Generic Shapes of 4 notes: item 9. Examining the span of the GS and associations between them.

Generic Shapes of 4 notes: item 9. Examining the span of the GS and associations between them.

When I looked at these 4 note GS (4GS) and the twenty Rotations (R) that reside in the 5 Primary 4-note shapes, and tried to implement them into playing, I noticed that the span (between the highest and the lowest note of the GS) of each shape had something in common. The span ranges from a 7th interval to that of a 4th, and most of the GS have these common span extremities but with the middle 2 notes remaining creating a different effect or colour. Just learning a few of the sequences, in your ear, should add some melodic richness and strength. It's exciting.. !!


To review: 4GS x 5 Primary GS have been outlined by:

a) 4 pure rotations of each of the 5 Primary GS (inversions in a broken arpeggiated manner) resulting in 20 GS which are defined or measured from the intervals (diatonic/tonal) within it.

b) These 20 4GS then are reckoned from a common root to reenforce the definition of each GS.

Since the span of a 'piano' hand easily reaches a 7th, all the spans smaller than that are accessible too.

Twenty 4GS: generated from the above process (Primary GS are in Bold)

GS1   GS2  GS3 GS4
1235 1247 1367 1456

GS5  GS6  GS7  GS8
1345 1236 1257 1467

GS9  GS10 GS11 GS12
1245 1347  1256  1457

GS13 GS14 GS15 GS16
1234  1237  1267  1567

GS17  GS18  GS19  GS20
1357   1356   1346   1246

The next step is to arrange these into groups according to the span of the lowest and highest notes, starting with 1—7 and generally going down the above list from 1235 — 1357 [correctly: 1246].

Those GS with a span of a 7th:

1247 [GS2]
1367 [GS3]

1257 [GS7]
1467 [GS8]

1347 [GS10]
1457 [GS12]

1237 [GS14]
1267 [GS15]
1567 [GS16]

1357 [GS17]

Those GS with a span of a 6th:

1456 [GS4]

1236 [GS6]

1256 [GS11]

(none from GS-1234 [GS13—16]

1356 [GS18]
1346 [GS19]
1246 [GS20]

Those GS with a span of a 5th:

1235 [GS1]

1345 [GS5]

1245 [GS9]

(none from GS-1234 [GS13—16]

(none from GS-1357) [GS17—20]

Those GS with a span of a 4th:

1234 (the only one).

It might be fun and rewarding to try GS with a common span but with changing inner notes, over a tune.

I think that these ideas are learned and then forgotten. As one solos with a couple of these aspects in mind they may creep in. Over time the relearning and reformatting these shapes will emerge as one plays in spontaneous a manner as possible and then there is some other aspect that has to be learned—and then perhaps forgotten for a while and then learned again to the point perhaps where they are both remembered and forgotten at the same time. I find I have to keep at it if I want the benefits and structure that occur when soloing etc. when 'subconsciously' applying what gets learned (and then gone but not forgotten:). Of course this is part of a longer period process but I usually find that when I play with something from all this that the reward is immediate which deserves a celebrate-tional return to practising these in keys over scales and sequences. Try to learn a small part of this at a time and collect some success along the way. It's working for me if and when I truly apply myself to it.

Se the music graphics below that illustrate the above and with a few other possibilities and aspects as well.