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Apps Supporting Quartal Harmony?
Been rediscovering quartal harmony through diverse paths (including modal Jazz and the ROLI Lightpad). Much of it is ear-opening, for me. While a whole lot can be done by stacking thirds, there’s something special in the sound of those wide-open voicings achieved through stacked fourths (or fifths).
Would be interesting to explore this type of sound through apps.
In my experience so far, harmony-focused apps tend to revolve around block chords and rarely give access to diverse voicings. Even when they do (say, Suggester), they don’t provide anything resembling quartal harmony “out of the box”. Maybe something could be done in Arpeggionome, but that app is still mysterious, to me.
It’d also be neat to pair that with microtonality. Maybe Gestrument Pro will help?
Did anyone else explore quartal harmony on iOS?
Comments
Musix pro lets you play with a bunch of different isomorphic note layouts. I was using the Linnstrument one a bunch in preparation and you can fairly easily make really interesting chords with that.
I didn’t know what this was, but it sounds really interesting and warranting further investigation.
I think that TF7 synth has the pads setup so the rows are spaced apart by a P4th. Is this kind of what you are looking for? I have the feeling you want custom built chord buttons that don’t just play the usual M/m types of chords.
That’s really good to know. Thanks!
Common in jazz for years. The terminology isn't developed like it is for tertian harmony, so I can see why apps, especially aimed at pop music, don't try to accommodate it. Usually nothing preventing a user from recording/building their quartal and quintal voicings manually. It's that cool sound, man.
This might help:
http://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/jazz-chord-voicings/quartal-voicings/
In a way, it helps explain some of the things Jacob Collier tends to describe.
Right. Same with a bunch of guitar-focused layouts, AFAICT. They do help, including on the Lightpad.
One issue, though, is that they tend to have a fairly limited range. It’s typically ok to play five-note quartal chords (say, a full column in the 5x5 layout for the Lightpad). But it’s harder to play diverse quartal chords which may cover more than three octaves.
Right. You can describe them in relation to Major and minor chords, with all sorts of extensions. But you’re missing out on what makes them so “fluid”.
Not that my experience with them is extensive. But there’s something compelling when you free yourself from stacked chords and strict tonality.
Thanks, though! Appreciate the response.
Agreed.
What makes it harder to build on an iOS device is the range. You typically get two octaves and need to switch to get more. But, sure, it can be done.
In fact, arpeggiators do make it a bit easier. But, again, they’re typically limited to 24 semitones. StepPolyArp does go down and up as much as that (for a total of four octaves). Will experiment more with this.
Do you know the app Orphion? You can build custom pad layouts, and it has midi out.
Thanks for the tip! Just noticed it in my AppShopper wishlist. Too bad it hasn’t been updated in a while, but that might not matter. Could find ways to setup other apps in similar ways. GeoShred is pretty cool in this respect.
I played around a bit with Orphion last night. It seemed to be working the same as always, no issues. They have a mini version if you are on iPhone.
I tried just stacking pads on top of each other to build a chord pad, but only one pad per Touch. You can place pads close together, or half overlapping, to make chords easier to play. You can get a lot of touches going at once, I think I had 6 notes playing simultaneously. Each pad can be tuned from C -1 to C7, as well as +- 50 cents.
Perfect fourths often exist in suspensions, where the perfect 4th resolves to a major/minor third. That idea of suspension is that it leads the ear to require resolution, at least the way we've been brought up to listen. If you stack fourths, the result is a bunch of unresolved notes that lead you forward. Paul Hindemith wrote some fine examples, and who can forget Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings? In addition to this mysterious sound, when you stack 4ths, the resulting overtones make it even MORE interesting. When I'm noodling on the keyboard, I seem to find myself playing combinations of fourths (AND fifths). That and minor seconds. Dissonance is SO cool. lol
If apps build those stacked fourths FOR you, and that's the sound you're looking for, it sure makes it easy!
Stacking fourths is easy. Getting diatonic fourths would probably be more challenging. I haven't really tried it. If I want harmony I play it on guitar where I can control the voice-leading. For synthy stuff I usually just work with melody and rhythm
Oops, sorry, thought the topic was Apps Support Coital Harmony! Maybe I'm on the wrong forum....
7sus & rootless 3/6/9 chords
Regarding sophisticated auto-harmonizations like quartal structures.
We're probably not too far away from "Band in a Box" making an IOS product.
But maybe the market has moved on as us old jazzer's die off.
If there's anything close to it I haven't found it. "iReal Pro" covers the easiest use case:
bad sounding, bass, drums, piano combo programming. "Band in a Box" started there in the 80's and what they do now has 30 years of enhancements.
You might consider their product on Windows or Mac and import the MIDI results into your IOS work.
Analog Matt relayed the info on the Synth One thread that Synth One will be able to be added to by users, and it will be in the official AppStore version. He also said the Wilsonic dev is taking over managing Synth One after it releases.
Might this be a good way to get your vision implemented in an app? Lots of people to try to implement it, and a dev who obviously is interested in non-standard music theory and concepts. Seems like you have a good shot at getting something resembling what you are seeking.
Just yesterday based on this thread, I created quartal modal voicings in ChordPolyPad in one key and plan to revisit to get more quartal inversions like sus2 and sus4.
Quartals take on more meaning depending on the bass note under them.
@lovadamusic , do you mean like McCoy Tyner when you say "common in jazz for years"? If that's it, it wasn't till .Mr Tyner and John Coltrane made it a go-to harmony. Maybe Louis did it fifty years before, but, hey, Louis did everything. People don't realize this about Louis Armstrong. He was THE jazz genius. Just cause he wound up singing Hello Dolly to make a buck and loved it doesn't mean he wasn't the seminal influence for all the jazz that came after, vocalists and instrumentalists alike. Most folks don't understand this about Louis Armstrong, but it is a name to be treated with reverence and awe. Lest we forget.
I know Louis Armstrong was big, but I'm not as familiar with his music as other jazz. After my youthful rock years, 60's and early 70's, jazz became my #1 passion for a decade or so. Quartal harmony was common in the jazz I liked best. I learned from and enjoyed bebop, also giants like Oscar Peterson, but my favorite pianists were Bill Evans, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Hancock, Monk, Jarrett, the music of Miles, Coltrane, Mingus, etc. - the more avant-garde jazz that grew out of the late 50s. ...and Zawinul/Weather Report - must get mention.
@lovadamusic , well you got a lot of the greats in there. I would add Billie Holiday, Bird, Diz, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Charlie Christian, Lester Young, Bill Evans and, the much unheralded but truly original, Lennie Tristano. Of course that leaves out about a fifty others, but for me these these, along with Louis, are the top.
Of course the next ain't so bad, Connie Crothers, Kazzrie Jaxsen, Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon,Horace Silver, Pharoah Sanders, Duke Ellington, Brubeck, Ella, Basie, Coleman Hawkins and on and on and on. We are so blessed to have had and have these greats amongst us. The true American art form. Loved, envied and emulated around the world. Btw, jazz originally meant f&$*%#ing, as in to jazz. A proud heritage indeed, and with a proper set of priorities in life. Look up Lennie Tristano on YouTube if you have a chance. catch, Turkish Mambo, Lineup, Requiem and 317 E32st.. You won't be disappointed.