Tutorials
0. Acquainting oneself with the Instrument
This group of tutorials shall assist you to quickly explore some possibilities to use the SolFa Mode-Go-Round.
0b. Exploring Alterations of a Melody
0d. Inspecting a 4-voice choral
0f. Getting Started with Canons
1. Exploring Modes
This group of tutorials is still in planning. It should help to clarify the relation between the diatonic species of the octave and some of the meanings of the concept of Mode.
1c. Solmization of Gregorian chant: 3rd Tone.
2. Let the Mode Go Round: Continued Alteration
This group of tutorials is dedicated to a specific type of "minimalist" musical games, where a given generic diatonic model is explored under the aspect of modal variation. Recall that the SolFa Mode-Go-Round is based on 84 configurations which are connected to each other in a long cycle. You may figure that out by repeatedly clicking on the #-button or the b-button. A long cycle can be achieved with alteration amount 1, such as in tutorials 2a and 2b. But quite different effect can be achieved with the alteration amount 49, which corresponds to a chromatic circle of fifths (see tutuorial 2c).
2a: Playing a Melody in varying modes
2b: Playing Patterns in varying Modes
2c: Canonical Passacaglia (after Clare Fischer)
The idea of modal rotation is actually used in a composition by Michael Torke, called "The Yellow Pages". You may find performances of this piece on youtube, such as this one.
Further Reading:
Jay Hook (2008). Signature Transformations. In: Jack Douthett et. al. (eds). Music Theory and Mathematics. University of Rochester Press.
3. Elementary Combinatorics of 2 Voice-Canons
This group of tutorials is still in planning. The canon mode allows the player to trigger an automatically generated note against note imitation of an improvised melody at a chosen (generic) consonance. This function (new in version 1.2.2) is inspired by the cool youtube tutorials of Peter Schubert.
4. Diatonic Sequences
4a: Exploring a Fugue-Interlude (WTK I, B-minor)
5. Inversions of Triads and Seventh Chords as "Modes"
5b: Seventh Chords Voice-Go-Round
5c: Diatonic Analysis of a Hexatonic Sequence
5d: Diatonic Analysis of an Octatonic Sequence
6. Hexachordal Games and Analyses
6a: Analysing William Byrd's harpsichord piece "Ut Re Mi Fa So La"