Symmetry & Structure
A principle we will come across many times in these lessons is that ‘Music must be structured‘. Music without structure is noise. ‘Structure’ can mean many different things – there are lots of different ways to structure music.
- Tonal music is structured around keys and functional chords (we will discuss functionality in a future lesson)
- Modal music is structured around modes
- Atonal music (12 tone serialism) is structured around atonality – it has many rules that must be obeyed in order to create a song with a complete lack of tonality
For our purposes, there are two distinct ways that we can think about music:
- In terms of keys and diatonic scales and chords; or
- In terms of patterns.
‘Standard’ music theory tells us how to create structure through keys and diatonic scales and chords. We learn about the C Major scale, and how the G7 tends towards the CMaj7 chord, and how to relative minor key is A minor, etc. This is one way to create structure in music. Another way is to simply create patterns and then repeat those patterns.
Structure based on keys and diatonic scales feels like it is moving towards some ultimate tonic chord (i.e. functional). While structure based on patterns does not feel like it has any kind of root note or tonic chord (i.e. non-functional).
The creation of a structured pattern is the idea behind:
- Parallelism;
- Symmetrical Scales; and
- Cycled Patterns.
The human ear likes patterns and symmetry. Just like visual symmetry is considered beautiful, so the ear also finds symmetry aesthetically pleasing.
Cycled Patterns
Cycled Patterns use the idea of patterns and symmetry to create music, rather than ‘keys’. It involves playing a phrase and then repeating it at fixed intervals. The symmetry of the repeating phrase is what gives cycled patterns their structure and makes them sound interesting. You’re creating a pattern by repeating a phrase and transposing it up or down at fixed intervals. This lets you move outside the diatonic scale, thus creating tension, and then slide back inside the scale to resolve the tension. Another name for this is a Sequence, or more accurately a Real Sequence.
Sequences
- A real sequence is a sequence where the subsequent phrase is an exact transposition of the first phrase.
- A tonal sequence is a sequence where the subsequent phrase is a diatonic transposition of the first phrase.
You don’t need to think about cycled patterns in terms of keys or scales or chords, but rather simply in terms of patterns. Thinking about music in this way (in patterns rather than keys) makes all notes equal and lets you play literally anything over any chord progression – as long as it’s structured.
Cycled Patterns
- Take a simple phrase and repeat it at fixed intervals (regardless of the key);
- 12 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. So if you want to end on a particular note, you can start the cycled pattern on that note but an octave higher and move down by 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 semitones.
- The reason cycled patterns sound good is not because they are in a particular key or scale, but rather because they are creating a pattern. Playing a simple pattern at fixed intervals will sound good regardless of what notes you play or what chords you play them over. And because you’re playing outside notes, this creates tension which you can then resolve to a Guide Tone or an Available Tension.
Just be careful when using this technique, as it can sound mechanical and artificial – like a robot following an algorithm – so it also needs to be mixed with some diatonic/melodic/key based phrases.
Below is an example of a Cycle Pattern played over a chord progression in the key of C Major.
