DulciTheory #2
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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DulciTheory Newsletter -- Issue #2: Accidentals 2
publisher: Jerry Rockwell
email: jerry@jcrmusic.com
Intro to issue #2
As of this writing, we have about 25 subscribers, which is not too bad
considering that the newsletter is so new. As I said in the introduction to the
first issue: THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR YOU! You will get much more out of it if
you ACTIVELY work the problems and ask questions whenever you need help. Music
is anything BUT a passive activity!
I thought that the first issue had some fairly difficult topics, and some of
this stuff should definitely raise questions. Yet I only had questions from one
person (and I answer these in PART TWO of this issue), so I'm wondering how I
can meet your needs as we get more and more subscribers.
Many of you probably did not get the first issue. Not to worry -- it is posted
on my web site:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dt1.html
This issue (#2) will be posted soon after it goes out as well, as will each
succeeding issue. Look #1 over and try to work the problems and build the
charts -- it won't cost you anything but your time. And please...ask some
questions, or just drop me an email to let me know how you like the newsletter:
jerry@jcrmusic.com
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PART ONE: Tablature for She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain
As I promised in issue #1, we'll spend most of this first part exploring some
tabs for "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain". Actually, this will provide a
good workout in basic arranging principles -- even for very simple arrangements
-- as we'll take kind of a layered approach to the tune:
a.) Basic melody-with-drone arrangement in higher octave
b.) Simple Chord-Melody arrangement using octaves on the melody and bass
strings to suggest Dominant harmony (V)
c.) Lower octave across-the-fingerboard Chord-Melody with chords suggested very
sparsely, often with only 2-string chords.
d.) Higher octave Chord-Melody Etude: a challenging arrangement rich in
harmonic detail -- here we'll explore the chords with the accidentals we worked
so hard to identify in issue #1 -- like V7/V, V7/IV, and #IVdim7
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain (tuning 1-5-8, or C-G-C)
Basic melody-with-drone:
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
|------|0->-------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|------|0->-------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|4--5--|7---7---7---7---|5---4---2---4---|7---------------|--------7---8---|
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|9---9---9---9---|11--9---8---7---|8---------------|--------11--10--|
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|9---9---9---9---|8---7---7---7---|5---5---5---5---|8---7---6+--5---|
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
|4---4---4---4---|9---8---5---6+--|7---------------|----------------||
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain (tuning 1-5-8, or C-G-C)
Simple Chord-Melody arrangement using octaves on the melody and bass strings to
suggest Dominant harmony (V):
I / / / V / / / I / / / / / / /
|------|0->-------------|5---4---2---4---|7---------------|----------------|
|------|0->-------------|0---0---0---0---|0---------------|----------------|
|4--5--|7---7---7---7---|5---4---2---4---|7---------------|--------7---8---|
/ / / / / / / / V / / / / / / /
|0---------------|0---------------|8---------------|----------------|
|0---------------|0---------------|0---------------|----------------|
|9---9---9---9---|11--9---8---7---|8---------------|--------11--10--|
I / / / / / / / IV / / / / / / /
|0---------------|0---------------|0---------------|0---------------|
|0---------------|0---------------|6---------------|6---------------|
|9---9---9---9---|8---7---7---7---|5---5---5---5---|8---7---6+--5---|
I / / / V / / / I / / / / / / /
|4---4---4---4---|9---8---5---6+--|7---------------|----------------||
|0---0---0---0---|0---0---0---0---|0---------------|----------------||
|4---4---4---4---|9---8---5---6+--|7---------------|----------------||
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain (tuning 1-5-8, or C-G-C)
Lower octave across-the-fingerboard Chord-Melody:
C / / / G / / / C / / / / / / /
|------|0---------------|1-------2-------|0---------------|----------------|
|0--1--|0---------------|1---0-------0---|0---------------|----------------|
|------|0---0---0---0---|----------------|0---------------|--------0---1---|
/ / / / / / / / G / / / / / / /
|0---------------|0---------------|1---------------|----------------|
|0---------------|0---------------|0---------------|----------------|
|2---2---2---2---|4---2---1---0---|1---------------|--------4---3---|
C / / / / / / / F / / / Dm / / /
|0---------------|0---------------|3---------------|3---------------|
|0---------------|0---------------|1---1---1---1---|1-------2---1---|
|2---2---2---2---|1---0---0---0---|----------------|1---0-----------|
C / / / G7 / / / C / / / / / / /
|4---------------|3-------1---1---|2---------------|----------------||
|0---0---0---0---|0-------1---2---|3---------------|----------------||
|----------------|2---1-----------|0---------------|----------------||
One important point about the first 3 arrangements is that the harmony is
paired down to mostly I, IV, and V7. You can simplify many tunes this way, just
as you can embellish the harmonies of simpler tunes with secondary dominants
and mediantly-related chords.
The Etude below pulls all the stops -- you'll have to work hard on the
fingering to get it to flow smoothly -- I know I certainly did! Make sure to
notice and appreciate the harmonic detail, particularly in how the melody seems
to crash into a new chord, making a colorful and somewhat dissonant chord. See
measure 14 in particular. If we were to take the melody note into account for
the chord formula (on beats 1 and 3 of the measure), what would these two
chords be called? I would be delighted to get an email with your answer! If you
get it right, I'll send you a Blackbird & Beggarman CD!!
jerry@jcrmusic.com
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain (tuning 1-5-8, or C-G-C)
Higher octave Chord-Melody Etude:
C / / / G / / / C / / / / / / /
|------|0->-------------|4---4-------4---|0---------------|----------------|
|------|0->-------------|0---0---5---0---|0---------------|----------------|
|4--5--|7---7---7---7---|5---4-------4---|7---------------|--------7---8---|
/ / / / / / D7 / G / / / G7 / / /
|0---------------|0-------7-------|8-------8---9---|10--------------|
|0---------------|0-------6+------|0---------------|0---------------|
|9---9---9---9---|11--9---8---7---|8---------------|8-------11--10--|
C / / / C7 / / / F / / / Dm / F#dim7/
|0---------------|6---------------|5---------------|5-------5--------|
|0---------------|0---------------|6---------------|6-------6+-------|
|9---9---9---9---|8---7---7---7---|5---5---5---5---|8---7---6+---5---|
C / / / D7 / G7 / C / / / / / / /
|4---------------|7-------6+------|0---------------|----------------||
|5---------------|6+------6-------|5---------------|----------------||
|4---4---4---4---|9---8---5---6+--|7---------------|----------------||
Problems to work/Questions to answer:
1) What are some other tunes that use V7/IV? (HINT: there are tons of them)
2) What are some other tunes or songs that use the #4 accidental? Does it occur
as the 3rd of V7/V?
3) Here are three tunes that use the #2 (b3) accidental:
You Are My Sunshine
I've Been Working on the Railroad
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Where can you "situate" a tune on the 1-5-8 mountain dulcimer in order to get
that accidental? (HINT: this requires that you play in another key besides the
open bass string).
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PART TWO: Questions Answered
Q: Since tunes can obviously be transcribed into the key of D for dulcimer
players, a question is bugging me: Why does a composer chose a certain key
for his/her work? Or if somebody is doing a new arrangement, why might they
pick a different key?
A: Wow! Someone could write a book about that!!! Composers often choose keys to
fit their vocal range -- or the vocal range of the artist who will record the
song in question. Also, particular instruments have certain keys that that they
like and are more comfortable with: brass instruments like Bb and Eb.
On the piano, every key "feels" a little different -- particularly with the
placement of white and black keys under the fingers. Sometimes a tune will come
rolling out very intuitively, partially egged-on by the pleasurable and NEW
sensation that a certain area of the keyboard (or a certain major or minor key)
gives.
The guitar has its own idiomatic conventions with respect to chord shapes,
register, and whether the composer is a first position player mainly, or more
of a jazz-oriented player. The open strings in any guitar tuning -- especially
the lower ones -- are a powerful tonal force in their own right.
The mountain dulcimer is more-or-less "hard-wired" into one key, though we will
find some creative ways around this limitation in the future. By "hard-wired",
I mean that the dulcimer's mostly diatonic fretboard GREATLY favors the key
center set up by the open strings: 1-5-8 really sets up a tonal center! We CAN
play in a few other keys -- we will -- but playing in D Major while tuned D-A-D
is a "no-brainer".
Within the 1-5-8 family, if we want to play in C Major, C-G-C will work great.
If we want to tune way down to A on a baritone (which has thicker strings), we
tune A-E-A. Of course, different tuning RELATIONSHIPS -- like 5-1-5 or D-G-D
for the key of G -- allow for MANY more key possibilities as well.
Q: I'm specifically interested in hymns. So, in other words, is "What A
Friend We Have In Jesus" any 'better' in the key of F major than it is in D
major?
A: Not if your voice is more comfortable in D or C. Playing it instrumentally,
major keys are all like one big HAPPY KEY! The important thing to remember
about music theory is that EVERYTHING is based upon STRUCTURE and RELATIONSHIP.
Any interval or chord can be built upon 12 different roots, because there are
12 divisions of the octave in our Western Music -- but the STRUCTURE of the
chord or interval is identical.
Q: Just this week I've tuned the dulcimer to D-G-D, and like that tuning a lot.
What are its advantages? What about D-A-C?
A: D-G-D is a GREAT, underrated tuning! The relationship is 5-1-5, and it is
sometimes referred to as "Reverse Ionian". I LOVE to play Ionian single string
TAB on the bass string in D-G-D -- the drive and punch is awesome! Also, it is
a great tuning for jigs in the first position or the first three frets --
across the fingerboard. You haven't lived till you've heard Leo Kretzner do his
hammers and pulls on dance tunes in D-G-D!
D-A-C or 1-5-b7, is a minor tuning if you play on the melody string with the
middle and bass as drones. It has a plaintive, mournful sound that's very
haunting. If you get creative, though, and think "outside the box" a little
bit, you will find yourself in some interesting chromatic territory, with alot
more accidentals than the more usual tunings. I really like D-A-C-D with
4-string equidistant -- to me this is the best blues tuning ever!
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Well....the time has come to get this newsletter off. I hope you enjoy the
tabs, and if you work the problems, here's wishing you a mild or non-existent
headache! Let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Jerry
jerry@jcrmusic.com
http://www.jcrmusic.com/dulcitheory.html
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