# Post-Tonal Harmony functions?



## Igneous01 (Jan 27, 2011)

Are there any guidelines or insight into structuring harmony using pitch class sets? From what I have been reading about it, sets that have common tones or share the prime set are closely related. But when I've been messing around with permutations of hexachords and pentachords, it feels like I am going in blind. Even when using related sets, I don't really know what my goal should be. 

What are other ways of finding function or direction in these sets?


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Use your ear? That seems like the best advice possible. Find what works and make use of it.

Other advice I've seen mainly focuses on not having too many octave doublings, which will make the texture seem thin, and not recycling notes too quickly, especially in the same register.


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## eilrahc (Nov 15, 2013)

Try to match up the analysis of chords (pitch sets or interval make-up) with what your ear tells you and see if you can discriminate what combinations sound 'closer' or 'further' relative to each other. There's a whole spectrum of sonorities between, say stacked fifths and stacked minor seconds, so use your ear to chart the territories!


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