Harmonic Major – Part I, Blackbird By Adam Coulombe

The tonality of harmonic there is an absence of seven triad on the flat sixth degree. G major is a fundamental tonality in primary chords and their scales. harmonic major is spelled : music harmony. There are those Usually, only the G A B C D E♭ F♯ G that have never heard of it, and tonalities of major, melodic minor, My belief is that those that have heard of it but do and harmonic minor are taught and eventually everyone will have the not understand that it is a used when analysing the harmony a opportunity to understand tertian completely tertian and diatonic piece of music moves through. This harmony correctly, and completely, tonality. Tertian harmony is the can create an incorrect analysis of that there are four tonalities, term given to chords spelled with a the harmony in a piece when major, harmonic major, melodic major or minor third interval chords from harmonic major are minor, and harmonic minor. I between each chord tone in root used but not recognized as such. believe this should be a standard position, to start with. Diatonic For example, the sheet music to model for all musicians to study as refers to one note being the center Paul McCartney’s Blackbird has a basis to understand all other of the tonality, called the tonic been consistently printed forms of applied harmony. note, and that the harmony created incorrectly due to this lack of I am interested to know in this tonality relates ‘to the tonic.’ knowledge of the tonality of what other institutions and Why this tonality is largely harmonic major. Hard to believe? teachers teach the four tonalities in misunderstood is perhaps best not Well, working with Hal Leonard, the tertian harmony at this time. Music covered completely here, but I publisher authorized to notate and harmony is perfect, completely, and believe it is because of a way of sell the sheet music to Blackbird, I did not invent that, it is so because thinking that does not lead back have agreed that my analysis of it is not ambiguous and does not correctly to a complete picture of Blackbird is correct and that the contradict itself when it is tertian harmony. notation of harmony will be interpreted correctly to include The harmonic major scale, changed to reflect the chord it harmonic major. Below is a list of for example C harmonic major, is borrows from harmonic major. So th 7 chords, in both G major and G spelled : let us explore this particular harmonic major for comparison : C D E F G A♭ B C example. In the incorrect version of G major G harmonic Major The complete spelling of Blackbird, the chord notated after the chord then is : the E minor chord is E♭ major. This G ma7 G ma7 C E G B D F A♭ C means that there is a B♭ note in the Each of these chord tones A mi7 A mi7(♭5) chord progression for two beats. An has a major or minor third interval E♭ triad is spelled : E♭ G B♭. We between them, in its primary B mi7 B mi7 are in G major in Blackbird, and spelling – root position. This makes there is no B♭ in this part of the it tertian, spelled with major and C ma7 C mi ma7 harmony, as it would make the minor thirds, like the C major scale, song go into G minor for two beats, the C minor melodic scale, and the D 7 D 7 and then we would return to G C minor harmonic scale. Therefore major. This is incorrect. It is E mi7 E♭ aug ma7 there is nothing synthetic, invented, supposed to have a B natural, not a or created out of the human B♭, and this makes the chord E♭ F♯ mi7(♭5) F♯ dim7 imagination about harmonic major, augmented : E♭ G B, from G it is a completely diatonic tonality In my next column, I will harmonic major, and the harmony that fulfills a sequence of thirds, discuss the most perfect example of stays major for this part of the and therefore it is of equal value as harmonic major I have come across song. the other tonalities. The absence of so far, which borrows chords freely This is the correct chord this understanding leads to an from this tonality throughout the at this point in the harmony for ambiguity and a confusion in the song, which is Sleepwalk by Santo & Blackbird. It comes from the vocabulary of musicians; because Johnny. tonality of harmonic major, where there is naturally an augmented