Most pieces begin and end with tonic, first to establish the key, then to bring the music home.Progression, Repetition, and Tonic motion are used most often because they create the smoothest part writing when connecting chords.For a review on cadences, see chapter 6.2.PC: not used as often as the other cadences.Half: not used as the final cadence, V7 is too strong to use at a half cadence.

V-I is (and with inversions) possible within the phrase.

vii˚-I (and with inversions) is possible within the phrase.

vii˚ is not used because it is too weak for a final cadence.

Harmonic pattern is most often Predominant-Dominant-Tonic.

For review on harmonic rhythm, see chapter 6.3.

It creates stagnant feel to the harmonic motion.

Avoid holding the same chord over a bar line unless the harmonic rhythm is very slow.

Often use a new chord for every note in the melody.

Often speeds up or slows down at cadence points.

For review on melodic form and phrases, see chapter 8.1.

Sentence form is a common type of melodic form used with phrases and periods.

Phrases can be independent or combine to form periods.

Phrases (often 4 bars in length) end with a cadence.

Melodic form and phrases: melodic form describes the relationship of each phrase in the overall structure of the melody.

Make good to consider relative cadence strength in each phrase in order to choose a progression that makes sense.

Understand melodic form, phrases, harmonic rhythm, and cadences in order to determine the phrases in a melody, the chords used to support the phrase motion, harmonic rhythm, and cadences.

Elision (E): forward motion on the chart, skipping one or more categoriesĬadences, phrases, harmonic rhythm, and melodic form.

Similar Motion/Repetition (S): motion within a category.

Retrogression (R): moving backwards on the chart either by one or more categories.

Tonic (T): motion from tonic to any other chord.

Progression (P): forward motion on the chart by 1 category.

Review the types of motion between chords:.

For more information on functional harmony, see chapter 6.1.

Review the functional harmony chart so that you can make good decisions about what types of chords make sense in a progression.

Things to Consider Before Choosing Chords in a Progression Functional harmony and types of motion between chords When we harmonize a melody we combine our knowledge of functional harmony, phrases, cadences, harmonic rhythm, chords and chord inversions, and part writing. It allows you to take any melody from any piece of music and create arrangements or compare different versions with different chord progressions. The ability to harmonize a melody is a useful skill. 11.1 Introduction to Harmonizing a Melody: Tutorial Harmonizing a Melody

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