tutorials, formation ?



## mac88104 (Nov 4, 2016)

I think to buy the ludwin music composition book but do you know other sources of information on the subject ?

For people who are not familiar with them (as me in fact), Hexachords can be use to add variety to a composition. The composer starts with a melody and build chords progressions, based only on the keys of the melody, without thinking about major, minor, diminished considerations. But there is certainly much theory behind that.

I guess others on the forum will certainly be more clear and complete than me on the subject.

Thanks


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## merlinhimself (Nov 4, 2016)

Definitely going to follow this thread. Interested as well!


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## NoamL (Nov 4, 2016)

Hmm the only hexa-thing I'm familiar with is the hexatonic scale which is made up of three symmetrical pairs of halfsteps

like C B Ab G E D#

Giacchino & Williams use it all the time in their action music. It is very good for conveying a "dizzy" or vertiginous feeling, especially if you use swirling harp glissandos, stabby or bendy brass chords, etc.


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## ed buller (Nov 4, 2016)

you can make a hexatonic sale out of two chords. play C maj and G# maj and you have 6 notes . arrange them so the distances are at their smallest ....and of you go 

there's more detail here:

http://vi-control.net/community/thr...music-help-with-harmonic-options.56265/page-2


e


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## douggibson (Nov 4, 2016)

Basically Mr. Ludwin gives a very brief summary (and his own examples for application) of a book called 

Harmonic Materials of Modern Music
by Howard Hanson

It's a cool book about 400 pages. The concepts presented in the book were later expanded upon by other 
theorist, notably Allan Forte, and these days the term "pitch set theory" has taken it's place. 

You can find out more information and greater detail from the wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_theory_(music)


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## ed buller (Nov 4, 2016)

pitch set's are different from hexatonic collections. You can define a hexatonic collection using a pitch set but generally they come from chords and the use of parsimonious voice leading 

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## jamwerks (Nov 5, 2016)

That's a unique symmetrical scale that indeed yields some interesting sounds. There are various examples also in Stravinsky and Ravel. A beautiful (and easily understood) example would be the beginning of the second movement of Ravel's Vales Nobles et Sentimentales.


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## sinkd (Nov 5, 2016)

ed buller said:


> you can make a hexatonic sale out of two chords. play C maj and G# maj and you have 6 notes
> e


I believe you mean G#minor?


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## jamwerks (Nov 5, 2016)

sinkd said:


> I believe you mean G#minor?


Yes that's it.


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## mac88104 (Nov 5, 2016)

Thank you all for all your answers. I have found a video which quite explains what we can do in term of scoring :



The speaker speakes french but it is easy to undertsand/catch the methodology just watching the presentation (Logic Pro Score editor).


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## mac88104 (Nov 5, 2016)

If I translate the beginning :

The Hexachord is a writing technique inherited from the US film industry. It aims to right follow the emotion of a cue because it enables to avoid key changes without being redundant (I just try to translate, I don't judge what he says).

He first create a melody with 6 notes. He put them in order, as a scale. It turns into a sound palette, an harmonic palette.


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## ed buller (Nov 5, 2016)

sinkd said:


> I believe you mean G#minor?


I did...sorry

This is the way I understand and use Hexatonic collections. Lord knows if it's the right way.







the opening to Rimsky's ANTAR 2'nd Sym is a text book case:



the opening chords and following figures are hexatonic collections. The whole passage (after the climb ) is then transposed and repeated @ 1.03.



this is a good video that covers how hexatonic collections are created .


Again a lot of these terms and disciplines overlap. Set theory and hexatonic are closely related. I chose to treat them separately but i can't discount the fact that I may be doing so because i'm an idiot !

The geometry of Music is a fine book and covers all of this very well. I highly recommend it.

e




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## mac88104 (Nov 5, 2016)

Thanks. Maybe you already know but I have found something which could be fun and helpful for some people to compose. Go on this address :

https://cifkao.github.io/tonnetz-viz/

Firstly, play chords on your keyboard (my midi input has been directly recognized). It also works with melodies (use your sustain pedal or increase the "ghost" function).


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## tonaliszt (Nov 5, 2016)

mac88104 said:


> Thanks, I have found something interesting (that may you already know). Go on this adress :
> https://cifkao.github.io/tonnetz-viz/


Wow! Really cool!


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## mac88104 (Nov 5, 2016)

Yes, very convenient to compose interesting progressions. It is important to understand the tonnetz principles first but the video ed buller has posted explains it clearly.


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## jlh (Nov 7, 2016)

Hey guys, 

I'm the french guy who posted the video.

The principle is to shift from tonality and tonal progressions to a "centric" vision of music, where a note's relationship with other notes in the hexachord is based on the natural harmonics suite of 5ths, instead of chord progressions you would find in a tune, II-V-I for example. 

Working with the hexachord involves an analysis stage where you evaluate what are the musical possibilities offered by your hexachord of choice, be it a mode you like or extracted from a melody you wrote first. It's the stage I call the "Palette stage". Like a painter, you create your colors on a separate music sheet, and you will use these musical elements in the score at a later stage. At this stage, you will extract sounds (the chord's name in harmonic environment lingua) and analyse interval content of your hexachord. 

Within a single hexachord, you will have different "tonalities" and intervals that will allow to achieve modulation-like harmonic motion, without leaving your hexachord. 

The hexachord is often mentioned as the harmonic environment. A note within a melody will "connect" to another note in the hexachord, when entering a second voice for instance, based on it's fifth relationship with that note.

This practical approach to film scoring is the main topic of the class I deliver in my training center in Paris, France. 

Hope this helps !

-JL


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