AboutDr Colin Expertise I can answer questions from students of "classical" composing, arranging, notation problems and music theory, writing for instruments and voice and writing music for education. I can answer questions about orchestration but I do not cover questions about pop or rock music, pop song writing or electronic music.
I taught for many years in UK up to "A" level theory and composition. I have spent many years in music education, initially (like everyone else) as a teacher. Then I moved on to advisory work (teaching teachers!) and also lectured, giving many workshops for teachers in developing music education skills and techniques. For a time I worked as a teacher-lecturer at London University's Institute of Education and eventually worked full-time as a Music Education Adviser to schools in part of London, offering advice on music education and curriculum development.
Experience I started composing music at the age 14 (it was mostly rubbish, since you asked) and now have a large number of compositions to credit as well as many publications, especially for instrumental music and choral music. I have also written several acclaimed works for large orchestra and choir. My work has been published particularly in the UK (under different names)(notably by Boosey & Hawkes, Novello, and Schott) but also in the USA and the Netherlands.
My music for elementary players (several publications) has been performed and broadcast worldwide. I am now retired from my previous job as Music Education Adviser. These days I spend most of my time composing and arranging. I am currently working on instrumental arrangements of world national anthems for my National Anthems website and also completing a suite of very easy piano solos and duets for elementary players. For many years I have used the music program "Finale" for all my music writing activities.
Organizations International Society for Music Education;
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Publications "The Times" Educational Supplement; "Hi-Fi News and Record Review". For several years, I used to write for many of the state music education periodicals in the US and I also wrote several influential articles on instrumental music teaching for "Music Teacher" magazine in the UK. (UK).
Question QUESTION: I do play organ and I have composed a lot of hymns with chord but I have not released any of them. Rather I keep them in files because I know that I have not known much. I am not upportuned to study in a Music school. Recently, I realised that my chord progression is not wonderful. Most of my songs are not quite appealling! Please, can you teach me the rules guiding chord progression.
If you can send me a copy of the rules, even if it is in a summary form I wiould really be grateful.
Thanks.
Joe
ANSWER: Hi Joe!
Many thanks for contacting me. I am glad to see that you play the organ and have composed some hymns. So you need to improve your knowledge of harmony. That's good. First, let me just say one thing. There really are no "rules about chord progressions, although sonme harmony books will certainly give you that impression. Rather than "rules" think of them as "recommendations". There is no such thing as a "list of rules" for harmony.
A thorough study of harmony can take a couple of years - sometimes more. Clearly I could not attempt to give all that information in this answer! But I have some suggestions for you:
(1) There are several websites offering basic tuition in harmony. Some are free, others you have to pay for. One of the free ones is here:
However, the text and musical examples here are taken from an very ancient theory book and the writing is often difficult to understand.
(2) If you have a bookshop or library in your area, see if you can get a book on basic harmony, just to get you started. If you want to write good-sounding hymn tunes, you don't need to learn advanced harmony because the majority of hymn tunes are quite simple harmonically. This brings me to point 3.
(3) You want to write hymns, and probably enjoy playing them too. So you probably have the best learning examples already - the hymns. You can do no better than to go back to the original and learn from professional hymn-tune writers. Perhaps you have a hymn book (the sort that shows the 4-part harmony) at home. If not, a library will provide one, or even a school or church. Find a hymn tune that you think is interesting or attractive and start analysing it yourself to "see how it works".
(a) For example, examine the melody alone, for it is the melody which basically decides the harmony. See how notes move from one to another, sometimes by step, sometimes by leap sometimes the notes repeat themselves. If a note "leaps" to another one, what happens next? Does the melody use the notes of the chord underneath it, or user other notes? Try changing some of the notes of the tune and see what happens. Remember that in hymns, the melody is more important than the harmony. If you can write really good-sounding melodies on their own, you are more than half-way to success!
(b) Look at the rhythms used. Hymns are usually fairly easy because they are intended to be sung by non-musicians. Why not take the rhythm of a hymn and try creating your own melody to the rhythm?
(c) Take the first phrase of the hymn, and see if you can figure out what chords are used. If the hymn is in G major (for example) what chords does it use to suppoert the melody? Can you try changing the chords to create a different sound?
So Joe, if you try this kind of analysing activity, check the first website I have mentioned and try to find a book on simple harmony you should be able to make a good start on your understanding of harmony.
If you need further advice, please feel free to get back to me. Good luck wth your studies - I wish you every success!
Colin
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello, Collin.
which kind of chord contains these notes 1,2,3,5. what is the name. and under which category is it? I got it from somebody.
Is there any way I can develope head-voice. I find it difficult to sing the soprano and alto whenever I am teaching the choir because of my low voice. What can I do.
Your answer last time helped me a lot to develope my knowledge of chords.I am ever grateful!
ANSWER: Hi Joe,
Thanks very much for contacting me again. I am very pleased that my previous response was helpful to you. When you describe the notes as 1,2,3 etc, are you referring to the major scale? Let's assume that you are, and let's imagine that the scale in question is C major, to keep things easy!
This means that the notes to which you are referring are C, D, E and G. In other words, what we have here is a simple triad of C major with the supertonic (the "D") added. As far as I know, there is no name for this chord. You could refer to it as "C major plus supertonic", which is a bit of a mouthful. If you were writing the chord symbol, I suppose C(+ D) would do.
Anyway, I think it is a very pleasing sound. The chord often appears in the music of Copland, it is also the first or second chord (if I remember correctly) in the Menotti opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors".
I am afraid that I am not really qualified to answer the second part of your question about the "head-voice". In fact, I don't think this a "head-voice" issue at all.
From what I know about rehearsing choirs, I wouldn't bother even trying to pitch your voice up their with the sopranos. It will be difficult to sing the part in tune anyway. The singers should be able to compensate for the fact that your voice is an octave (or if their part is high, two octaves) below what they are singing. If you are teaching them the actual notes of the music, they must understand that they should automatically pitch their voices an octave higher. When I have been rehearsing children's choirs, they pitch at their natural voice level and never attempt to sing at my much lower pitch - which would be impossible for them anyway.
If the singers really have a problem with this, you could try using the piano (or organ), singing the notes at your natural pitch and at the same time, playing the keyboard an octave higher at the singers' pitch. Give it a try and see what happens!
I hope this response proves helpful. Good luck with your harmony studies and your work with the choir.
Best wishes
Colin
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION:
Colin,
Long time! I am improving gradually in my knowledge of chord; thanks to your assistance.
I have come accross chords like Em9, A9 but I don't know anything about them. Please can you list the notes that make up the 9th chords
Nice to hear from you again! I am glad that your studies are progressing well. Yes, I can tell you the notes of the Em9 chord but first I'd prefer to explain the process, then you can work them out for yourself in future. I'm going to try and add a diagram. If it does not appear in my answer, send me your email address and I'll send it through.
Example 1: When chords are given names, such as C, G, etc, these letters refer to the three notes (called a triad) that makde up the chord. As you know, the notes in the chord of C are "C", "E" and "G". We refer to the "C" as "1" because it is the root or basic note of the chord. If you look at the keyboard, you'll see that the note "E" is three notes higher than the C (if you include the "C" in your counting). This is why "E" is called the "third". The note "G" is five notes up from "C", which is why it is called the "fifth".
Example 2: Now, if we want to add other notes to the chord, the conventon is to simply add the number of the note after the chord name. So the chord C7 includes an additional note - seven notes up from "C". If you count up from "C" you'll find that the 7th note is B. In practice, we use the note B flat. Just accept this, because to explain the reasoning I have to go into far more complex issues about harmonic intervals.
Example 3: Here is the C9 chord. You'll see that in contains the third, fifth, seventh and ninth notes counted up from the C.
Second example 3: This is the C11 chord. It uses the same principle as the C7 chord and the C9 chord. Now, the important thing is that in practice, you don't have to use all the notes of the chord, otherwise a C9 chord would need five-part harmony (one voice for each note). If you were writing a C9 chord in four parts the general rule is to incude the tonic(number 1)the third, the seventh and the ninth. The fifth may be safely omitted.
Example 4: Now I can finally get around to your exact question! By now it should be fairly clear that an Em9 chord is built in exactly the same way as the C9 chord, so the notes include "E" (the tonic), "G" (the third), "B" (the fifth), "D" (the seventh) and "F sharp" (the ninth). There is a reason that it is "F sharp" and not just "F" but it involves a complex explanation. Just remember that a "7" chord nearly always means a "minor seventh" (e.g. Bb in the key of C major) and the "9" chord nearly always means a major ninth (e.g. D in the key of C major).
Wow! I hope all that makes sense. If you think I can be of help later, feel free to get back.
)