@Khaled Shokry You're welcome. If you found this video useful, you might also be interested in the related tutorials on Strata Harmony Voice Leading (Sep 2021) and Instrumental Forms (Nov 2021).
@Master Chain Thanks once again for the positive feedback. This is a rather extensive subject, and it took some thinking about how to present the essentials in a condensed form. Pleased to hear that I seem to have succeeded, and that the example composition has a certain appeal.
It would be cool if you could make a video tutorial about how to use Schillinger system to compose from the beginning to the end, currently you are showing the end results but I think it would be helpful to show it from the scratch where in the start there is nothing to the full composition.
@MrAlgorytmid Thanks for asking. My immediate response would be: 1) Most of my videos are about specific techniques that any composer could experiment with, without imposing a particular style. The set of videos already cover a significant portion of the Schillinger System. 2) My composition process is non-linear, involving sketch iterations, discarding options, corrections. Might take a long, poorly structured recording session of a single short example, probably boring the viewer after a while. But my question is: what elements from the system are missing, what steps in the composition process would you like to see demonstrated? (And BTW, I just now, 29SEP2021, uploaded a Schillinger Strata Harmony voice leading tutorial).
While studying Schillinger, I grazed on Strata Harmony and Density a little but nothing like this. Finally a practical example(s) on how to put it all together. Nice detailed explanation, opens up the concept in a fun way.
About chord structure types, chosen in thirds, around 3:00, how does it lead to these non diatonic chords ? It seems an explanatory step is missing here. Thanks in advance.
@Julien Michel, the example from Section 3.1, starting at 02:14 is in the Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony System. This means that chord roots or bass part are from a diatonic scale, here G minor mel. asc. (g-a-bb-c-d-e-f#). The chord structure is an independent variable, we may choose any chord type in 3rds (this is the 'missing step' I guess you are looking for). This leads to non-diatonic (chromatically altered) pitches in one or more of the other parts. E.g., in m. 4-5 you'll find two minor 7th chords Sm7: Cm#7-F#m7/A, which leads to the eb (m.4, pt2) and c# (m.5, pt3). Both pitches are not from the diatonic source scale. This additional degree of freedom is the main characteristic of the diatonic-symmetric system. Does this answer the question?
@@FransAbsil ok I should have watched the video lessons about Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony System. You did mention in this video that chord structures were chosen in thirds but independently from the scale, my bad. You totally answered the question , thanks ! Here your choice of non diatonic chord structures was driven by their musical quality, right ?
@Julien Michel glad to hear you identified the source(s) on this channel for studying the fundamentals of the Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony system. The selection of chord structures (basic triads S5 or extended S7, S9, S11, number of non-diatonic pitches in the parts) in the examples serves to illustrate the principles of the system and demonstrate the means of controlling the harmonic tension over a chord progression (more educational than 'musical quality'). Through appropriate cadences one may even suggest intermediary modulation to a (remote) key. In my example progression all chords have equal duration. Obviously the impact of the non-diatonic pitches may also be controlled by applying variable duration chords.
At 10:40, for S3 2nd bar on 1st beat and its anticipation, we have Db Bb so P7 over P6 instead of the planned inversion (P6 over P7 in S3), what is the rationale behind it please ?
@Julien Michel, thanks for the question about the pitch-distribution in Schillinger Strata Harmony. In the upper layer (S4, top staff) we use degrees #11 and 13, the opening chord has d|f (#11|13=P6|P7 for the Ab chord), the next chord db|bb (13|#11=P7|P6 for the E chord). The reason for the P6-P7, the chordal function exchange, is that we want to obtain independent voice leading in all parts in any layer. For a 2-part layer with constant chordal function subsets (here {P6,P7}) we must swap both functions when connecting chords. Otherwise we would have parallel motion throughout this progression; that runs contrary to the strata harmony fundamental concept of obtaining many independent parts from a limited set in a dense setting (hiding the doubling effect). Apparently this is not clear from this video tutorial; sorry for that. You may use an occasional constant vertical ordering of functions and thus parallel motion, but avoid doing this continually. Hopefully this helps.
@@FransAbsil in fact your video is pretty clear, I had a hunch this was for independent voice leading. You achieved the same result in S3 by going through different inversions of the same chords.
Hello there. Quite an illuminating video. I have a question for you. Can this Strata Harmony technique be used to compose keyboard music, say for piano multi-staves or for 'classical' style organ with three or four staves? If not, which aspect of Schillinger's technique is better suited for keyboard writing vs. orchestration?
@William McGhee Strata harmony technique can be applied to any instrumentation; the solo pipe organ is a suitable candidate, and a great idea. So is a piano duo. For solo piano there are obviously limitations: number of simultaneous pitches, hand stretch. But with pre-planned strata progressions and clever use of sustain pedal, arpeggio patterns and crossing hands a working instrumental form could be achieved. I think that in Chopin, Skriabin and Ravel quasi strata harmony phrases may be identified. Schillinger has a chapter on instrumental forms for piano compositions in book 8, that is just before the General Theory of Harmony.
Thank you
@Khaled Shokry You're welcome. If you found this video useful, you might also be interested in the related tutorials on Strata Harmony Voice Leading (Sep 2021) and Instrumental Forms (Nov 2021).
@@FransAbsil Dear Mr. Frans, but of course they would be! I will watch them as soon as I could. Thank you very much indeed
Outstanding as always. I also think this is one of your better example pieces :)
@Master Chain Thanks once again for the positive feedback. This is a rather extensive subject, and it took some thinking about how to present the essentials in a condensed form. Pleased to hear that I seem to have succeeded, and that the example composition has a certain appeal.
Thank you.
Schillinger. ~ “Math is music, music is math.”
Sounds great with only piano.
@Nathan Brydn. Thanks for the comment. Stating that music and math are equal may lead to controversy, though ;-)
It would be cool if you could make a video tutorial about how to use Schillinger system to compose from the beginning to the end, currently you are showing the end results but I think it would be helpful to show it from the scratch where in the start there is nothing to the full composition.
@MrAlgorytmid Thanks for asking. My immediate response would be: 1) Most of my videos are about specific techniques that any composer could experiment with, without imposing a particular style. The set of videos already cover a significant portion of the Schillinger System. 2) My composition process is non-linear, involving sketch iterations, discarding options, corrections. Might take a long, poorly structured recording session of a single short example, probably boring the viewer after a while. But my question is: what elements from the system are missing, what steps in the composition process would you like to see demonstrated? (And BTW, I just now, 29SEP2021, uploaded a Schillinger Strata Harmony voice leading tutorial).
While studying Schillinger, I grazed on Strata Harmony and Density a little but nothing like this. Finally a practical example(s) on how to put it all together. Nice detailed explanation, opens up the concept in a fun way.
@Christopher Paul Thanks for this positive response. Maybe the video will trigger a renewed familiarisation with the subject.
About chord structure types, chosen in thirds, around 3:00, how does it lead to these non diatonic chords ? It seems an explanatory step is missing here. Thanks in advance.
@Julien Michel, the example from Section 3.1, starting at 02:14 is in the Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony System. This means that chord roots or bass part are from a diatonic scale, here G minor mel. asc. (g-a-bb-c-d-e-f#). The chord structure is an independent variable, we may choose any chord type in 3rds (this is the 'missing step' I guess you are looking for). This leads to non-diatonic (chromatically altered) pitches in one or more of the other parts. E.g., in m. 4-5 you'll find two minor 7th chords Sm7: Cm#7-F#m7/A, which leads to the eb (m.4, pt2) and c# (m.5, pt3). Both pitches are not from the diatonic source scale. This additional degree of freedom is the main characteristic of the diatonic-symmetric system. Does this answer the question?
@@FransAbsil ok I should have watched the video lessons about Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony System. You did mention in this video that chord structures were chosen in thirds but independently from the scale, my bad. You totally answered the question , thanks ! Here your choice of non diatonic chord structures was driven by their musical quality, right ?
@Julien Michel glad to hear you identified the source(s) on this channel for studying the fundamentals of the Schillinger Diatonic-Symmetric Harmony system. The selection of chord structures (basic triads S5 or extended S7, S9, S11, number of non-diatonic pitches in the parts) in the examples serves to illustrate the principles of the system and demonstrate the means of controlling the harmonic tension over a chord progression (more educational than 'musical quality'). Through appropriate cadences one may even suggest intermediary modulation to a (remote) key. In my example progression all chords have equal duration. Obviously the impact of the non-diatonic pitches may also be controlled by applying variable duration chords.
At 10:40, for S3 2nd bar on 1st beat and its anticipation, we have Db Bb so P7 over P6 instead of the planned inversion (P6 over P7 in S3), what is the rationale behind it please ?
@Julien Michel, thanks for the question about the pitch-distribution in Schillinger Strata Harmony. In the upper layer (S4, top staff) we use degrees #11 and 13, the opening chord has d|f (#11|13=P6|P7 for the Ab chord), the next chord db|bb (13|#11=P7|P6 for the E chord). The reason for the P6-P7, the chordal function exchange, is that we want to obtain independent voice leading in all parts in any layer. For a 2-part layer with constant chordal function subsets (here {P6,P7}) we must swap both functions when connecting chords. Otherwise we would have parallel motion throughout this progression; that runs contrary to the strata harmony fundamental concept of obtaining many independent parts from a limited set in a dense setting (hiding the doubling effect). Apparently this is not clear from this video tutorial; sorry for that. You may use an occasional constant vertical ordering of functions and thus parallel motion, but avoid doing this continually. Hopefully this helps.
@@FransAbsil in fact your video is pretty clear, I had a hunch this was for independent voice leading. You achieved the same result in S3 by going through different inversions of the same chords.
Hello there. Quite an illuminating video. I have a question for you. Can this Strata Harmony technique be used to compose keyboard music, say for piano multi-staves or for 'classical' style organ with three or four staves? If not, which aspect of Schillinger's technique is better suited for keyboard writing vs. orchestration?
@William McGhee Strata harmony technique can be applied to any instrumentation; the solo pipe organ is a suitable candidate, and a great idea. So is a piano duo. For solo piano there are obviously limitations: number of simultaneous pitches, hand stretch. But with pre-planned strata progressions and clever use of sustain pedal, arpeggio patterns and crossing hands a working instrumental form could be achieved. I think that in Chopin, Skriabin and Ravel quasi strata harmony phrases may be identified. Schillinger has a chapter on instrumental forms for piano compositions in book 8, that is just before the General Theory of Harmony.