Dual Location Data of Melody

In the previous session we talked about the importance of whether a melodic note is positioned in odd-numbered or even-numbered degrees, with reference to the chord.

2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th inherently create dissonance. The 7^th degree also introduces dissonance, but in jazz theory, it is generally included as a fundamental note. So, the notes in positions Rt, 3^rd, 5^th, and 7^th in the chord can be used without any special care, but understanding and mastering the effects of dissonance found in the 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th degrees becomes important in “vertical” melody writing.

1. Influence on Tendency

Throughout Chapter I, I noted that the tendencies vary depending on the background chord, though not fully discussed. It’s time to clarify this concept!

When the melody aligns with the basic chord tones, Rt3^rd5^th7^th, it naturally blends harmoniously with the chord. On the contrary, if the melody contains other degrees, dissonance arises, and the note becomes unstable and, by resolving to a specific adjacent note, a more stable situation is achieved. In other words, the tendency increases.

Even if a note inherently has strong tendency, when it becomes an odd degree in the chord, the desire for resolution diminishes during that moment. Conversely, even if a note originally has a weak tendency, when it becomes an even degree, the tendency increases more or less. The level of this “increase” varies for each of the 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th, and it also depends on the background chord.

Odd and Even

So, looking at it this way, we find that a very simple rule holds true: sound consonance/dissonance is determined roughly by whether the degree is odd or even. To put it simply, “odd” notes are the backbone and basics of melody composition, while “even” notes are a bit more advanced.

Two Types of Tendencies

Viewed from another perspective, you can say that there are two sources of tendency. In classical theories, there are actually two different terms used to distinguish these: “Melodic Tendency” and “Harmonic Tendency“¹. So it’s alright to think that there are two fundamental tendencies.

In-Chord Degrees

Where the melodic note is positioned relative to the chord root is crucial for analyzing and constructing melodies. However, there is no general music theory term that corresponds to this “note’s position relative to the chord root.”

When it comes to relative positions within a key (or a scale), there’s a term “scale degrees“. Following this pattern, In LMT, “position of a melodic note relative to the chord root” is refered to as “In-Chord Degree.” In short, we call it “ICD”.

It works like this. It doesn’t consider octave displacements, so ICD goes up to a maximum of 7. Beyond that, it starts again from ICD1.

• In-Chord Degree (ICD)
  The relative position of the melodic note, shown in degrees in relation to the chord’s root.

Scale degrees are crucial for horizontal composition, and in-chord degrees are crucial for vertical composition. By neatly separating these two aspects, the structure of the melody becomes much easier to understand.

2. Dual Structure of Horizontal / Vertical

So at this point, I must explain an important concept. When it comes to the location data of a melody, there are two aspects: “Scale Degree,” which is the distance from the tonal center of the key, and “In-Chord Degree,” which is the distance from the root of the chord. The total stability and tendencies of the melody are determined by the combination of these two.

This concept might not be found in normal “chord theory” books that only discuss chords. However, in more comprehensive modern theory books that cover melody domain, this point is indeed addressed.

You, as a songwriter, must be constantly cognizant of these two relationships: (1) melody’s primary relationship to the tonal center, and (2) melody’s secondary relationship to the chords. These two relationships cause many of the complexities and subtleties that we, as listeners, find delectable.

Perricone, Jack. Great Songwriting Techniques (p.150). Oxford University Press. Kindle 版.

Let’s take a look at how these “two relationships” manifest in actual chords and melodies.

Approach Notes

In Chapter I, I explained that the most fundamental motion is a resolution from ti to do or from fa to mi. However, when considering from the “vertical” view, it’s not so simple. For example, when the chord is V, ti is one of the chord tones and serves as the 3^rd, a crucial tone for a chord. Therefore, as long as the chord is V, ti doesn’t require any resolution. On the contrary, do can be seen as an “intruder” from the perspective of vertical chord sonority.

A tone is like an actor and can be assigned a specific role on the stage of a chord. Sometimes, in certain scenes, a note that should have been the protagonist becomes a villain for a moment. Imagine it that way.
In the example above, the roles are reversed from the usual, and resolving from do to ti would result in a satisfying “resolution” within the sound of V chord.

When you let a tone resolve vertically without sustaining for long by moving to an adjacent chord tone, that note is called an Approach Note.

When you value vertical harmony and wish to keep the sound clean, using even-numbered degree notes as approach notes is a safe choice.

Dual Structure

So, when it comes to melody, you need to analyze it from both “horizontal” and “vertical” perspectives. For example, in the case of “fa to mi on a I chord,” it provides a strong sense of “resolution,” whether you view it horizontally or vertically.

So, this motion has an outstanding sense of resolution. On the other hand, patterns may exist where horizontal and vertical resolutions conflict. For example, “ti to do on a V chord.”

From the perspective discussed in Chapter I, the flow from the leading tone to the tonic is a standard movement. However, when viewed from the vertical perspective, it results in a dissonant 4^th interval, so the sound is muddied while the melody line resolves.
But please don’t take it the wrong way—The situation is nothing bad. On the contrary, you can think that by considering this combination, you can fine-tune the subtleties of resolution.

The dual “location data” brought about by scale degree and in-chord degree, and the overall texture of sound it creates…… This is a significantly fundamental aspect of the creative process of melody writing. It’s crucial to grasp the patterns of the relationship between this “dual location data” and its corresponding acoustic texture. It is something you develop from both intuition and theory. And this, in fact, is one of the essences of what people call “talent” or “sense” in melody writing.

Compared to the journey we’ve taken with only the “kernel” in Chapter I, Chapter II is undeniably of a higher level. In Chapter II, in contrast to the previous chapter, we will centralize melody theory from a “vertical” perspective.

Summary

• The term for “the melody’s position relative to the chord root” is called “In-Chord Degree (ICD)” in LMT.
• Tendency is determined not only by scale degree, but also by In-Chord Degree (ICD). The combinations of the two create various tendency situations.
• Remember that the characteristics of a tone significantly differ depending on whether the ICD is odd or even.

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