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Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings to traditional harmony by Bruce Arnold for Muse Eek Publishing Company

Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings

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Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings Series

There are a set of four books in this series which step you through learning to replace traditional harmony chords with pitch class set chords. This gives your playing a very modern sound and can be used in any idiom. No complicated pitch class
theory is involved in this series it is straight out application to common chordal situations that all musicians encounter. For guitarists no reading skills are required because all chord voicings are given in chord diagrams. Grand staff versions
of chord sequences are included for pianist as is the actual voicings for each chord for guitarist who read music. Various videos are included in some of the four books to help you see and hear the application of these pitch class set chord
voicings to various musical situations in a number of styles.

The pitch class set chord voicings series includes the following books and videos:

Pitch-Class-Set-Voicings-BUNDLE by Bruce Arnold for Muse Eek Publishing Company Modal Chromatic Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings Modal Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings

Half Price on All Four Books in this Series!

The BUNDLE gets you all four books in this series. If you want a way to get into pitch class set chord voicings without a lot of theory this is the course for you. Each of the four book steps you through a proven method for learning and applying
these chords. Videos, MP3s and midi files help you learn to apply these chords. Guitar fretboard diagrams as well as grand staff charts for pianists are included. These chord voicings can be used in any style and suggested listening examples
are included to help you hear the application of these sounds to rock, metal, jazz, classical, country and blues idioms.

The BUNDLE includes the following books and videos

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Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings

Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings to Traditional Harmony

A New Approach to playing Modern Chord Voicings

“Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings” to Traditional Harmony” provides a student interested in modernizing their chord playing with four pitch class sets that effective create a new and intriguing sound for playing traditional harmony.
Examples of using these pitch class set is shown through common chord progressions. This is a direct application course spending most of the time directly apply these pitch class set chords rather than looking in pitch class set theory
or long preparatory work to begin the application of this concept. Common re-harmonization principles have also been avoided so the student will find this to be a quick method in applying pitch class sets to traditional harmony and should
find with marginal practice that their ability to complete this book will only take a few months.

What is in the “Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings to Traditional Harmony” Course

“Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings to Traditional Harmony” gives you 15 examples of how to change common traditional harmony into modern sounding pitch class set based chord progressions. The thrust of this course is direct application
of most two pitch class sets, with occasional use of two other combinations to create a non tertial based sound that is modern yet not intrusive or dissonant.

“Just a few notes on the scope of this book. There are, of course other ways these chords could be voiced and various rhythmic concepts that could be introduced but the goal of this book is a simple application of these pitch class set chords
so that you have a functioning alternative to tertial based chord voicings, giving you a modern sound that people will notice and like.

The pitch class sets used in Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings are:

  • 015 which is a half step and a perfect fourth
  • 016 which is a half step and a tritone
  • 027 which is a whole step and a fifth
  • 026 which is a whole step and a tritone

TIt is not that important that you know the internal interval combinations of these pitch class sets but I’m including it because as you dig deeper this information will become useful. But it is not needed to learn the chords initially.

Voice Leading and “Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings”

The chords are presented and then examples are shown of how to apply the new pitch class set chords. You can learn the examples in this book but I also encourage you to write your own spending one week on each chord progression.

These études could be used in an ensemble setting or in solo piano or guitar performance. Some sections of these études may be better used in one or the other, depending upon their range. (If voicings go too low in register, they can conflict
with a bass players range, so keep this in mind as you work through the course.)

Overview of “Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings” Course

So we have four 3 note chords. A three note chord would obviously have a “root” position and two inversions just like any major or minor chord. To keep things simple we are only going to voice these chords in one register that would fit well
with playing chords in a band situation. You could form other voicings of these chords that could be used in other applications but again, we are trying to just replace the traditional chords you usually use with good and easy alternatives
that create a fresh new sound.

Many Types of Files to Use

There are a lot of different ways to approach the application of pitch class sets to traditional harmony and over the last three decades I’ve found some really nice ways to integrate this ideas. “Applying 013 Chord Voicings” explores a concept
that I’ve developed of applying three to four trichord pitch class sets to traditional harmony which is just modern enough to create a fresh and pleasing sound, but not too dissonant or strange that the casual listener or traditional musician
would find it hard to play over or too odd to be accepted as a legit sound for idioms such as jazz, rock or folk music. To find this balance of new sounds that don’t ruffle any feathers so to speak, wasn’t easy though now that I have worked
with pitch class sets for almost 30 years, I wonder why I didn’t see it from the start! But exploring the realm of pitch class sets is a deep dive and I had no one to guide me but my musicianship and discerning ear so it took time just
to explore the many combinations of possible notes to find the right balance for each musical situation I found myself in.

Charts for Guitarists
  • Applying Pitch Class Set Chord Voicings to Traditional Harmony example by Bruce Arnold for Muse Eek Publishing

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About Muse Eek

Muse-Eek Publishing Company is a publishing house with a broad focus on music education. Muse-Eek also publishes fine art and poetry books, and has its own record label, Muse-Eek Records. Our online presence, Muse-Eek.com specializes in the publication of music workbooks, video courses and sound and video recordings that teach the foundation of good musicianship through groundbreaking and innovative methods along with traditional methods that have been taught for centuries. These historic methods date back through centuries of great musicians and educators. To see these interesting relationship please see Bruce Arnold's Music Education Genealogy Chart which tells you a lot about the where many of his educational ideas took root and some of the educational pillars that are evident throughout the books you find on this website. The Muse-Eek Records catalogue contains a diverse selection of music much of it by Bruce Arnold in collaboration with some of today's best players in classical, jazz, rock and avant-garde music. These are available in CD, DVD and mp3 formats. We believe in a working relationship with our music education customers; they are free to interact with the author after purchasing a book to help them through any material they don’t understand or which they need further clarification. We also have a member's area which contains a wealth of free information to help a student understand music at a deeper level and access additional files for our books. Many of our books offer cutting edge ideas regarding ear training, guitar technique, rhythm and time. These methods have a proven track record. Our main author Bruce Arnold has taught at some of the most prestigious music schools in the world, including Princeton, Dartmouth, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, The New School and NYU. Along with Mr. Arnold's publications on the Muse-eek.com website he has also written books and appeared in educational DVDs for MelBay and Truefire. Over the years Mr Arnold has used his experiences with his students to develop a program that can elevate a musician's ability to world class caliber. If you have questions about any of our books or recordings please send us an email. Along with general questions about either our record label or our publishing company we also welcome questions to help a student choose the proper materials to reach their goals. We have over 300 products to help you learn any style of music and to develop your musicianship to its peak. We also make recommendations for practice schedules for students who use our methods to get the most out of their study time. This, along with personal interaction with Bruce through email, nurtures the student's ability through a closely monitored situation, ensuring there is no wasted time or misunderstanding.