FALL (TBD)
Class 1. Balkan Meters and Rhythms (8 weeks)
* Class meets (TBD) Lecture 1: Proportional notation symbols (quick review)
Regular and irregular beat divisions
Beats and multiple levels of pulse
Simple and compound meters in the Balkans
Asymmetrical meters: from 5/8-15/16
Understanding and clapping asymmetrical meters: slow tempo
Understanding and clapping asymmetrical meters: fast tempo
Strong and weak beats in asymmetrical meters
How to perceive and determine asymmetrical meters
Lecture 2: Understanding hypermeter: rules for hypermeter formation
Hypermeter in asymmetrical meters
Simultaneously occurring levels of pulse
Symmetry within the asymmetry: the sixteenths level
Accent placement in asymmetrical meters
Syncopations and Balkan hemiolas
Complex rhythms: combining more than 2 levels of pulse in a single measure
Standard rhythmic patterns in common dances in asymmetrical meters
Lecture 3: Mapping beats onto drumming and accompaniment patterns
Splitting weak beats for elaborations
Connecting theory to practice: workshop
Combined metric groups in Bulgarian music
Heterometric rows in Bulgarian music
Expanding the boundaries: megameters and megameasures
Creating megameters and megameasures
Rhythmic patterns in megameasures
Thinking and improvising in megameasure frameworks
Lecture 4: Thinking in megameasures: 6 over 7, 8 over 7, 5 over 7
Advanced meters in Bulgarian wedding style
Ivo Papazov’s band: concert repertoire
Petar Ralchev’s concert suites for solo accordion
Ivan Milev’s suites in wedding style
Elenino Horo (Helen’s Dance): in 13/16 or 14/16
Analysis of repertoire
Lecture 5: Meters that should not exist (theoretically): 7.5/8, 6.5/8, etc.
Stretched meters: Beranches
Ku-Ku band: an example of 7 over 4 (7X4=28)
Petar Ralchev’s Zig Zag: improvisation in a cyclical form
Meters in Bulgarian arrangements for folk orchestras
Meters and rhythms in Romania
Romanian rubato
Meters and rhythms in Romanian Manele
Lecture 6: Meters and rhythms in Serbia
Serbian chocheks (rumba + march = chochek)
Meters and rhythms in Albania
Where is the downbeat?
Meters and rhythms in Macedonia
Macedonian Romani rubato
From a march to Ferus Mustafov
The place where notation fails and music continues
Chocheks
Lecture 7: Meters and rhythms in Bulgarian Romani music
Bulgarian Chalga in its Balkan context
Meters and rhythms in Greece
Meters and rhythms in Turkey (quick overview)
What is the “it” in all these belly dance rhythms?
Lecture 8: Review
Question and answer session
Class 2. Balkan Scales and Improvisation (8 weeks)
* Class meets (TBD) Lecture 1: The established scale classification system
Pentatonic scales
Diatonic (church) modes
Greek modes vs. the modes after Glarean
Bulgarian non-microtonal makams
Microtonal makams
Hybrid scales and modes
Where is “Do” in Balkan music?
Drone types as predecessors of modern tonal centers
Steady drones and variable drones
Whose is this song: a harmonic perspective
Possibilities for different tonal centers in Balkan music
Why all Balkan people sing (and love) Macedonian songs?
Songs about illnesses and death in major modes
Lecture 2: Non-microtonal scales in Bulgarian music
A song in Locrian: an example from NW Bulgaria
Non-microtonal scales in Bulgarian Romani music
Non-microtonal scales in Romanian music
Non-microtonal scales in Serbian music
Non-microtonal scales in Albanian music
Non-microtonal scales in Macedonian music
Non-microtonal scales in Greece
Melodic contour and structure
Variations in Balkan music
Repetition vs. change
Lecture 3: Microtonal scales in Bulgarian music
Microtonal scales in Romani music
Microtonal scales in Romanian music
Microtonal scales in Serbian music
Microtonal scales in Albanian music
Microtonal scales in Macedonian music
Microtonal scales in Greek music
The Turkish makam system
The relationship between drones and microtones
Microtones and harmony (chords)
Melodies impossible to notate
Melodic contour and structure (continued)
Variations and improvisation
Thanksgiving Holiday Lecture 4: Overview of jazz chord-scale theory
Foundations of the Balkan chord-scale theory
Chord-scale relationships in Romanian music
Chord-scale relationships in Serbian music
Chord-scale relationships in Bulgarian music
Interchanging scales in improvisations
Tension-release in improvisations
Scales follow harmony or the opposite
Melodic contour and structure (continued)
Variations and improvisation (continued)
Lecture 5: Scales and improvisation in Bulgarian music
Na trapeza: slow (free-rhythm) melodies
Structure in free-rhythm Bulgarian melodies
The kolyano chains and periodic structures
Improvisation in Bulgarian dance music
The kolyano generation mechanism
Thinking ahead in kolyano improvisations
Kolyano improvisations vs. wedding style
Hidden structures in wedding style improvisations
Megameasures, scales, and improvisations
Melodic improvisations vs. “showing off”
How not to improvise in Bulgarian wedding style
Lecture 6: Scales and improvisations in Romania
The Romanian rubato
Register transfers in Romanian music
Scales and improvisations in Serbia
Register transfers in Serbian music
Melodic sequences and arpeggios in Serbian music
A case study: the Serbo-Vlach style
Creating “endless music” and “endless improvisations”
Keeping the main melody in the same register and octave
Music vs. musicianship displays
Melodic contour and structure (continued)
Variations and improvisation (continued)
New Year Holidays Lecture 7: Scales and improvisations in Albania
Scales and improvisations in Macedonia
Scales and improvisations in Greece
Scales and improvisations in Turkey
Balkan microtonal makams vs. Turkish makam theory
Taksim structure and taksim models
Comparing Balkan taksims: are they all the same?
Playing with the pitch-bender: what makam is this?
Melodic contour and structure (continued)
Variations and improvisation (continued)
Lecture 8: Review
Question and answer session
SPRING
Class 1. Bulgarian and Balkan Harmony (8 weeks)
* Class (TBD) Lecture 1: The relationship between scales, chords, and drones
Chord derivation principles in Bulgarian music
Chordal vocabularies and their formation in Bulgarian music
Chordal vocabularies in major scales and modes
The interesting case of Shope major
Makam Hicaz or Harmonic minor?
Chordal vocabularies in minor scales and modes
Triads: upwards, downwards, and a third below
The times when the Dominant dominated
Lecture 2: Feb 6th, 2021The role of drones in Bulgarian music
Main drone types in Bulgarian folk music
Harmonic functions in modes and makams
Hierarchy of chords in progressions
Chord substitutions
Harmony in Bulgarian Village music: analysis
Harmony in Bulgarian Wedding music: analysis
Harmonic analysis on macro and micro levels
Lecture 3: Harmony in Bulgarian Wedding music (continued)
Balkan jazz
Harmony in arrangements performed by “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares”
Analysis of choral obrabotki (choral arrangements)
Reducing a complex choral obrabotka to a melody-and-drone
Primary characteristics of the Bulgarian harmonic style
Problematic scales and modes: Shope major final cadences
Problematic scales and modes: Phrygian mode progressions
Aesthetic choices: two chords or twenty
Lecture 4: Harmonizing Bulgarian music
Practical workshop: how to do it
Lecture 5: Harmonizing Bulgarian music
Practical workshop: how to do it
Lecture 6: Harmony in Bulgarian Romani music
Harmony in Romanian music
Primary characteristics of the Romanian harmonic style
The Romanian dominants
Tonicizations in Romanian music
Typical Romanian chord progressions
Harmony in Serbian music
Primary characteristics of the Serbian harmonic style
Tonicizations in Serbian music
Typical Serbian chord progressions
Practical workshop: how to do it
Lecture 7: Harmony in Albanian music
Harmony in Macedonian music
Chords vs. drones
Sad lyrics and major triads: the interesting case of Macedonian music
Comparing Macedonian to Bulgarian harmonizations
Harmony in Greek music: the role of the zurna drones
Recent trends in Balkan harmony: jazzing it up
Practical workshop: how to do it
Spring Break Lecture 8: Review
Question and answer session
Class 2. Balkan Ornamentation and Melody (8 weeks)
* Class meets (TBD) Lecture 1: Primary and auxiliary notes
Main types of ornaments
Upper and lower mordents
Vorshlags and
nachshlags (grace notes: upper and lower)
Combining mordents and grace notes: extended mordents
Turns, trills, and vibrato styles
Timing of ornaments in Balkan music
Instrument-specific ornamentation styles (overview)
Basic rules for applying ornaments
Lecture 2: Basic rules for applying ornaments in Bulgarian music
Timing of ornaments in Bulgarian music
Timing and placement of lower mordents
Ornamenting long notes: which ornaments to use
Ornamentation workshop (hands on)
Lecture 3: Regional Bulgarian ornamentation styles (overview)
The “universal Bulgarian wedding style” ornamentation
Steve Larson’s musical forces and Bulgarian ornaments
Melodic motion and body motion: steps and leaps
Ornamentation workshop (hands on)
Lecture 4: Slow vs. fast tempo ornamentation
When “enough embellishment” is “enough”
Ornamentation in slow songs and slow melodies
Ornamentation in dance repertoires
Ornamentation workshop (hands on)
Lecture 5: Gaida ornamentation
Kaval ornamentation
Matyo Dobrev’s style
Clarinet ornamentation
Tambura ornamentation
Accordion ornamentation
Composing and ornamenting melodies
Lecture 6: Ornamentation in different Balkan music styles
Ornamentation in Romani music: stay in the scale
Ornamentation in Romanian music
Ornamentation in Serbian music
“Cooking” Balkan music: the secret recipes
Ornamentation workshop (hands on)
Lecture 7: Ornamentation in Albanian music
Ornamentation in Macedonian music
Ornamentation in Greece
Ornamentation in Turkey
Keeping embellishment styles separate
Revisiting all Balkan ornamentation styles
Appropriating melodies and songs
Whose is this song?
Lecture 8: Review
Question and answer session
Class 3. Rudiments of Music Theory
*
Starting Date: TBD This class teaches the fundamentals of music and basic music literacy. Rudiments of Music Theory is a college-level course with pre-recorded classroom video lectures, drills, homework, and exams. The course is taught asynchronously and is divided into 8 units:
- Notation and letter names (treble and bass clefs)
- Major scales and key signatures; constructing major scales
- Minor scales and key signatures; Harmonic and Melodic minor
- Rhythms and meters (Western): simple and compound meters
- Intervals: simple, compound, and enharmonic; altering the interval quality
- Triads in root position and inversion; chord symbols
- Seventh chords in root position and inversion; chord symbols
- Comparing different chord symol systems
- Introduction to functional harmony and Roman numerals
- Working with notaton software (Musescore)
For this course, we will be using the most advanced cloud-based music theory software in the world called Harmonia, a platform specifically designed for Music Theory courses. Harmonia gives you the unique option to learn, drill, practice, improve your scores (multiple submission), and test your skills against the Harmonia algorithms. Imagine for a second all the music theory and voice leading rules fed to a form of artificial intelligence (AI), this is what Harmonia is. Harmonia is an excellent online system which I have been perfecting for the past 6 years and I think you will love it!
The Harmonia app contains everything that you will need to complete this fundamentals course: my recorded video lectures, theory lessons (the textbook), and exercises. Take the course at your own pace within the course duration.