Chapter Five: The Melodic Process of Chord Generation: Seventh Chords

Melodic Function (of a chord): Not all chords have strong melodic functions; some are stable consonant chords which have primarily harmonic significance. Melodic function is described in terms of the motion of a dissonant note.

Resolution: The obligatory progression of dissonant intervals to consonant intervals. Dissonant notes always resolve by step (usually in descending direction) to the nearest consonant note.

Secondary Dominant 7th Chord: See secondary dominant chord in the last post.

Minor 7th Chord: The II^7 in diatonic major mode, and the IV^7 in the diatonic minor mode.

Half Diminished 7th Chord: II^7 in the minor mode. It tends to serve as a dominant preparation.

Major 7th Chord: Exemplified by IV^7 in the major mode.

Dominant 7th Chord: Because 7th chords are derived directly from triads, the basic harmonies, they constitute the first and most important class of dissonant chords. Because the dominant 7th chord is derived from a primary triad, it is the most important representative of the entire class of 7th chords. The addition of a 7th does not alter the function of these chords (in fact, it makes their function more apparent). This principle can be applied to all 7th chords: Harmonically, they behave exactly like the diatonic triads from which they derive. They do, however, serve to expand the harmonic content of a progression and make the harmonic direction more specific.

Overlapping: A cadential chord introduced at the end of a phrase which is then carried over to act as the initial chord of the second phrase.

Chapter Six: The Inversions of the Seventh Chords

Transferred Resolution: The carrying over of a dissonant note from one chord into another (usually the note is taken up by a different voice in the second chord) before being resolved, as in II^7 -> V^7 -> I.

Passing Second Inversion: The implementation of the bass note of second inversion of the dominant 7th as a passing note.

Exchange of Voices: The repetition of a passage wherein the voices parts are exchanged (such as in a round).

Diminished 7th Chord: An entirely dependent chord derived from an inverted dominant 7th chord by a change of only one note. The diminished 7th shares no notes with the chord of resolution, and every note of the diminished 7th resolves stepwise. It may be thought of as interchangeable with an inverted secondary dominant 7th chord. The diminished 7th is associated with a feeling of greater intensity.

Internal Dissonance: The dissonance created by a tritone within a chord (such as a dominant 7th chord).

Obligatory VII^6: I’m really not sure about this one. It might be the rule that VII chords only progress by 5th.

Chapter Seven: The Soprano Voice and Harmonic Progression

Voice: The succession of notes performed by a single human voice or solo instrument.

Basic Melodic Progression: The term “melodic” is often a somewhat loose term used to designate any succession of notes, regardless of interval. A basic melodic progression is one that moves by 2nd, or by stepwise intervals. Thus we say say that the 2nd and the 7th are melodic intervals, and all other intervals are harmonic.

Metrical Arpeggiation: A melodic movement which skips up or down to harmonic intervals. Each note has the duration of a metrical unit.

Compound Melody: The expression of a single voice of more than one melodic progression. For an example of this, click here.

Transient Skip: A local event, a skip from one line to another and an immediate return. It does not influence melodic structure of a longer span as compound melody does.

Circular Melodic Progression: Departs from a note and has as its goal the same note.

Partial Closure: When a line descends to scale degree 2 over V we say that the progression is a partial closure. Both the melody and harmony are directed strongly toward a cadence, yet the progression is not fulfilled.

Melodic Sequence: The immediate repetition of a melodic pattern at a different pitch.

Counterpoint of the Outer Voices: Counterpoint means note against note and refers to both the interval which two notes form and also the rhythmic relation between them, in this case the relationship of the notes performed by the soprano and bass voices.

Principle of Rhythmic Grouping: Rhythmic patterns are the variable patterns of duration and accent which are superimposed upon the constant metrical pattern. The principle of rhythmic grouping is the organization of chords which belong together based upon rhythmic accents.

Principle of Metrical Placement: A metrical pattern is one of equal note values grouped together by a regular accent pattern. The metrical patterns of a composition are defined by its time signature. It could be thought of as the regular “pulse” underlying a composition. The principle of metrical placement is such that the goal harmony should fall on a metrically accented beat.

Harmonization Procedure: A soprano voice alone can have several meanings depending upon its harmonic context. Therefore, the structural meaning of the soprano is always defined by the bass and harmony.

Minimal Harmonization: The employment of only diatonic triads in fundamental position, plus the dominant seventh, and VII^6.

Principle of Harmonic definition: The chord must be selected with regard to its function in the harmonic progression as a whole and with regard to its definition of the soprano note as a point of departure, melodic goal, or metrical embellishment. The triad should be complete in four parts, with certain exceptions (such as the omission of the 5th in the fundamental position of 7th chords). Parallel 5ths and octaves should be avoided. The principles of metrical placement and rhythmic grouping should be observed at all times.

Sound has the ability to move and flux according to the environment and it’s inhabitants. Music has the same affect and can progress even faster traveling from state to state, changing and growing depending on the audience and residents of a state, city, town, venue, house, etc. The importance of networking is prevalent in any city, but more so on a smaller scale such as Olympia, WA.

May the 4th was a great example of networking in a city of this size and again it revolved around the Rhythm and Rye. Monday night Jazz night was happening and The Cool Jazz Nonet was playing with a heavy horn and rhythm section. Monday Jazz at The Rhythm and Rye brings in a very decent sized crowd, ages around 30-70 with fellow musicians in the audience supporting the community and keeping Jazz alive and well. Many members of the audience were recognizable from previous Jazz Jams at Traditions Cafe, as well as choir members from The Olympia Peace Choir. Other community musicians such as Vince Brown and Andrew Dorsett were around and offered pleasant conversation with new venues to gig at and a friendly exchange of piano lessons (reading lead sheets for learning ragtime).

I was also able to meet and talk with Danielle, the trumpet player from DBST and soon to be The Pine Hearts, and learn a bit about her music and insight towards playing in different cities. Even though DBST has a great turn out and fantastic audience here in their hometown, Olympia, they still have an audience to build in Portland and Seattle. They recently played in Portland and the audience wasn’t as large as they had anticipated for a couple of reasons. The different pairings and possibilities for openers and main acts is an aspect of live shows that relies heavily on society and reflects back to the performer(s).

The size of Olympia may present a false perception of music in a city as well as a biased notion depending on what venue and genre one may be continually looking for, but the size is really in it’s favor. The community of musicians and music lovers is strong seems to be expanding. The Olympia Jazz Central group offers new jazz jams and upcoming events with local musicians.

Earlier this week I attended a show at Dickerson’s BBQ (The Pig Bar). The stage was on the same level as the audience and the space it self was small and intimate, offering opportunities to socialize as well as be attentive to the performance. The environment there was relatable and friendly, and I was surprised that I never went to any shows there before. A lot of people I knew that were there, knew someone in the band, or were supporting a friend of a friend.

This brings me to a question of the ratio of audience members who attended to support the band and audience members who attended because they knew there would be live music/pig bar is their home bar. And yet another questions, is music available to all or is it exclusive? Furthermore, what role does technology play in the accessibility of music, and how has it increased or decreased in the past five years? What are the different levels of engagement between the music in a city and the soundscape of a city, and how is it successfully stimulated?

I hope to answer more of these questions as the week progresses with plans to go to Live Wire, a radio variety show in Portland. There I will see Chuck Palaniuk, Janeane Garofalo, The Helio Sequence, and more.

I also plan on visiting some venues that are known to have ragtime and jazz shows and dropping off a sample of my music for more gigs.

No one can go a weekend in Montevideo without hearing drummers parading from roughly eight to midnight or one in the morning (ending earlier on Sundays.) The word “candombe” literally means “pertaining to blacks” in Kikongo, the Bantu language of Congo. However, in Montevideo the adjective pertains exclusively to the drums typically used and tradition of playing them thrice weekly in the streets.

The first time I saw a group on Saturday night, when the most people are out playing music, I assumed that they congregated in a set place and paraded through all of Montevideo but I found out that the happening is much more spontaneous; the groups form hanging out on the streets in each individual barrio (neighborhood). More people filter into the streets when they hear the music approaching to join in or spectate.

The night begins with some people gathering on one corner, socializing and playing the drums, maybe cooking some meat over a fire. The sound is a signal to come down with some wine or something to cook on the fire and say hello to your neighbors. Eventually, two corners are occupied and, before you know it, the intersection is filled with drummers and dancers who’ve arranged themselves in lines without saying a word about it. Based on how the dancers and drummers communicate (using dance and rhythm) when to stop and start moving, there appears to be an unspoken hierarchy based on experience. The dancers dance in front of the drummers, and the lead dancers dance backwards in the back of the group in order to be closer to and facing the drummers, the most experienced of whom are in front. The one or two lead dancers signal that it’s time to start or stop moving or playing and the lead drummer plays a rhythm that lets the rest of the group know. There’s few things in music more attention getting than a good, clean ending and these spontaneous musicians have it down better than many groups I’ve seen who know each other well and play together regularly.

The rhythm is always changing without ever missing a dance beat. You probably won’t notice it’s changing unless you pay close attention. Most are playing the same rhythm with some adding accents of their own. For the most part, the rhythms are in call and response format slowly morphing into different calls and different responses. Oftentimes, the entire call and response will conjugate into one call with an entirely new response. One drummer may add a radically different rhythm (meaning noticeably different in its context to the untrained ear) and no one else will join him but two repetitions after the new rhythm stops, someone will pick it up again and others will join in the second time hearing it.

Here is a clip to give an example of rhythm and the size of the group:

IMG_4924

Candombe began when slaves of African decent gathered on Sundays and other holidays to make music together as a form of community self-help. Hundreds of years since slavery ended in Uruguay, people young and old of all different colors in every barrio drum and dance to lift their spirits.

The song is complete and the shot list is completely organized and is in the middle of transcription. The song came out to 26 pages and will last about 28 minutes. It uses three tempos across four sections to create a sequence tempos. The bar is set at 75bpm, followed by a slow tempo(60bpm), then fast(90bpm), then the sequence ends with a return to 75bpm. The video will run the same amount of time and also has four sections that line up with the sections of the piece of music. Instead of 75-60-90-75 the tempos in the film go 120-60-30-15. The huge change in tempo will make it so that one beat in the first section will be .5 seconds while in the last it will be 4 seconds. I think that the piece will come out to somewhere between 500-750 shots. The shots in the first section will range from .5 seconds to 5 seconds. In the last, anywhere from 4 seconds to 40 seconds. This will create an intense slowing from a manic barrage of visual information down to a contemplative, slow, mindful stare.

I imagine that the combined effect of the music and the video will be hypnotic. The viewer might find them self drifting in and out of focus as the piece directs their dreamlike thoughts. For me the pacing of the shots create a feeling similar to the effect that spending time in a new city can have on a traveller. The new pieces of information, abundant and easy to look at, add up so quickly that they fade away. To quote Roy Batty’s amazing improvised line in Blade Runner for an apt metaphor, “All those moments will be lost… like tears in rain.” But as we become more comfortable and begin to approach these new pieces of information more mindfully we find new ways of seeing  and collecting our thoughts about the world around us. This trajectory is mirrored in the video and we are able to use our stronger, more attentive observational senses as the film becomes slower and slower.

Chance operations dictated the majority of the early organizational aspects for both the music and the video. When I was presented with the task of putting 2 things in order I would flip a coin and put the element that the coin chose first. With 3 things I would toss 3 different objects onto a piece of graph paper and the order that they landed from left to right would determine the order of the 3 things. With 4 things, as an homage to John Cage, I would consult the I Ching (throwing 3 pennies and reading them [all up is 1, 2 up 1 down is 2, 1 up 2 down is 3, and all down is 4])  and then I would put them in the order that the pennies told me to. I had no groups of 5, 6 or 7 things. And finally, for groups of 8 things I would consult any digits immediately available to my eyes (such as the numbers on the bar code on a pack of cigarettes [0034916483599273 would become 3, 4, 1, 6, 8, 5, 2, 7] or the amount of people sitting on the benches in the plaza [3 on one, 7 on the next, 1 on the next, and so on until a complete series of 1-8 has been found]) or any source of numerical information I could find.  This practice frees one dimension of the music from intentional micromanagement and instead, through chance, allows the decision making powers of the universe take control.

I then refocus my attention from the parts as individual pieces (elements) to the next level of organization, cells. Cells are groups of 1 element from each group of elements (ex. duration, timbre, and pitch [ex. 10 beats, quiet to loud, high B flat]). The cells are usually grouped into packages (cell groups) of 4 cells. It is at this point that I begin to take the liberty of making intentional decisions. I create patterns out of the cell groups that illustrate their overall structure. One part of the overall structure is like a group of triplet siblings. Their parts look similar from far away but up close every little element is different. I used variations of stacking and repeating as well as other creative organization techniques to create the patterns.

The combined practices of chance based decision making and intentional decision making is much like the textile artists process of smashing pieces of glass and tile and assorting the broken parts into a mosaic. The artist knows that they have clear, red, purple, and light purple pieces of glass and tile and though they cannot control the outcome of the smashing process, they know that in the end they will have a clear, red, purple, and light purple mosaic. The difference between a mosaic and my piece is that a mosaic is (arguably) static in time whereas my piece moves through time. This vital element of movement (which includes complete replacement [ex. a shot change]) is what allows me to generate conflict between the parts or, as Eisenstein would call it, montage. As they move through time all the specific elements work in cooperation and in conflict to generating a flow of implications, ideas, and feelings. Some of these implications, ideas, and feelings will be obvious and others more mysterious. Some will be universally understood while others might resonate with as few as one person (ex. me).

I will give you a quick update on what my plan for the future is. The next week will be spent visiting all of the wonderful sights of Barcelona while shooting the video. When I return I will record the music in one of the studios on campus with three singers. This will likely take a week or two and during that time period I will also edit the video. Hopefully, my total pre-emptive organization of every single element will speed up this process. If I’m unlucky I wont have a completed project by the end of the quarter. If I’m lucky, I will have part of it completed by. And if I’m very lucky I will have a completed piece to show you all when week 10 rolls around.

Chapter 3: The Harmonic Progression of Chord Generation: Sixth Chords

Harmonic Process: I’m not entirely sure about this one. I believe its the generation of chords by playing notes at the same time.

6th Chord as Extension: Using the 6th chord (or first inversion) as a suffix or prefix to its parent triad.

6th Chord as Representative: Using the 6th chord in place of its parent triad.

Dissonant Diatonic 6th Chords: The three dissonant diatonic triads (VII in major and minor and II in minor) are usually represented by their 6th chords.

Parent Triad: The triad from which the inversions are derived. See fundamental position.

Parallel 6th Chords: When 6th chords are voiced in succession they require a different doubling so as to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. This technique is called alternate doubling.

Fundamental Position: The chord positioned so that the fundamental or root note of the chord is in the lowest voice.

First Inversion: The chord positioned so that the 3rd is in the lowest voice, and the root of the chord is in the highest voice.

Second Inversion: The chord positioned so that the 5th is in the lowest voice, and the 3rd is the highest voice.

Chapter 4: The Progression of Diatonic Triads

Harmonic Progression: The selecting and ordering of harmonies in such a way that they form coherent and effectiv units of several chords. In a larger context, it is the progression of harmonies and harmonic units over the span of an entire composition.

Interval of Progression: The intervals by which the diatonic triads are measured in relation to the tonic.

Diatonic Location (position): The location of each diatonic triad is described in terms of its distance from I as measured by the bass interval of the descending 5th. Thus, the order of chords is I, V, II, VI, III, VII, IV.

Primary Triads: The tonic is considered to be of primary importance in tonal music. The fifth identifies or delimits the tonic triad. Just as the 5th delimits the triad, so the cadential succession V I delimits the key. The triads I and V are thus considered the primary triads.

Secondary Triads: The triads based on the remaining scale degrees are considered secondary triads.

Dominant Preparation: The stepwise movement of the IV or VI chords to the V chord.

3rd Relationship: The movement of the bass in intervals of 3rds.

Secondary Dominant Triad: A dominant chord which is borrowed from another key. This dominant chord sets up resolution to a chord which is not the tonic. The chord which is resolved to can be thought of as a temporary tonic (if this temporary tonic is used extensively [as in for more than a phrase] or is used as a new permanent tonic, then this is called a modulation).

Harmonic Direction: The two essential harmonic directions are toward the I and toward the V.

Harmonic Axis: The primary diatonic triads are the harmonic axis of tonal music.

Circular Progression: Departs from a chord and has as its goal the same chord-for example I I or V V.

Opening Progression: Departs from one chord and has as its goal a different chord. The prime example is I V.

Closing Progression: A progression which returns to I usually from V.

Harmonic Sequence: A progression which involves the repetition of a bass and chord pattern.

Phrase: A musical unit. Often two or more of these will make up a period.

Period: A complete musical thought, concluded by a cadence. Often it is divided up into two (or more) phrases. The first phrase opens to the dominant and is called the antecedent phrase, while the following phrase is called the consequent phrase.

Harmonic Function: The role of each scale degree (and its triad) in relation to the tonic.

Substitution: The exchange of one diatonic triad for another which has the same direction in relation to the harmonic axis. For example, the dominant preparations II, IV, and VI are interchangeable.

Subdominant: The IV triad is called subdominant because it occupies a position below the tonic triad analagous to that occupied by the dominant above (the tonic is a fifth above the subdominant). The IV chord is often used in preparation for the V. It is, however, sometimes used independently to serve a melodic function or to form a plagal cadence in a IV I succession.

Submediant: The VI triad is called submediant because it occupies a position below the tonic triad analagous to that occupied by the mediant above (the tonic is a third above the submediant). VI may be used as a dominant preparation in both major and minor. Another important role the VI fills is as a substitute for the tonic triad in major.

3,177 miles later, we have arrived to our final destination; Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We left Olympia around 12:30am Thursday morning. I woke up to the sun rising over grassy hills somewhere in eastern Oregon. It didn’t take us long to realize that 48 hours of straight driving, with four people was not going to be an easy task. However, we were all in high spirits by the time we made it to Idaho. I am grateful that I took notes where ever we went because the actual time we spent in the car feels like a big blur now. I am sitting her question which days we did what! We stopped for lunch in Salt Lake City and walked around the capital building to stretch our legs. I certainly didn’t spend enough time in that city to make statements, but I can say one thing; the traffic was terrible and we were excited to get out.

We stopped for dinner in Moab, Utah – we had hoped to make it to Arches National Park by sunset but the sun was down before we got there. I was really looking forward to revisiting this ‘spot of time’ that I mentioned before, at the same time of day, so I was pretty disappointed that it was dark when we arrived. After di

Our ‘Bon Voyage’ picture.

nner I got us to New Mexico before I had to finally switch drivers. During that time – when I was driving, and everyone was asleep (or at least trying to), I had time to reflect on how I can in
corporate the travel with the time I spend at each destination. Each state is different – the smells, the color of the trees, the size of the trees, the type of stores and restaurants, and the way people drive, to the music played on the radio stations. There is so much to take in, to notice and to process – especially because I’m not sending a lot of time in these places just a traveler passing through. I noticed that I was overwhelmed by the vastness of each place. I began to doubt my ability to be an observant traveler, and quickly remembered that I brought myself on this trip – and there’s nothing I can do about that.

We stopped for breakfast in New Mexico where I made a point of ordering green chilies in my omelet. At this point in our trip – we weren’t even pretending to have had enough sleep. We took some time to freshen up in the restaurant bathroom and started again on our way. We drove through New Mexico, Texas and made it really far into Louisiana (of course, stopping for the best barbeque I’ve ever had in my life for dinner) before we decided to stay at a hotel in Alexandria, LA. We need sleep, we longed for a shower and a place to stretch our legs but we did not want to deal with the madness of the French Quarter just yet.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like a new person – with a full night’s sleep, a shower and a hot breakfast I was giddy with anticipation as we drove a few more hours into New Orleans. Louisiana in the day time is so gorgeous – the trees are green and like nothing I’d ever seen before, and because it is almost all swamp, the whole highway felt like one long bridge. Once we finally got into New Orleans the first thing I noticed was the houses. The architecture is like nothing I have ever seen before – it reminded me of any other city as far as proximity goes, as in the houses are nearly attached to each other. But the colors, and the iron work are unbelievable. As soon as we pulled up to the French Quarter there was a rush of smells and sounds that filled the car – it was so ready to be there and be in it.

Our first stop was Café Du Monde for beignets and coffee. So. Many. Beignets. And zero regrets. After that – it was one street perform after a po’boy. All day long we spent wandering around, listening to music, talking with different performers and visitors. My favorite memory of the night was our time at Fritzel’s European Jazz pub, were we drank bourbon and coke, ate pizza cones and listened to hours of jazz music. Despite the name of the club, the jazz band was made up of 20-somethings from Louisiana playing traditional New Orleans Jazz music. I got the chance to speak with them for a while – they were so friendly and willing to chat. In my next post I plan on going into detail about this day, and my time in gulf shores but for now the sunset on the river is calling my name and I would hate to miss it.

At the end of every chapter of Allen Forte’s Tonal Harmony in Concept and Practice there are is a list of term which were introduced. I’m going to define these terms in weekly blog posts, and this particular post will include the terms from the first two chapters. I’ll soon put up another two posts which will address the list of terms from last week’s reading as well as this week’s. I’d also like to point out that there are quite a few other exercises included at the end of each chapter that I won’t be putting up on the blog. I’m also utilizing the exercises found on musictheory.net, and occasionally working through the lessons they provide as a supplement.

Chapter One: Structural Characteristics of the Fundamental Materials

Scale Degree: A tone in the context of belonging to a scale. Degrees are usually numbered starting with the tonic.

Chord: A group of notes which sound simultaneously.

Chromatic Scale: A scale which divides the octave into twelve semitones.

Triad: A chord made up of three notes based on intervals of thirds. The four types of triads are major, minor, diminished, and augmented.

Relative Minor: A minor scale shares the same key signature as its related major. The difference between the two scales is the placement of the tonic. This is different from a parallel keys which share the same tonic but different key signatures. An example of relative keys would be E minor and G major. An example of Parallel keys is E major and E minor.

Passing Note: A note that passes between or connects two more important harmonic notes.

Auxillary Note: A note that stands at the interval of a 2nd above or below two occurrences of a more important harmonic note.

Half Step: A semitone. B –> C or C –> C#

Leading Note: The major seventh of a scale so called because it has the tendency to want to “lead” toward the tonic.

Melodic Minor Scale: The melodic minor scale is the same as the natural minor scale when descending. When it is ascending, the sixth and seventh scale degrees are both raised a semitone in order to match the scales parallel major key. This is done to create a sense of direction up to the tonic, or down to the fifth (or dominant).

Inversion: A chord positioned so that its fundamental (the note on which the chord is based) is not the lowest note.

Octave Equivalence: The addition of an octave to an interval does not change the function of the notes involved.

Consonant Interval: According to Allen Forte, there are two types of consonant intervals. The perfect (octave, fifth, and fourth), and imperfect (diatonic thirds and sixths). He describes these intervals as stable.

Dissonant Interval: A dissonant interval is one that is active, or unstable. It is common to resolve such intervals to consonant intervals.

Tritone: A scale degree which lies precisely in the middle of an octave. It is attained by diminishing the fifth or augmenting the fourth.

Compound Interval: A compound interval is attained by adding an octave to an interval. Example: 2nd –> 9th or 4th –> 12th.

Augmented 2nd: An interval which is attained by raising the major 2nd by a semitone. It’s equivalent to a minor 3rd.

Diminished 5th: Equivalent to the tritone.

Compound Meter: A triplet subdivision superimposed upon a simple meter.

Submetrical: Notes of lesser duration than the metrical unit.

Rhythm: The division of time which structures the movement of a musical piece.

Chapter Two: The Triad: the Harmonic Basis of Tonal Music

Dissonant Chord: Any chord which contains a dissonant interval.

Doubling: Having two different instruments playing the same part.

Outer Voices: The bass (lowest) and soprano (highest) voices in four part harmony.

Position of the Octave: The position in which the soprano doubles the bass.

Position of the Fifth: The position in which the soprano voices the fifth of the chord.

Four-voice keyboard spacing: The position with the smallest intervals, thought of as taking up the smallest space if the notes were to be played on the keyboard.

Alto Voice: The second highest voice in four part harmony.

Figured Bass: Sometimes called thorough bass, it is a form of music notation which gained prominence during the Baroque period. In it, the bass note is provided along with numbers or symbols which indicate what chord should be harmonized with it.

Voice Leading: The recognition that each voice has its own individual, horizontal melody. That each voice is interdependent in a harmonic capacity, but that they may move freely through time (rhythmically independent) is the relationship of counterpoint.

Similar Motion: When two voices move in the same direction (up, or down), but do not maintain the same interval. When voices move in the same direction and maintain the same interval it is called parallel motion. When they move in opposite directions it’s called contrary motion, and when one moves while the other remains stationary it’s called oblique motion.

Cadence: A movement of chords which marks the division of a piece of music into different periods, or brings the piece to a full conclusion. There are a few cadences such as the authentic cadence (V to I) and the plagal cadence (IV to I).

Skip: Moving in an interval (equal to?… or) larger than a whole tone.

            North-Eastern El-Shorrai before the Second age and the coming of Gwynne.

Arcaeden is the name given to the broad region to the Northeast of the continent of El-Shorrai. It is bordered to the South by the River Glavnon and Llangwood Forest, to the North and Northwest by the Avasete Mountains and the realm of the Winterkings, and to the East by the Great Atlean Sea. It covers a span of approximately 10,000 square miles, and has about 1,000 miles of coastline. Its highest peak is Cor Morthwyl, the Hammerhorn. Its climate is mostly temperate, except in the North where the winters are cold and cruel.

The indigenous peoples of Arcaeden were originally Nomadic. After coming down from the Northlands, they spread across the area, forming many disparate tribes. Over the next several hundred years many of them settled beside major rivers and lakes, near the floodplains and dells found in the middle of the region, in or near the Llangwood Forest, or in the highlands of Avasete. These disparate groups spent this time warring and trading and praying to queer pagan gods.

• In central and southern of Arcaeden, much of the terrain is lightly forested woodland, with rolling hills and broad valleys. This caused problems for the tribes that settled this area, as the valleys typically turned into floodplains in the winter, and the mud brick houses they originally built would be washed completely away. Over time, they countered this by strategically building several large structures atop some of the larger hills, once they discovered the solid granite underneath. They continued to populate the valleys though, eventually utilizing aqueducts and irrigation canals to redirect the worst of the floods away from their villages. The River Greenwater was created this way. Mills were built with horizontal water wheels at first, that vertical ones after the invention of the gear. The used the resulting energy primarily for flour and lumber production.

The Riverlanders wore clothes of wool and leather, and fashioned spiked sandals to help them traverse the marshes. Flour was their primary crop, as it was easy to grow and took far less time and effort than the rice fields that their southern neighbors were planting.

They believed in the God of Storms, to whom they prayed and gave sacrifice so he wouldn’t flood the land in his anger. They also believed in a female raven deity, Maereghan, who represented wisdom and foresight and was able to fly above the floods. They prayed to Maereghan in the abstract belief that she was able to carry whole populations on her back and save them from storms. They were among the earlier cultures to develop a writing system, carving into lacquered wood and soft rocks with harder rocks, possibly obsidian, which they would have gotten from the North or West, where underground volcanic activity had occurred in the past.  Their earliest writings tell us that near the end of the first age a hero named Geirmund united a hundred tribes and built the Castle Ardunost, establishing his clan of Geirmundings and ruling for the next 35 years until his death.

• To the North, in Alcehorn, Avasete, and parts of what is now Dresdayn:

glaciation had occurred in the mountains, but at the time it was too dry for it to have occurred at lower elevations. In the lower areas, there are many valleys as you move south, a taiga mostly covered in larch forests or large outcroppings of limestone that over time formed the many caves of the region.

The tribes here were more inclined to war than their southern neighbors.  Those living in the highlands discovered large deposits of granite and mudstone and used the former to erect castles of impressive size for the time. They wore furs of wolves or bears, and sometimes the giant elk that used to be widespread in the area, although they also used these elk as steeds. These Northmen were also the first to discover bronze smelting by accident, since arsenic is an impurity sometimes found naturally in copper. Some time later, they began intentionally mixing tin into their copper for a stronger and more durable bronze alloy. With their obvious advantage over the stone, bone, and wooden weapons of the lowland residents, they often attacked and wiped out several tribes entirely, forcing the residents to retreat for safer territory. They were unable to prevent the spread of bronze smelting technology to the south however, and before long most tribes were using bronze to forge various weapons as well as early body armor. The Northern tribes fought amongst themselves frequently, and became a grim, hard people. These people are probably descended from Huw and the first men, who escaped the Aldren Genocide and settled in the extreme Northeast, before coming down from the northern ranges to make permanent settlements.

• The Southeastern portion of Arcaeden is dominated by the Llangwood, a temperate rainforest spanning over 1,000 square miles. The soil here is very fertile, and various deciduous trees are the predominant type of flora. The River Glavnon runs northwest to southeast, widening just north of the forest to form the Wydemere, which narrows again and rushes straight through the heart of the forest, where several tributaries join up with it from the north. The tribes that settled here built dwellings into the thick redwood trees found all over the forest. Combined with the other, smaller trees, the dense forest had a canopy that shielded the floor from most of the Sun’s light. As a result, the inhabitants of the forest developed reclusively, since they had plenty of fresh water and food to sustain them. It is worth saying that these people had a strong sense of community and defended fiercely against invaders who would think to march on the forest or sail up the Glavnon.

Their religion was one of polytheistic shamanism, and one deity they worshipped in common with their midland neighbors was the female raven Maereghan, though they called her Morrigu. Worship of Morrigu was simple, but had somewhat darker connotations. They believed that Morrigu was an aspect of a trickster deity, and that if they trusted her to ferry them above the storms, she would fly to her eyrie and eat them. Some of their mentality no doubt came as a direct result of their living conditions. The Llangwood was a higher elevation than that of central and eastern Arcaeden, so floods were actually less of a problem for them. Odd then, that they adapted the belief in the aspect of the raven. They associated ravens with death and carrion and disease, and their shamans led large ritual sacrifices to the Morrigu.

Author’s note: This region takes up only one area of the continent of Elzhor-hai, and approximately 600 years later when the story takes place, there are fully fledged Kingdoms in Arcaeden: Alva, Fyde, Rookmoor, Dresdayn, and several others. I imagined this particular area as being primarily analogous to Wales, at least in terms of terrain and climate. The etymologies of many names in the area come from a combination of old and middle Welsh, and from some Norse cultures (The latter is because Arcaeden borders a Norselike country to the North). There are several other realms far larger than Arcaeden, whose culture and history I am slowly but surely developing. The Arkawa immigrating to Urs in 138 A.L. for example, have aesthetics reminiscent of feudal japan, using layered lacquered wood as armor and iron masks to frighten their enemies. They grow rice as opposed to wheat and have a distinct cultural identity that will clash with their neighbors. I envisioned them with more advanced steam technology that none of the other countries have on this continent, to play with with the archetypal medieval fantasy. Political, religious, and philosophical differences will be a main theme of the story.