# Harmonic Content



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

What is harmonic content, and what are cross-relations in a scale? It means that every note is related to every other note:

C Major scale: C-C-E-F-G-A-B

Relations: First note, C: 
C-D; C-E; C-F; C-G; C-A; C-B

Then, next note, D: 
D-E; D-F; D-G; D-A; D-B

Then, next note, E: 
E-F; E-G; E-A; E-B

Then, next note, F: 
F-G; F-A; F-B

Then, next note, G: 
G-A; G-B

Then, next note, A:
A-B

These intervals can be counted, to come up with a "harmonic content" of the scale: 
minor thirds: 2 (E-F, B-C)
major seconds: 5 (C-D, D-E, F-G, G-A, A-B)
minor thirds: 4: D-F, E-G, A-C, B-D)
major thirds: 3: C-E, F-A, G-B
fourths: 5: C-F, D-G, E-A, G-C, A-D
tritones: 1: (B-F)

20 relations; with 6 basic interval types (the rest are inversions): m2/M7, M2/m7, m3/M6, M3/m6, 4th/5th/, and tritone.

You can't do this with a tone-row, because the relations are restricted by ordering:
C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B (chromatic set)

C-C#, C#-D, D-D#, D#-E, E-F, F-F#, F#-G, G-G#, G#-A, A-A#, A#-B, B-C

There a 12 interval relations. This is not a good row because the intervals are all the same, minor seconds. 

Yes, tone rows create harmonic effects, but do this only by the intervals of adjacent notes in the row, or by verticalities which result from combinatoriality, or the "stacking" of rows. Also, these harmonic simultanities are not "functional" in any referential sense; they stand alone as separate harmonic entities


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