Score Reading & Harmony

This standard assesses your understanding of the conventions used in a range of different music scores. You will be asssessed in the form of an exam duirng the NCEA examination period. It is likely that some of the material and preparation for this will come through other learning during the year. However, your teacher will give you access to resources. 

Demonstrate knowledge involves identification and description of conventions used in a range of music scores.

In-depth knowledge involves explanation of conventions.

Comprehensive knowledge involves application of conventions.

Range of music scores involves a variety of styles and genres as well as various levels of complexity.

Conventions are selected from:

• key signatures – up to four sharps and four flats, major/minor/modal tonalities

• time signatures – commonly used simple, compound and irregular time signatures

• notation of pitch and rhythm (eg rhythmic groupings, augmented and diminished intervals)

• performance directions, including terms and signs

• clefs – treble, bass, alto, tenor, percussion instruments and score layout (e.g. system)

• harmony (diatonic chords in root position, first and second inversion) in keys up to four sharps and four flats, using Roman numerals (eg I, V7, IV♭) and jazz/rock terminology (eg C, G7, F/A).

• Students could be expected to realise short extracts of harmony (eg cadences)

• texture

• compositional devices and thematic development (eg repetition, motif, inversion, imitation, sequence, variation)

• modulation to closely related keys

• transposition and transposing instruments

• open to closed/closed to open score

• structure (eg rondo, 16-bar blues, theme and variations).

• Characteristics of orchestration (instrumentation)and stylistic features

This external assessment is worth 4 NCEA L2 Credits

This achievement standard involves the demonstration of understanding of harmonic and tonal conventions within a variety of scores typifying a selected range of music. 

For this standard you will be required to realise harmony within a particular style. You will need to idenify key elements of the style and use this to continue writing with a given harmonic progression. 

Demonstrate understanding involves identifying and realising harmony within a given framework

Demonstrate breadth of understanding involves analysing and effectively realising harmonic progressions within a given framework.

Demonstrate comprehensive understanding involves analysing and convincingly realising extended extracts of harmony within a given framework.

Harmonic and tonal conventions will be selected from:

• chords, cadences and progression in all major and minor keys using Roman numerals and jazz/rock notations, including 7th, 9th, suspensions and other added note chords and their inversions.

• modulations

• non-essential notes, pivot chords and chord functions

A range of music scores includes a selection of excerpts from a variety of styles and genres that use Roman numeral and/or jazz/rock harmony.

Your assessment will include: 

Chord Inversions

Root Position (1,3,5) - I

First Inversion (3,5,1) - Ib

Second Inversion (5,1,3) - Ic

Third Inversion (7,1,3,5) Id

First inversions are a great way of building emotion and leading from one chord to the next. They sound really good if you are moving from chord I to chord IV in your chord progression.

Second inversions are fantastic if you want to bring a section of your music (e.g. the chorus) to a strong finish.

If your chord progression finishes I-V-I then if you play Ic-V-I then it will sound great.

Remember, in most cases outside of contemporary music, inversions are about voice leading. 

Cadences

Perfect V-I

Plagal IV-I

Imperfect ?- V

Interrupted V-IV

Jazz/Rock Notation

Generally doesn’t need to follow the same strict conventions as traditional harmonic conventions. 

Keep within the style/existing examples. 

Slash chord (often inversions) G/D = D bass over GBD chord

Extended harmonies

C7 = CEGBb

Cmaj7 = CEGB

Extensions imply the extensions below: C9 = CEGBbD

Keep things simple when realising/continuing accompaniment. 

Check bass notes and accidentals when realising chords. 

Modulations

Usually tro related keys - Relative Minor/Major, Subdominant (IV), Dominant (V)

You will usually need to identify a ‘pivot’ chord that will signify the move into the new key. You will be looking for a chord that exists in both keys

For example: C major modulation to G Major shares C Major as I and IV respectively in each key. 

Look for chords that are not in the original key and then work back to the shared chord. 

Tips: If it seems weird, it is probably wrong. In most traditional harmonisations, chords will make sense in the key. 

Make sure you take into account the melody/top voices and any accidentals. 

Realising Chords/4 Part writing

Avoid parallel 5ths and octaves

Keep adjacent upper voices (S-A & A-T) within an octave of each other

Avoid overlapping each part.

Write complete chords. However, you are able to omit the 5th if needed to create smoother parts.

In general, double the root of the chord. However, you are able to double the 5th (and, as a last

resort, the 3rd) if it makes the voice leading smoother

Write the outer voices first. Their ‘counterpoint’ controls everything.

Move the upper voices in contrary motion (and, if possible, by step) to the bass.

Retain common tones between chords, and move upper voices mostly by step. The bass part can

jump around but sometimes using inversions to make it smoother is desired.

When the leading note (7th degree of the scale) is in the melody, make sure it resolves to the tonic.

When it is in an inner voice it can fall to the 5th of chord I.

Non-chord Tones

Passing note - note between chord tones that is a tone apart from both notes (F-G-A)

Chromatic Passing Note - As above, but the between notes a tone apart (F-F#-G)

Auxiliary Notes - like passing notes but resolve to original note (D-E-D) Can be upper or lower. 

Suspension - Chords move but notes are held over from original chord. Must resolve. 

Anticipation - Note from second chord played early. 

Escape tone - unaccented note that is approached by step and resolves by a leap of more than a tone (A-Bb-G)

Appoggiatura - like an escape tone, but approached by larger interval and resolved by step (G-Bb-A)

Acciaccatura - Grace note

Pedal tone - usually tonic or dominant 

Full list here

This external assessment is worth 4 NCEA L3 Credits