Horizontal vs Vertical

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– Music has a Horizontal Aspect (Melody) and a Vertical Aspect (Chords / Harmonies), so Composers Must think of Horizontally and Vertically when Composing Music

– i.e. you can have Notes in Series and /or Notes in Parallel at the Same Time 

– e.g Below Picture Shows a Flute Melody Against a Bassoon Melody in “Horizontal” (Counterpoint) and the Piano Deals with Vertical Chords (Harmonies)

– so Any Chord Progression has 2 Dimensions, Horizontal and Vertical

– for Example if you Play 4 Note Chords in Sequence, you can think of the Progression as a Series of Block Chords (Vertical) 

– but you can also think of the Progression as 4 Independent Musical Instruments (Horizontal), which Play One Note at a Time, playing 4 different Melodies which Line up to make the Chords (Harmony)

Example of a Bach Chorale Piano Part Performed in a Series of Chords (Vertical)

Example of a Bach Chorale Sung Simultaneously by Four Singers, Each One Melody at a Time using Clever Voice Leading (Horizontal)


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