- Lydian Chromatic Concept Pdf
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Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Lydian Chromatic Concept. This page can be read either as one continuous article from . What is the best scale to play over a CMaj7? Most people would say the C Major Scale, but George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept says otherwise. I’ve recently found out about George Russell’s book the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization and I’ve been curious about exactly.
The Lydian Scale exists as a self-organized Unity in relations to its tonic tone and tonic major chord. The Lydian Scale implies an evolution to higher levels of tonal organization. The Lydian Scale is the true scale of tonal unity and the scale which clearly represents the phenomenon of tonal gravity itself. Lydian Chromatic Concept, pp. Aug 18, 2018 The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization is a 1953 jazz music theory book written by George Russell. The book is the founding text of the Lydian Chromatic Concept (LCC), or Lydian Chromatic Theory (LCT). Russell's work postulates that all music is based on the tonal gravity of the Lydian mode.
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Apr 20, 2017 George Russell organized the information in the “map” into scales. If you look down the left hand side of THE TONAL GRAVITY CHART OF A LYDIAN CHROMATIC SCALE you will see them named, with dotted lines running left to right across the page to show where the various intervals fall inside his scale system.
Imperial knight armor skyrim. Russell builds a prototype chromatic scale starting on the Lydian Tonic by stacking fifths, skipping the interval between the seventh and eighth tones. The principal aim of The Concept is to grasp the behavior of all musical activity i. So if a Perfect 5th is the strongest non-root interval, we can build up a harmonically strong scale using intervals of Perfect 5ths.
Tonal gravity is the aural relationship between a given note and the fundamental of it’s prime-order lydian chromatic parent scale. I’m going to give a very cursory simplification for the answer because asking about Lydian Chromatic theory is just like asking about Set Theory or Serialism.
When discussing this theory you need to dispense with functional harmony. The Major Scale is known as a diatonic meaning: The more robust, comprehensive and detailed current volume adds never before published depth and dimension through exhaustive examples of analysis, scales, background information and test examples for the student.
All musical grammar and expression of this language evolves from the harmonic series. So, according to Russell, every chord has at least 11 scales that can be used over it — creating different levels of ruxsell.
If he had based his reasoning on higher harmonics, he should have ended up with Lydian b7. Post Your Answer Discard By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of serviceprivacy policy and cookie policyand that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies.
George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization
It has existed in a state of continual evolution since the early s. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Lydian Chromatic Concept. This theory was very influential. To this end, the fifth then establishes itself as the basic unit of tonal gravity whereby. The previously released versions of the book have been used to teach the LCCOTO at colleges and universities around the world over the last 40 years. These ideas are critical to understanding the significance of this theory, and are too involved and elaborate to post on this website.
What are the extra-musical considerations of the Lydian Chromatic Concept? To this end, the fifth then establishes itself as the basic unit of tonal gravity whereby “a ladder of fifths proceeding upwards from the tonic When seven ascending consecutive fifths i. Russell focuses on the Lydian mode because it can be built with fifths. Much more detailed and comprehensive answers to all these questions and clncept issues they raise are only made available in the book itself, properly presenting the knowledge within the context of each chapter and lesson.
Cobcept recently published edition of the Concept goes into great depth and discussion concerning the historical and acoustical foundations underlying the Concept. Russell’s theory has had far reaching effect especially in the realm of modal jazz. Studies in the World of Musical Improvisationp. There are currently a small number of instructors in the United States, Europe and Japan who are formally certified by George Russell to teach the Concept.
Lydian Chromatic Concept Pdf
I would like to thank Maestro Russell, whose genius and perseverance created this tonal wonderland. The Concept does not disprove the discoveries and contributions of other musical theories, but rhssell explains where their truths rest in the context of tonal gravity.
Why is the Lydian Scale of paramount importance in this Concept? This is because an octave is the second harmonic in the harmonic series. As the player ventures further from the Lydian tonic however and further up the circle of fifthsthe tonal gravity shifts.
Yes, the point you made made me realize that my answer lacked some georgf – specifically relating to use of perfect fifths. The real argument for the Lydian scale is the fact that it can be generated by stacking 6 ascending perfect fifths on top of each other. It is important not to conflate functionality with tonality. A tonal gravity field is something not unlike a pitch-class region. Play store for macbook.
Starting on the C that gives us:. What would be the most natural scale to play over a CMaj7? No art form or theory is complete without some basis in psychology and spirituality. If you want more detail — read the book and Good Luck — it is not an easy read…. Here is another quote from the text in question that might help: Simply put, the basic building block of tonal gravity is the interval of the perfect fifth. Lydian Scale is more closely aligned to the natural, universal properties of sound than the conventional major scale.
There is no “goal pressure” within the tonal gravity field of the Lydian Scale. What is the fundamental difference between the Lydian and Major Scale?
Lydian Chromatic Concept
George Russell Lydian Chromatic Pdf
Therefore, the essential difference between these two scales is that the Lydian a single tonic scale is in a state of unity with itself, and chromtaic Major Scale, with its two tonics, is in lydisn state of resolving. Lydian Chromatic Concept Theory basically asserts that the lydian scale is more closely aligned to the natural, universal properties of sound than the conventional major scale. Russell believed that dominant function was the driving force behind all harmonic motion.
What is the aim of the Lydian Chromatic Concept? The Lydian Chromatic Concept does not prefer the Lydian scale because it is “more closely aligned to the harmonic series than the major scale”.
Retrieved from ” https: Email Required, but never shown. In other projects Wikimedia Commons. For example, analysis of compositions by J.
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Introduction
A question (or two): What would be the most natural scale to play over a CMaj7? What scale would most perfectly capture the “sound” of a CMaj7?
Most people, since the creation of tonal music a few centuries ago, would answer: the C Major scale – but not George Russell. Instead, George Russell came up with his own theory which he called the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation.
Now, there’s something interesting about the C Major scale when played over a CMaj7 chord. The ‘F’ is an ‘Avoid Note’ – that is, the note F clashes with the chord CMaj7. But is it not a bit strange that there is a note in the C Major Scale that doesn’t quite fit over the CMaj7 chord?
Let’s start with a CMaj7 chord.
- The root note is C.
- Now the strongest, most consonant interval is a ‘Perfect Octave’ (which, incidentally is why it is called ‘Perfect’). This is because an octave is the second harmonic in the harmonic series.
- The next most consonant interval is the ‘Perfect 5th’ (which, again, is why it is called ‘Perfect’). And again this is because the Perfect 5th is the 3rd harmonic in the harmonic series. This is the basis of the Dominant-Tonic relationship – harmonically the strongest possible chord progression.
George Russell says the interval of a Perfect 5th establishes ‘tonal gravity’ which pulls towards the tonic (like a Dominant Chord pulls down to the Tonic Chord). The interval of a Perfect Fifths is the basis of the entire Lydian Chromatic Concept.
Lydian Chromatic Concept
So if a Perfect 5th is the strongest non-root interval, we can build up a harmonically strong scale using intervals of Perfect 5ths. Starting on the C that gives us:
- C → G → D → A → E → B → F#
So we get a scale with all the notes of the C Major scale but with an F# rather than an F – which is a G Major Scale or the C Lydian Mode.
A scale created by stacking Perfect 5ths establishes ‘harmonic order’ whereby each note of the scale is pulled down a 5th by ‘tonal gravity’ back to the tonic (root note). The F# pulls to the B; the B pulls to the E and so on until we reach C.
So by playing C Lydian instead of C Major over a CMaj7 chord, the following things happen:
- We now have a scale with no avoid notes over a CMaj7 chord
- By getting rid of a F, we remove the diatonic tritone interval between the B & F which is the basis of the Dominant chord and thus the Dominant-tonic relationship and thus we have, in a sense, remove tonality itself
- All notes in this scale now work well over the chord without sounding like they need to resolve anywhere
- Each note is related to the next via ‘tonal gravity’ and each tends back to the root note (C)
So we’ve had it wrong for the last 400 years. The scale that fits best fits over a CMaj7 is not C Major but C Lydian (AKA G Major). This theory was very influential. Bill Evans and Miles Davis were influenced by this theory when writing songs for the album Kind of Blue – arguable the most successful Jazz album of all time and one that epitomises Modal Jazz.
Further Study
Now, of course, there is much more to the Lydian Chromatic Concept than this. The full Concept is too complex, convoluted and large to cover here in detail. But the Lydian Chromatic Concept is just a different way of allocating ‘correct’ scales to a particular chord.
Essentially, George Russell came up with seven ‘Vertical Principle Scale‘ based on a ‘Lydian Chromatic Order of Tonal Gravity’:
George Russell Lydian Concept Pdf Art
- Lydian
- Lydian Augmented
- Lydian Diminished
- Lydian♭7 (Lydian Dominant)
- Auxiliary Augmented (Wholetone)
- Auxiliary Diminished (W/H Diminished)
- Auxiliary Diminshed Blues (H/W Diminished)
And four further ‘Horizontal Scales’:
- Major
- Major ♭7
- Major Augmented 5th
- African-American Blues Scale
He then derives chords from each of the degrees of each of the 7 Principle Scales and says you can use any of the 7 Principle Scales or 4 Horizontal Scales over any chord derived from one of the 7 Principle Scales. So, according to Russell, every chord has at least 11 scales that can be used over it – creating different levels of dissonance.
An Example
Say, we have a Cm7♭5 chord and we want to find a scale to use to improvise over this chord. This chord is the #4 chord of the G♭ Lydian Scale. This means we can use the 7 Principle Scales (and 4 Horizontal Scales) from G♭ over this chord (G♭ Lyd, G♭ Lyd Aug, G♭ Lyd Dim, G♭ Lyd♭7, G♭ Aux Aug, G♭ Aux Dim, G♭ Aux Dim Blues + 4 Horizontal Scales). G♭ Lydian will sound the most ‘pleasant’ or ‘consonant’ over this chord, and the most related to the Lydian Tonic of (G♭). The further out you go (Aux Dim, Aux Dim Blues) it will sound more harsh and ‘dissonant’ and less related to the Lydian Tonic of G♭.
But Cm7♭5 is also the VI chord of E♭ Lydian Diminished Scale (E♭ F G♭ A B♭ C D E♭). This means we can use the7 Principle Scales and 4 Horizontal Scales from E♭ over this chord (E♭ Lyd, E♭ Lyd Aug, E♭ Lyd Dim, E♭ Lyd♭7, etc.). But Cm7♭5 is MORE related to G♭ Lydian and LESS related to E♭ Lydian – so will sound more consonant over G♭ and more dissonant over E♭. So you have a choice of 22 different scales you can use to improvise over this one chord.
Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organisation
That, in a nutshell, is the Lydian Chromatic Concept. If you want more detail – read the book (and Good Luck – it is not an easy read…).