Usage of 3rd Shell

This time, I will introduce the 3rd shell, which I described as an “ace” before.

1. Characteristics of the 3rd Shell

The 3^rd is the note that determines the major/minor quality of a chord. Therefore, when this note is used as a melody, it significantly amplifies the chord’s harmonic color. Compared to Rt or 5^th, it has a rich and soft sound. Especially in Western music it plays a central role in melody.

In Classical Music

This is Bach’s “Air on the G String.” When you focus on the beautiful melody at the beginning, you can see that in many places 3^rd shell is chosen.

The note at the head of each bar is always 3^rd! This is not a coincidence. Bach must have intentionally designed this to create rich harmonies.

In Jazz Music

In jazz, too, 3^rd is fundamental, and in jazz standard songs you can often find melodies mainly using 3^rd.

“Fly Me To The Moon” is one of the most famous jazz standards. Its beginning melody, surprisingly, is composed entirely of 3^rd shells!

You are indeed witnessing one of the secrets in melody making right now! The melody may seem to put importance on the horizontal repetition of motifs, but at the same time, when viewed vertically, it follows the beautiful, intricate structure of the colorful 3^rd shells, like an elegant embroidery.

The examples above are just the tip of the iceberg. 3rd shell based melody is one of the fundamental forms in melody making, and it might even be considered the “default option”. And this holds true in many other popular music genres as well.

2. 3rd Shell in Vocal Melody

Michael Jackson – Human Nature

The beginning of the chorus “Why, why, Tell ’em tthat it’s human nature” is mainly made with 3^rd shell. The chord progression is IVVIVI_m. Starting the progression with IVV and forming 3^rd shell for both (=using la and ti respectively as melodic outline) is a common way of making emotionally rich melodies. Here’s another example of it:

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

The chorus of “everything i wanted” (1:29-) start with IVVIII_m, all mainly with 3^rd shell melody.

3. 3rd Shell in Inst. Melody

As 3^rd can clearly define major/minor quality, it’s a nice idea to use 3rd shells in the accompaniment.

Coldplay – Magic

Listen to the intro. The guitar plays a simple single-note phrase, and it’s consistently keep 3^rd shell! While mixing various shells can create sound variations, in this case, it seems that not doing so enhances a quiet mood. Though it might seem monotonous to use only 3^rd shells, as 3^rd itself possesses the colorful characteristic of controlling the major/minor aspect, it never sounds boring.

Nujabes – Luv Sic Pt5

Here again the backing track consists of the 3^rd shells throughout. The progression is a dark one, moving 6-5-4-3-2-4-5, and the melody (top notes of the piano) perfectly sticks with 3rd. This song revolves around the theme of “the loss of a loved one”, and the emotional strength of the 3^rd shell complements this theme excellently.

EDM and the 3rd Shell

In the world of EDM, there are many situations where harmony is achieved using only two notes, the bass and lead. In such cases, there are songs that fully utilize the rich sound of the 3rd, continuously moving the bass and lead in parallel thirds.

I Want You To Know – Zedd

You can listen to the full version here. In the main part starting at 0:08, the synth lead and bass mostly move in parallel, keeping the 3^rd shells.

Where Are Ü Now

A collaboration between Skrillex and Diplo featuring Justin Bieber. The drop begins at 1:09, with just the bass without lead synths. Then, at 1:37, the beat changes to a four-on-the-floor rhythm, and the lead synth starts to involve. In this section, most of the lead’s movement is based on the 3rd shell.
There’s a good contrast between the first monotonous bass solo and the colorful 3^rd shell harmonies coming next.

Ariana Grande – One Last Time

This is a rather extreme example, where throughout the main phrase repeated from the intro, except for where the lead moves quickly, the bass and the lead completely maintain a relationship of 3^rd. At this point, it may feel more like overlaying “harmony” on the bassline rather than a “melody”.

Cinematic Music and 3rd Shell

The 3rd shell has the potential to infuse rich emotions into music, it plays a significant role in the music of movies that aim to move the audience.

In the movie “Cinema Paradiso,” the “Theme of Love” features a continuous presence of the 3^rd shell over the opening 6-2-5-1 progression (0:12-). Even the maestro of film music, Ennio Morricone, followed the theory and used it effectively in the most crucial moments. When aiming to create a heart-stirring and emotional theme, the 3^rd shell becomes an exceptionally potent choice.

This is a theme song from the Japanese movie “Always: Sunset on Third Street”¹. Listen to around 3:41-4:13 and you can see that large portion of the part is made with 3^rd shells. Also, the climax part from 5:00 again contains many 3^rd shells.

In both examples the parts start with VI_m, with do serving as the 3^rd. Thus you can learn a good “golden combination” in a specific genre through kernel/shell analysis.

Weaknesses of the 3rd Shell

With all the easiness to use and the richness it can bring to the music, there aren’t any big drawbacks to the 3^rd shell. If I had to point out one, it might be the potential to become overly emotional. In light and cheerful songs or lively pieces, the Rt or 5^th shells might be more suitable.
Additionally, when you want to conclude the music entirely on I or VI_m chords to create a perfect finale, the Rt shell is usually the better choice.

Remember that the differences between shells are not about superiority but rather variations in the direction they can take your compositions. That said, while keeping this in mind, I encourage you to make the most of the 3^rd shell’s versatility.

Summary

• The 3^rd shell, which determines the brightness or darkness of chords, has the function of enhancing harmonic color and intensifying emotions.
• Unlike the Root shell, it remains engaging no matter how often it’s repeated and is highly user-friendly.
• However, due to its lack of straightness, it might not be favored for certain musical styles, so it should be used judiciously.

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