Post by wanggx on Mar 17, 2009 12:31:26 GMT
Hi everyone! ;D I am reading a very interesting book 'Chinese Music & Orchestration: A primer on Principles and Practice' by Sin-yan Shen. It was published by the Chinese Music Society of North America. This book touches on Chinese music being Chinese with an important factor being the Chinese harmonic structure. It is also in the book that there is a misconception on Chinese music being pentatonic. It really is heptatonic (7 pitches per octave).
The 5 sets of harmonies- Zhi, Shang, Yu, Jue, Gong
Zhi=so-do-re-so (Lower tonic-subdominant-dominant)
According to this book, there are 3 possibilities on the Zhi harmony.
1st: C D E F G A Bb C
2nd: C D E F G A B C
3rd: C D Eb F G A Bb C
The 1st scale makes sense. C=so F=do G=re C=so. The scales goes so la ti do re mi fa so.
But I do not understand the other 2 possibilities. Say the 2nd one, when C=so F=do G=re C=so, the scale will become so la ti do re mi fa# so. The question: Why is there a fa#/why is the B a natural?
The 3rd scale will be so la ti-flat do re mi fa. Why is the ti being flattend/Why is the B flattened? The other 4 harmonies have similar issues. Could anyone help me with this?
The 5 sets of harmonies- Zhi, Shang, Yu, Jue, Gong
Zhi=so-do-re-so (Lower tonic-subdominant-dominant)
According to this book, there are 3 possibilities on the Zhi harmony.
1st: C D E F G A Bb C
2nd: C D E F G A B C
3rd: C D Eb F G A Bb C
The 1st scale makes sense. C=so F=do G=re C=so. The scales goes so la ti do re mi fa so.
But I do not understand the other 2 possibilities. Say the 2nd one, when C=so F=do G=re C=so, the scale will become so la ti do re mi fa# so. The question: Why is there a fa#/why is the B a natural?
The 3rd scale will be so la ti-flat do re mi fa. Why is the ti being flattend/Why is the B flattened? The other 4 harmonies have similar issues. Could anyone help me with this?
