- Jun 2023
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viva.pressbooks.pub viva.pressbooks.pubMediants31
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disprefer
I've never heard of this word 😀!
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Enough theory!
More conversational than needed.
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Harmonic analysis: analyse the first 10 measures of the Holmès example above using whichever you prefer of Roman numeral and Functional labels.
You're mixing the assignment section with the body of the text but the rest of the book isn't like that. I'd follow the format from other chapters for consistency.
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Enough theory! Let’s close with a wonderful example of mediant relation in a song by Augusta Mary Ann
This musical example is over 150 measures! I would try to have a maximum limit of one page of score to show an example. Also, the concept should be labeled on the score so we know where it happened. The assignments are the places for the students to find them on their own.
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As mentioned above, we need a bit of caution in regards to functions, terms and labels here, as there are some different conventions running in parallel (pun intended!). The main headache is the use of that term “parallel” which in English-speaking traditions connects two modes on the same root (C-major and C-minor, for instance), while the German tradition uses it to for what English-speaking theory calls “Relative” (i.e. C-major and A-minor). I know, right? Watch out, especially if you’re reading historical and/or multi-lingual sources. Here’s a bold (perhaps foolish) attempt at an overview with both functional labels (in German, taking the example of a tonic starting point) and combined neo-Riemannian transformation as discussed in the previous chapter (English). On the German side “-” indicates that there is no common, functional term.
I think all the German information is making this topic more complicated than it needs to be. It's fine to make a note in a footnote, but the odds of a OpenMusicTheory reader reading theory texts in German has to be really low so I don't think it's providing much practical information, even if it's interesting.
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From C major to: -Major -Minor
This table is squished. Needs to be wider.
Also, can this be converted into a MuseScore example so that we can hear each type?
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What are these hyphens for?
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In the third a
I think these two sentences could be combined into one with something like : "Disjunct mediants have no common tones and their quality changes, but their roots are still a third apart.
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we
Style Gripe: I don't "we" should be used unless you're specifically speaking of you and some other person who agrees with you. It always seems like it's trying to tell the reader what they think.
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German-speaking theory accounts for these with function-transformati
I think the comments relating to differences in German should be footnotes.
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Upper/lower refers to the root direction, and flat/sharp clarifies whether the interval between the roots is a major or minor third
SIDENOTE: Do you know Scott Murphy's MnM system? It's a much more powerful and term-heavy system where the first M represents the quality of the first chord and the last M is the quality of the last chord. The "n" is the number of half steps between the two chord roots.
- M3M = Upper Flat mediant
- M4M = Upper Sharp mediant
- M8M (or M-4M) = Lower Flat mediant
- M9M (or M-3M) = Lower Sharp mediant
Anyhow, just thought I'd mention it but it's not a suggestion for this chapter.
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Grade 2 (a.k.a. Chromatic) mediants are a step more remote.
This sentence could be combined with the next one: "Chromatic mediants only have one common tone (the first chord's root) and the quality of both chords is the same."
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tonic
(tonic only?)
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The R-relation connects C-major and A-minor The L-relation connects C-major and E-minor
The area seems like more of discussion about Neo-Riemannian theory than the mediant approach this chapter is laying out.
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lease note that these terms (“L” or “Leading-Tone Exchange”, and “R” or Relative) are as typically seen in English-language music theory today. Despite that English-language tradition having its roots in German music theory (notably from Hugo Riemann from whom “Neo-Riemannian” theory takes its name), contemporary German music theory would typically discuss these relations with the terms Gegenklang (G) and Parallel (P)
This feels like more of a footnote. Also, I'd be fine with only using LPR and allow this footnote to explain why you've chosen a single system.
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previous chapter
(relative reference not needed)
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sections below.
Comments about the musescore example: There is a "T" in all the German terms but it's not defined. I'm guessing it means tonic, but it would be good to clarify that.
Grade 2: The UFM, USM, LFM, LSM labels are all underneath the starting chord but it seems like it should be under the second chord. It currently looks like C major is getting a bunch of different names.
What does the "M" stand for? Mediant? I thought it was Major, but then it also occurred for minor, but the disjunct category doesn't have "M" anymore.
Might be better to break this example into three separate examples and place them in the appropriate section below. It's nice to have everything in on example, but it's also information overload.
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Grade 1 (a.k.a. Diatonic)
Bass notes. This chapter doesn't discuss the role of the bass in these contexts and all the example make it look like the bass starts with a chord root and then moves to a chordal inversion. Would be nice to have some information about bass notes or at least say that the bass notes shown in the example do not reflect bass note usage in practice.
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tonic
(tonic only?)
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Grade 1, (also known as Diatonic)
I really think dropping "Grade" throughout and just going with the category names will make everything read much smoother. This sentence could start "Diatonic mediants share two common tones ..."
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n some (both English- and German-speaking) traditions the combined collection of possible mediants is divided into three categories as shown in t
I think you can just state this is a fact: "Mediants are divided into three categories, Diatonic, Chromatic, and Disjunct (Example 1)."
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Grade 2 (a.k.a. Chromatic)
It seems like there are getting two names when only one is needed. Maybe just drop the numbering system (because the numbers provide little meaning) and just use the names. "There are three types: diatonic, chromatic, and disjunct)." That would also get rid of having to write "a.k.a." all over.
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Mediants
Title brainstorm idea: Chromatic 3rd Relationships (Mediants)
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e roots are still a third away from C
Might be good to mention modal mixture here.
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And it doesn’t stop there!
(Conversational tone not needed)
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tonic
Is this only limited to tonic chords? I though it was just about relationships between chord roots regardless of scale.
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tonic
Tonic only?
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previous
I'd avoid any relative terms to the location of other chapters in the book. Removing "previous" would do the trick here.
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Recall from the fundamentals part that
I'd avoid relative references like this. It could just start with "The third scale degree ..."
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Grade
Type instead of Grade
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rooted
"Chords have a mediant relationship when their roots are a third away."
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