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Message: [QUOTE="Mpumelelo von Mumhanzi, post: 87557, member: 2173"] [HEADING=1]Building secundal harmony using semitones[/HEADING] Secundal harmony is characterized by chords built from the intervals of seconds. When building these chords by counting semitones, you are specifically looking to stack notes that are either one or two semitones apart from each other. Here is how you go about counting semitones to create these structures: [HEADING=2]Identify your intervals[/HEADING] In Western music, seconds come in two primary forms, each with a specific semitone count: [LIST] [*][B]Minor second:[/B] 1 semitone. This is the smallest distance between two notes on a piano, such as moving from a white key to the immediately adjacent black key (e.g., C to C#), or between adjacent white keys with no black key between them (e.g., E to F). This creates a very tight, highly dissonant clash. [*][B]Major second:[/B] 2 semitones. This involves skipping exactly one piano key, whether white or black (e.g., C to D, or E to F#). This is slightly more open but still provides a characteristic "cluster" sound. [/LIST] [HEADING=2]Stack the semitones[/HEADING] To build a secundal chord (often called a tone cluster when three or more notes are involved), you chain these intervals together from the bottom up. [LIST=1] [*][B]Choose a root note:[/B] Start with your foundation note. [*][B]Add the first interval:[/B] Count either 1 or 2 semitones up from your root and add that note. [*][B]Continue stacking:[/B] From that newly added note, count another 1 or 2 semitones up to find the third note. Repeat this process from the newest note for as many voices as you want in your cluster. [/LIST] [HEADING=2]Diatonic versus free stacking[/HEADING] How you choose whether to count 1 or 2 semitones depends on your musical goal: [LIST] [*][B]Following a scale (diatonic):[/B] If you are staying within a specific scale, like the F# bebop dominant scale you were using, the scale's built-in formula dictates whether the next note is 1 or 2 semitones away. You simply step up to the next available note in that specific scale sequence. [*][B]Free stacking (chromatic):[/B] If you are building clusters outside of a strict scale, you have total freedom. Stacking entirely minor seconds (1 semitone, 1 semitone, 1 semitone) creates a highly dense, thick cluster. Stacking entirely major seconds (2 semitones, 2 semitones, 2 semitones) creates a whole-tone cluster, which has a floaty, ambiguous feel. Mixing 1-semitone and 2-semitone jumps gives you varied harmonic textures. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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