Mirror Harmony [Negative Harmony] Music Theory Lesson

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Negative Harmony Mirror Harmony Lesson: How and Why it works

Here we will take a brief look at the major scale modes and their “Mirror” effect via inversion. When we employ contrary motion we get the same intervals descending as we do ascending. So for example if the Lydian scale ascends  T T T S the scale below descends exactly the same with TTTS.

Mirror-harmony-modes-Inversion

Other way around:

Mirror-harmony-reversed-modes-Inversion

The Dorian mode being “Palindromic” produces the same scale either way.

Palindromic-dorian-mode-mirror-harmony

Scale extension: 13 note scale

allan-holdsworth-13-note-music-scale

AUDIO of SCALE extension:

Polytonality and Polymodality Mirror Harmony with Scale:

Each mode of the major scale has it’s mirror [modal] opposite because the whole diatonic scale system can be symmetrically inverted.

Inverted Symmetrical Reflection. The intervals are the same both in harmonisation and contrary motion.

mirror-harmony-polytonality-music-scales

OR:

mirror-harmony-modal-music

modessss

Major scale mirrors

polytonality-major-scales-lesson

Polymodality modal mirrors

polymodality-modal-music-scale lesson

Hungarian Minor Polytonal mirrors

hunmgarian-minor-scale-poly-tonal

Polytonality exotic scales

enigmatic-scales-Superlocrian-scale- lesson
Polytonal Exotic Scales

Polymodality Modes in contrary motion

polymodal-scale-example
Polymodal “Contrary Motion” example

NEGATIVE HARMONY

negative-Harmony-major-phrygian
Negative Harmony or “INVERSION”

Here we see the opposites in the chords with Minor Reflecting Major and Major reflecting Minor. Diminished stays the same though.

negative-Harmony-chords-music
negative-Harmony-chords-music
 

Polytonal Scales [Mirror Harmony]

Polytonal and polymodal mirror harmony via scales

Each mode of the major scale has it’s mirror [modal] opposite because the whole diatonic scale system can be symmetrically inverted.

Inverted Symmetrical Reflection. The intervals are the same both in harmonisation and contrary motion.

MIRROR SCALE AND HARMONY

OR:

MIRROR HARMONY SCALES MODES OF MUSIC

Lydian-Locrian=Mirror pair

Ionian-Phrygian=Mirror Pair

Mixolydian-Aeolian=Mirror pair

Dorian-Dorian=Palindromic [Produces the same scale either way].

modessss

MIRROR SCALES

Major scale mirrors

polytonality major scale example
Major Polytonal scales

Polymodality modal mirrors

polymodality music scales
Polymodal scales [Modes]

Hungarian Minor Polytonal mirrors

Hunmgarian minor scales polytonality
Polytonal Hungarian Minor Scales

Polytonality exotic scales

Enigmatic scales and Superlocrian scale lesson
Polytonal Exotic Scales

Polymodality Modes in contrary motion

Polymodal scale example
Polymodal “Contrary Motion” example

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Jazz Scales #1 Extension

How to extend Jazz Modes and Scales:

Going back to our negative harmony web page CLICK we had a scale extension of Ionian and Phrygian.

Scale extensions for jazz 13 note scale

 

Employing our old friends “Tetrachords”  we can build complete 2 octave scales when the octave [or repeated starting note] is missed. In this case the whole tone scale and its transposition builds the scale extension.

16 note jazz scale using tetrachords

TETRACHORD SCALE

 

We can also build 2 octave scales by joining together two “One octave” scales.

jazz scale extensions 14 note scale

 

Many composer like Tcherepnin, Messiaen, Boulez along with more modern improviser/composers like Keith Emerson and Allan Holdsworth have applied this for its rich polytonality, modal expansion and textural counterpoint.

This idea along with Negative/Mirror harmony is really well suited to the piano both in terms of improvisation and composition. If you are looking for originality then there is a whole new world waiting here to be discovered and applied.

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Vincent Persichetti’s book covers this. It is not for everyone so it could be a good idea to borrow a copy from a library.

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