Music Composition DUMmIES

Figure 10-28 shows the example again with all the non-chord tones we added.

Now let’s add some passing tones to go along with the non-chord tones

(Figure 10-29).

That makes for a richer, more colorful phrase, doesn’t it? The possibilities are

limitless. You could have a chord change every beat, every half beat, or what-

ever suits your intentions. This would be a good time to go back and study

the table we gave you, earlier in this chapter, regarding chord progressions.

Knowing which chords flow into which can be helpful here. And don’t forget

about the moods you evoke with your choices. A study of jazz can provide

you with some ideas about chord substitutions as well.

On the other hand, there are times when a chord change is distracting and

pulls away from the hypnotic, trancelike mantra of your groove. As an exam-

ple, Ravel’s Boléro(which was written intentionally as a piece with no struc-

tural development) pulls us along and drives us deeper and deeper into its

feel. When Ravel exhausts the dynamic headroom of his orchestra, he sur-

prises us and wakes us up into a new realm by changing the chord and the

&

&

?

b

b

b

4

4

4

4

4

4

œœœœ œœ

œœ

œ

œœ

œ

œœ

œ

œœ

œ

œœ

œ

F CFBbF

̇

̇

œ.

J

œ œ œœ

..

œœœ.

j

œœ

œ#

œœ

œ

œœ

œn

CC#dim Dm Am/C

œ.

j

œ# œŒ

œœ ̇

̇ ̇

̇

̇ ̇

̇

Bb C

̇ ̇

œœÓ

̇ ̇

̇

Ó

Dm

̇Ó

̇ ̇

̇ ̇

̇

̇ ̇

̇

Bb9/CC

w

̇œŒ

..

.

̇

̇ ̇

Œ

F

̇.

Œ

Figure 10-29:

Adding

passing

tones again.

&

&

?

b

b

b

4

4

4

4

4

4

œœœœœœ

̇ ̇

̇

̇

̇ ̇

FBb

̇ ̇

œ.

J

œœœœ

̇ ̇

̇

œœ

œ

Œ

C Dm

̇ œŒ

œœ ̇

̇ ̇

̇

̇ ̇

̇

Bb C

̇ ̇

œ œÓ

̇ ̇

̇

Ó

Dm

̇Ó

̇ ̇

̇ ̇

̇

̇ ̇

̇

Bb C

w

̇ œŒ

..

.

̇ ̇

̇

Œ

F

̇.

Œ

Figure 10-28:

Adding all

the non-

chord tones.

120 Part III: Harmony and Structure