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Harmony (music) Music Theory Music

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What is the importance of rhythm and harmony in
Curtis Lindsay, pianist, composer. TW '14 - '17. music?
Answered 6d ago
I hate the loud music coming from the Harmony Cafe,
Functionally, in present thinking, it amounts to the conversion of a progression by fifths a bar in Rhode Island, at night. What should I do
(e.g. VI - II - V - I) into an equivalent, negative-image progression by fourths (e.g. bIII - bVII - about the situation?
IV - I). We can get considerably more fiddly with the idea than this, though.
Who are the models from Fifth Harmony's new music
Negative harmony has emerged of late as a hot topic in jazz theory because of its video "Work From Home"?
popularization by Jacob Collier, a phenomenally gifted and skilled young musician from
What defines a harmony as complex?
London, who has referenced discussions with Herbie Hancock on the subject. A very recent
shop-talking interview with Jacob has already attracted several hundreds of thousands of
viewsa big deal when were talking about music theory!

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 In the key of C, the VI - II - V - I progression moves from the sharp side of the circle of fifths
toward the flat side: A - D - G - C, in a chain of dominant-relation cadences.

We can also approach C from the flat side of the circle moving sharpward, using the same
number of steps. In that case we would get Eb - Bb - F - C, which is a chain of plagal cadences.

The notion that these two processes are functionally comparable is the essence of negative
harmony.

This concept is derived, Jacob says, from the Theory of Harmony by Swiss composer Ernst
Levy (1895 1981).

Relative to any given key center, an axis of tonality is defined such that the circle of fifths is
divided by that axis into mirroring halves. In the key of C, the axis would be drawn between
C and G; in A-flat, it would be drawn between A-flat and E-flat.

For every pitch on one side of the axis, there exists a corresponding reflection or
negative on the other side.

Lets try a number line-like presentation:

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 Here weve identified the origin as the midpoint of the C-G axis, falling between the pitches
E and E-flat. Sorting by absolute value, we see that the reflection of F is D (1 and -1), the
reflection of F#/Gb is C#/Db (2 and -2), and so on.

Referring back to the circle of fifths, youll note that this presentation is the same as if we
drew a line from the 12 oclock to the 6 oclock of the circle, where 12 oclock is halfway
between C and G and 6 oclock is halfway between G-flat and D-flat.

Levys characterization, coming from the standpoint of common practice classical harmony,
is that the traditional dominant-chain cadence by fifths is like a tree branching out above
ground, while the plagalized chain of cadences by fourths which mirrors that motionits
negative harmonyis like the root system, unseen beneath the surface.

Its vaguely similar, if in silhouette only, to Harry Partchs distinction between Otonality and
Utonalitywherein minor tonality, which is not native to the natural overtone series, is
derived by means of inversion of the series downward toward an imaginary fundamental
undertone.

Earlier I said that we can get rather more involved in this process of reflection if we like.

Well, it is one thing to contrast a flatward-trending series of chord roots against a sharpward-
trending series of chord rootsbut what if we then go on to flip all the individual pitches of
each of these chords across the axis while were at itthinking about the whole chord instead
of only the root?

We already know that from A - D - G we will derive Eb - Bb- F, the plagalization of that
progression, toward the target of C.

It turns out that flipping all of the involved pitches within the chords of this dominant seven
chain looks like this:

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 Flipping any major chord will yield a minor chord; flipping any dominant seven will yield a
minor six.

So, for instance, you can get complementary progressions like these unlikely mirror-friends:

You might ask why we dont also flip the tonic chord across the axisdoing so would yield C
minor.

But the whole point is to come up with two opposite but equivalent means of approaching
the same harmonic goal, so in that framework there is no reason to flip the target chord itself.

Its nothing earth-shattering, this idea of negative harmony. It isnt the dark matter or the
Higgs boson of music theory. But it can be an interesting and fruitful way of conceiving

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 harmonic progressions, and of discovering new tools to stash in your chest, as Jacob says.

One final thought:

When we mirror the major scale over this axis, we get the phrygian built on the dominant
degree of the source scale.

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Related Questions More Answers Below

Why is musical harmony so pleasing to the ear?

Why is harmony important in music?

How does someone learn how to sing harmony?

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 Is jazz a musical genre or a type of harmony?

What are some song with good harmony?

Caleb Creed, studied at Music Theory

Updated 6d ago

EDIT: Curtis Lindsay has given a far superior answer, dont waste youre time here,
until youve read his.

Negative harmony would perhaps be better named symmetrical harmony.

Wouldnt it be nice, in a given key, to have a simple method of substitution, so that given any
chord I could spit out a symmetrical or negative chord, that could be played instead?

This is the idea. You can mirror anything, you just have to choose where the axis is. -5 -4 -3 -2
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5, Negative numbers provide a symmetry to positive numbers only because they
have an axis around 0. The term negative provides no insight into the technique outside of
that. So stop thinking about it.

Heres the recipe for producing a negative chord.

For the key of C

1. Find Tonic (Thats C)

2. Find Dominant (Thats G)

3. Find the Midpoint of those two (Thats E)

4. The result of #3 is your axis of symmetry. (E)

5. The symmetrical counterpart 1 half step above E is 1 half step below E.

6. The symmetrical counterpart of F is D

7. The symmetrical counterpart of F# is Db

8. Take any chord in the key (Say G7)

9. Take the notes that that chord is comprised of (GBDF)

10. Find their symmetrical counterparts (CAbFD)

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 11. Name the chord comprised of the counterparts (Either D half diminished, or F
minor 6th)

So negative harmonies are simply the result of that process

NH(G7) -> Fm6

NH is the function we were looking for in the begining. a simple transformation that will
provide us with a harmonic alternative for any chord given.

For a little more insight consider the tenencies of motion for each of these chords. DO is
stable so is its symmetrical counterpart SO. RE wants to move up to MI, RES symmetrical
counterpart is FA which wants to move down to MI. LA will go in either direction. Each
member of the negative harmony wants to move to the same chord as the positive harmony
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