"Lydian Chromatic Concept" Discrepancies
Jeff Brent ©2008/2009
It has never been my aim to besmirch Mr
Russell's character or hard work, it
is simply my duty as a diligent person to check the facts.
Proofreading
is one of my areas of expertise, and while reading through the LCC,
I began taking notes. This article is the result of said notes.
As
instructed, I entered into this with an open mind, hoping to find
the inner truth within this concept.
Sadly,
I found quite the opposite. In the interests of making the truth
public, here are my findings for the record:
- In the footnote on
page 3, the author states that from "C to F [I to
IV] is 500 cents, and from C to F# [I to #IV]
is 600 cents. The 11th harmonic is 551 cents."
Based
on the infinitesimal difference of one little cent
(1/100th of a semitone = 1%), the author makes the demonstrably
false claim that F# [#IV] is the "natural child of the
overtone series"!
In
fact, as you'll see below, the difference is actually LESS than
0.1%.
The
11th overtone of C is neither an F (perfect 4th) nor an
F# (augmented 4th)
as
it is positioned squarely between the two.
Moving
away from C as our do, and instead using A440 (4A)
as our point of reference, we have:
440Hz
X 11
= 4840Hz (the 11th overtone)
Tempered
8D
= 4698.64Hz (a distance of 141.36Hz away from 4840Hz)
Tempered
8D#
= 4978.03Hz (a distance of 138.03Hz away from 4840Hz)
This
means that tempered 8D# is only 3.333Hz closer than tempered 8D
to the 11th overtone of A440.
The difference of 3.33Hz
when compared to a frequency of 4840Hz is not
only not discernible to the human ear, but represents
a miniscule 0.069% difference!!!
By using the physics of natural pythagorean
tuning,
it
can be proven that natural D is much closer to the 11th overtone
of A
than
either the natural D# OR the tempered D#:
One can find a natural
D by either calculating one perfect 5th below A, or by calculating
eleven perfect 5ths above A.
Eleven
perfect 5ths above A = D4757.365 (a distance of 82.635Hz away from
4840Hz)
One
perfect 5th below A = D4693.333 (a distance of 146.667Hz away from
4840Hz)
The average distance
of these two natural D's from the 11th overtone (4840Hz) is 114.651Hz
One can find a natural
D#/Eb by either calculating six perfect
5ths below A, or by calculating six perfect 5ths above A.
Six perfect 5ths above
A = D#5011.875 (a distance of 171.875Hz away from 4840Hz)
Six
perfect 5ths below A = Eb4944.411 (a distance of 104.411Hz away
from 4840Hz)
The average distance
of these two natural D#'s from the 11th
overtone (4840Hz) is 138.143Hz.
This
means that natural 8D is an average of 23.492Hz closer
to the 11th overtone of A440 than natural 8D#.
This does not
mean that I believe that the 11th overtone is a perfect 4th, what
it means is that no matter how you cut it THE ELEVENTH OVERTONE
IS NEITHER A PERFECT FOURTH NOR AN AUGMENTED FOURTH.
The 13th overtone (13 is a prime number like 11),
is also neither a b6 nor a maj6th
The "Overtone Series
Chart" example I:3 on page 2 is incorrect
in this instance as well. It lists the 13th overtone as being a
maj6th/13th.
When using A110 (2A)
as our point of reference, its 13th overtone is 1430Hz.
Tempered 6F is 1396.91Hz
(a distance of 33.09Hz away from 1430Hz)
Tempered
6F# is 1479.98Hz (a distance of 49.98Hz away from 1430Hz)
By using the same flawed
criteria applied to the 11th overtone in the "Overtone Series Chart",
the 13th overtone should by all rights be dubbed a b6th
in that "approximation" chart (and NOT a maj6th).
However, THE THIRTEENTH OVERTONE IS STILL NEITHER A
MINOR SIXTH NOR A MAJOR SIXTH!
This also means that the chart on page 230 is incorrect.
Occurrence of Fourths
in the Overtone Series
The
very first overtone that qualifies as ANY kind of a 4th (perfect
or augmented) is the 21st overtone, which is very
close to either the tempered OR natural PERFECT fourth:
21st overtone of A110
(2A)
= 2310Hz
tempered
7D
= 2349.32Hz (39.32Hz from 2310Hz)
natural
7D below A3520
= 2346.66Hz (36.66Hz from 2310Hz)
The 22nd overtone (the 11th overtone
doubled) suffers from the same ambiguity as the 11th overtone discussed
above.
The very first occurrence of any overtone which even approaches
either a tempered or natural augmented 4th is the 23rd overtone.
23rd overtone of A110
(2A)
= 2350Hz
tempered
7D#
= 2489.02Hz (139.02Hz from 2350Hz)
natural
7D# six 5ths above A220
= 2505.94Hz (155.94Hz from 2350Hz)
natural
7Eb six 5ths below A28160
= 2472.21Hz (122.21Hz from 2350Hz)
Note that The
Perfect Fourth occurs FIRST in the overtone series
(NOT the augmented fourth)!
Also
note: The 21st overtone perfect fourth is much closer to
being a true perfect fourth
(average
37.99Hz difference vs 2310Hz = 1.644%
variance)
than
the 23rd overtone is to being a true augmented fourth!
(average
139.05 difference vs 2350Hz = 5.917%
variance)
If only the author had
taken the time to sit down with a calculator and not blindly accepted
the errors presented in the ubiquitous "approximation" chart I:3
on page 2, he might have chosen to omit that flawed "Overtone Series
Chart" in his attempt to justify his theories.
If the LCC theory is based
on a "ladder" of ascending fifths emanating from a center of tonal
gravity "do", why specifically choose a 7 note tone
row? Why not 6 notes or 8 notes or why not any number?
5 notes = CGDAE 6 notes
= CGDAEB 8 notes
= CGDAEBF#C#
Five or six note scales work fine too. But that 8th note (C#) presents
a little problem, doesn't it?
What
law of physics would suggest that a tonal center would continue
to progressively generate perfect fifths going AWAY from its central
point of gravity in order to imply an augmented 4th?
Certainly not the overtone series (qv.
the discussion above of the "Overtone Series Chart").
In order for a do
to generate an ascending ladder of fifths to somehow eventually
imply an augmented 4th, the overtones
themselves would have to be producing overtones.
Beginning at 0A (the lowest A on the piano keyboard) 27.5Hz, its
third overtone E (the 5th) would be at a frequency 3 times that
(2E: natural=82.5Hz, tempered=82.41).
3
times natural 2E (E's 3rd overtone B) = 247.5Hz (3B "the 2nd" [tempered=246.94Hz])
3
times natural 3B (B's 3rd overtone F#) = 742.5Hz (5F# "the 6th"
[tempered=739.99Hz])
3
times natural 5F# (F#'s 3rd overtone
C#) = 2227.5Hz (7C# "the 3rd" [tempered = 2217.46Hz])
3
times natural 7C# (C#'s 3rd overtone
G#) = 6682.5Hz (8G# "the 7th" [tempered = 6644.88Hz])
3
times natural 8G# (G#'s 3rd overtone
D#) = 20047.5Hz (10D# "the augmented
4th" [tempered=19912.12Hz)
The glitch with this hypothesis of a series of overtones producing
overtones (which become progressively less detectable) is that 8G#
is already higher than the highest note on the piano, and the frequency
of the #4 exceeds the limit of the range of human hearing.
The
Major Sixth
Another
problem is the major 6th degree. It does not appear in at least
the first 26 overtones of the overtone series. If do
implies a major 6th in the overtone series, it certainly does so
extremely weakly.
A true major
6th does not occur in the overtone series until the 27th overtone.
In addition,
it is preceded in the overtone series by a b6
(overtone 25).
In the LCC stack of
fifths, the major 6th is the third 5th up from do.
Which places it squarely in the middle of the
stack.
We
know that both the lydian and ionian
(major) scales have a major 6th in them, but since weak overtones
produce even weaker overtones, we are obliged to discredit the notion
that do implies a major 6th by the generation of
overtones producing overtones producing overtones. Which also automatically
discredits the notion that a do implies a #4
by continually stacking overtones of overtones.
The
question then arises: "The major 6th is not implied by the overtone
series, and the major 6th is not implied by continually stacking
overtone 5ths of overtone 5ths. Yet we know the major 6th exists
in the both those scales. How do we account for that?"
The First Seven Overtones
Since
the overtone series neither produces a 4th nor a 6th within the
first 20 overtones, we can easily see that all of the strong tones
implied by do in the overtone series can be obtained
from the very first seven overtones:
Root (do)
= 1st, 2nd and 4th overtones
3rd
= 5th overtone
5th
= 3rd and 6th overtone
b7
= 7th overtone
(NB.
4ths and 6ths are conspicuously absent from the above pitch collection)
We
have only the root (do), major 3rd, perfect 5th,
and b7th.
Translated
to C = C E G Bb
While
the do does not DIRECTLY imply any kind of 4th or
6th,
the tritone present in the relationship between the maj3rd (5th
overtone) and b7th (7th overtone)
INDIRECTLY implies the two notes that the tritone interval has
the strongest tendency to resolve to:
The
Perfect 4th (not
the #4) and The Major 6th!
C
E -> F
G A
<- Bb
The
extremely strong tendency for any note (or chord) to resolve up
a 4th (or down a 5th, if you prefer) is due in no small part to
this tritone relationship existing within the 5th and 7th overtones
of the fundamental's harmonic series.
On
page 9 of the theory
book"Modalogy" titled 'Evolution of the Major
Scale'
one
can easily see that the major 6th occurs in the very first level
of consonance,
with
the footnote that the major scale (ionian)
do is actually the third mode of the
radially
symmetrical scale that we call nowadays the "natural minor
scale" (Aeolian).
(NB.
The do of the Aeolian
is the major 6th of the Ionian!)
Taking
The Opposite Point Of View: That F# Somehow
Implies C
While it is certainly
true that any chord with an F# root has a strong tendency to resolve
to some kind of a B chord, and that any chord with a B root has
a tendency to resolve to some kind of E chord, etc. That circular
relationship holds true no matter how many chords are in the chain,
from the simplest V-I, to the ii-V-I, to the vi-ii-V-I, etc, etc,
etc.
Which
is to say that the progression could go simply to the next chord
around the circle, or clear up to all the way around the circle
through all twelve chords and finally end up where it began.
A
seven-chord pure circular progression beginning on an F# can, of
course, eventually arrive at some kind of C chord, but
...
A three-chord circular
progression beginning on an F# will end
on some kind of E chord, just as an eight-chord circular progression
will eventually end up on some kind of F chord.
The
fact is that these circular tendencies exist right across the board
no matter how many chords there are in the circular progression.
The existence of a seven-chord
circular progression, while certainly possible, is exceedingly rare
in music.
It
has already been proven above that a do does not
imply a #4, and since the distance of
an F# to C is also an interval of a #4, then F# cannot therefore
directly imply a C for the same abovementioned reasons.
In
addition, when using the notes in C lydian
(G major), the chord built off of the F# is a half-diminished 7th.
The
most common use of a half-diminished 7th is in the minor ii-V-i
progression, where the F# half-diminished 7th moves up a perfect
4th to a (typically altered) B7 and then moves up another perfect
4th to finally resolve squarely on the tonic E minor. In this instance
it does not carry forward into the A, D, G, C circular chords, but
comes to rest on the E minor.
Taking
into account the tritone inherent in the F# half-diminished chord
(F#-C), that tritone's greatest tendency
is to resolve directly to the G and B of the G major chord of the
G major scale (G major = C lydian) and
stay there. In this instance the F# half-diminished chord acts in
a dominant function as a rootless D9 resolving to the tonic G chord
and resting there.
Another
use of the half-diminished 7th is as an Altered Minor 7th chord.
The lowered/altered 5th acts as a color tone and the tritone tendencies
are typically ignored.
In
this instance, the F#m7b5 chord moves to some kind of B chord in
exactly the same way that its unaltered counterpart (F#m7) would.
It should be noted that an unaltered F#m7 chord contains a C# (which
certainly does not imply a C).
Using
the notes in the C lydian scale (G major scale), this F#m7b5 (with
its altered C#) would typically move to a Bm7, then Em7, then Am7,
then D7, then finally to Gmaj.
In
this instance, the progression would normally be felt as resolving
to the G major (a result of the immediately preceding Am7-D7 ii-V
change). Moving from a Gmaj to a Cmaj
would be felt as a I-IV rather than a
Vmaj-Imaj progression because the Gmaj
does not resolve to a Cmaj with the
same strength that a V7-I (G7-Cmaj) cadence has.
The
Most Common and Useful Scales
All of
the most common and useful scales are derived naturally
from radially symmetrical parallel structures
and not via uni-directional ascending
fifths.
(qv.
"Modalogy"
pg 9 'The Evolution of the Major Scale' and
"Modalogy" pg 40 'The Derivation
of Radially Symmetrical Altered Scales')
Either
the author is unaware of the laws of physics governing the evolution
of the major scale, or chooses to ignore them because they don't
fit into his system.
The
Positioning Of The b2/#1 In The "Order
Of Tonal Gravity"
- Page 14 Example II:3
According
to this logic of stacking 5ths upwards, the b2/#1 should be positioned
squarely between the #4 and the #5. It makes no sense that this
"symmetry" of ascending 5ths should be interrupted and that the
b2/#1 should appear at the very end of the order.
If
these are immutable laws of physics, then these laws should hold
true right across the board and not only for the first 7 degrees.
A
scale containing the b2/#1 should rightly constitute the LCC's
"8 tone order" (which is non-existent and instead replaced
by the Lydian Augmented Scale - third mode of the melodic minor).
On
pages 16, 53 and 231, this omission is noted with the defense that
it is in deference to the "evolution of western harmonies'"
main chords.
As
it stands, I strongly suspect that the author chose to skip over
the b2 and shove it to the end because it didn't fit well with the
rest of his premises.
On
page 52 the author states "The higher the law, the fewer
number of smaller subjective laws".
I take this to mean
the properties of physics hold true all of the time without a need
for "patches" to account for perceived anomalies.
In
the system described in Modalogy's
'Evolution of the Major Scale',
there are no anomalies or glitches to fix.
Just the elegant beauty of simple perfection.
In
Brent's system, the b2 is introduced into the mix without a hitch,
as it is the very next logical step and the next common scale tool
after major modes and melodic minor scales have been derived.
Scale Comparisons
LCC
Scales (G.Russell)
Radially Symmetrical
Scales (J.Brent)
Lydian Scale
Minor and Major Pentatonic Scales
[4th mode of Ionian Scale]
Aeolian Mode
Lydian Augmented Scale
[3rd mode of Melodic Minor]
Ionian Mode
Lydian Diminished Scale
Double Harmonic Scale
[4th mode of Harmonic Major]
Jazz Melodic Minor Scale
Lydian Flat Seventh
Scale
[4th mode of Melodic Minor]
Whole-Tone Scale
Auxiliary Augmented
Scale
Diminished Scale
[Whole-Tone Scale]
Dorian Mode
Auxiliary Diminished
Scale
[Wh
Diminished Scale]
Major Bebop Scale
Auxiliary Diminished
Blues Scale
[hW
Diminished Scale]
Major Scale
[Ionian Scale]
Major Flat Seventh Scale
[5th mode of Ionian Scale = Mixolydian
Mode]
Major Augmented Fifth Scale
[Major Bebop Scale]
African American Blues Scale
[combined Minor Pentatonic Blues
Scale w/ Dominant Bebop Scale]
Pentatonics
Major Pentatonic and Minor Pentatonic
Lydian b3
[b6th
mode of Harmonic Minor]
Lydian
Dim b7
[4th mode of Harmonic Minor]
9-note
Semi-Chromatic mode
Pan Major +5
10-note
Semi-Chromatic modes (Radially
Symmetrical [h-h-h-W-h-W-h-h-h])
Pan Lydian
Pan Diminished Blues
Organizing
the above LCC scales into families, yields:
Ionian
Modes:
Lydian Scale
Major Scale
[ionian mode]
Major Flat Seventh Scale
[mixolydian mode]
Jazz
Melodic Minor Modes:
Lydian Augmented Scale
[3rd mode]
Lydian Flat Seventh Scale
[4th mode]
Diminished
Scales(s):
Auxiliary Diminished Scale
[Wh
dim scale]
Auxiliary Diminished Blues
[hW
dim scale]
Whole-Tone
Scale:
Auxiliary Augmented Scale
Major
Bebop Scale:
Major Augmented Fifth Scale
Harmonic
Major Scale:
Lydian Diminished Scale
[4th mode]
African American Blues Scale
[combined Minor Pentatonic Blues
Scale w/ Dominant Bebop Scale]
Pentatonics
Major and Minor
Harmonic Minor Scale
Lydian b3
[b6th mode]
Lydian Dim b7 [4th
mode]
9-note
Semi-Chromatic mode
Pan Major +5
10-note
Semi-Chromatic modes (Radially
Symmetrical [h-h-h-W-h-W-h-h-h])
Pan Lydian
Pan Diminished Blues
As
can be seen from the above,
"The
Lydian Chromatic Concept" AND "The
Radially Symmetrical Scales System"
both
contain the following essential scales:
Pentatonic Modes
The
Ionian Modes
The
Jazz Melodic Minor Modes
The
Diminished Scales
The
Whole-Tone Scales
The
Major Bebop Scale
These
six scale families above contain the most common and useful scales
and modes for all of occidental music. Every practical
chord possibility can be constructed from the notes found inside
these scales and their modes.
The main difference
between the occurrence of the above scales
and modes in either system is the manner by which they are derived.
In
the "Radially Symmetrical" system, all
of the above scale families can be derived in six elegant simple
steps. The LCC requires a much lengthier logic to arrive at these
very same results.
The
LCC contains four scale families which are not radially
symmetrical:
The
"Lydian Diminished" (4th mode of Harmonic Major), "Lydian b3" and
"Lydian Dim b7" (b6th and 4th mode of the Harmonic Minor), "African
American Blues" (a composite scale) and the Pan Major +5 (a rare
9-note Semi-Chromatic Scale).
The
"Radially Symmetrical" system has one
scale which does not appear in the LCC:
The Double Harmonic
(this is sometimes interesting to play to get an altered dominant
7th chord feel as it contains the 5, the 6th, a b7, all three of
the 9ths, and to keep everybody happy there's a #4 in there too).
"Chart
A" Irregularities
- In the right column
of Chart A, under Lydian Scale Chordmodes,
listed above the VII are the chord possibilities
of:
7b9
and 11b9
In
order for a chord to be a 7b9 it requires a major third. Constructing
a chord from the 7th degree of the Lydian scale yields a
m7 chord (which has a minor third in it). Perhaps this is
a typo (that has been overlooked for over 50 years).
According
to standard practice, an 11th chord has to contain all of the chord
tones underneath it (1, 3, b7, 9). While the 11b9 chord that is
listed on page 28 contains a root, a 7th and a b9, it does NOT contain
a third. Consequently, this chord should be properly called a "sus7b9".
So
why isn't the m7 chord even listed at
all under VII? The phrygian
(which is never mentioned in the LCC) is one of the very most useful
scales to play over a minor chord built off this degree (third degree
of major scale - seventh degree of lydian scale).
- In the right column
of Chart A, under Lydian Augmented
Scale Chordmodes, listed above
the VII are the chord possibilities of:
7b9, 7b9#9,
11b9
In
order for a chord to be a 7b9, 7b9#9 or 11b9 it requires a major
third. Constructing a chord from the 7th degree of the Lydian Augmented
scale yields a m7 or a m6 chord (both
of which have a minor third in it).
And
once again why aren't the m7 and m6 chords even listed at all under
VII?
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Lydian
Diminished Scale Chordmodes,
listed above the VI are the chord possibilities
of:
m13b5,
m11b5, m9b5 and m7b5
However,
in the explanation on page 37 are listed the following chord possibilities:
Dim
Triad
(A C Eb)
Dim
Min 6 (A
C Eb Gb)
[dim7]
Dim
Min 7 b5 (A C Eb F# G)
[???
dim7add6 ???]
Dim
Min 9 b5 (A C Eb F# G B)
[??? dim9add6 ???]
These two chord lists
are not only not consistent with one another,
but also the descriptive names of the chords on page 37 (excepting
the "Dim Triad") are incorrect.
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Lydian
Diminished Scale Chordmodes,
listed above the +IV is the chord possibility "Dim
tetrachord".
This
is an incorrect use of the word "tetrachord".
The word tetrachord is used to describe
four consecutive step-wise notes. It is commonly thought of as "a
half-scale". The diminished tetrachord's
formula is R-h-W-h (ex: B C D Eb).
If
a four-note chord is meant here, then the correct word is "tetrad"
("triad" is a 3-note chord, and "pentad" is a five-note chord).
On
page 38, the chord is listed as a "m6b5",
with no mention of a "diminished" anything.
-
On page 44, under Auxiliary Augmented
Mode II example III:22 are listed
the following chord possibilities:
1.
D9b13#11
(D F# A# C E G#) [correct]
2.
D7+5+11
(D F# A# C) [incorrect - no #11th present]
3.
D7b5+11
(D F# Ab C) [incorrect
- to include an 11th in a chord the 9th must be present. Also incorrect
because of redundancy b5 = +11] The correct
symbol is D7b5.
4.
D9+11
(D F# G# C E) [incorrect - should be called D9b5]
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Auxiliary
Diminished Scale Chordmodes,
above the II are listed the following chord possibilities:
13b9+9b5,
7b5, 7b9, 7b9b5, 7+9+11
At
the top of page 47, the following chord possibilities are listed:
13b9#9b5,13#9,
13b9#11, 7b9+9
While
these chords are not incompatible, they are also not consistent
with each other.
It
should also be noted that the improper use of the word "tetrachord"
(instead of the correct "tetrad") occurs again both in Chart A,
under Auxiliary Diminished Scale Chordmodes;
and also on page 45 in example III:23.
The
third chord on page 47 in example III:25
is listed as D13b9#11, yet in the notation it contains the notes
D F# C Eb F G#
B. The correct chord symbol in this case would be D13b9#9#11.
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Auxiliary
Diminished Scale Chordmodes,
above the VI are listed the following chord possibilities:
Dim
min b13+7, Dim min +7, Dim min 9+7, Dim min 11+7
On
page 47 in example III:26, the following
chord possibilities are listed:
Dim
min 6, Dim min +7, Min6+5, Min6+5+7
While
these chords are not actually incompatible, they are also not consistent
with each other. And extremely confusing as to what notes are actually
in the chords in Chart A.
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Auxiliary
Diminished Blues Scale Chordmodes,
listed above the I are
the following chord possibilities:
Maj
triad, Maj 6, Maj
b7, Maj b7b9+11
On
page 48 example III:27 are listed these
chord possibilities:
Maj,
Maj 6th, Maj
b7th, Maj b7b9+11, Dim Maj
(dim7)
The Dim
Maj (dim7) chord is conspicuously
absent from Chart A.
-
In the right column of Chart A, under Auxiliary
Diminished Blues Scale Chordmodes,
listed above the VI are the following chord possibilities:
min
13th b9 nat3 +11, min triad, min 6th, min 7th, min 7b5, min
13b5
On
page 50 example III:29 are listed these
chord possibilites:
1.
A Min
(A C E)
[correct]
2.
A Min 6th
(A C E F#)
[correct]
3.
A Min 7th
(A C E G)
[correct]
4.
A Min 7th b5
(A C Eb G)
[correct]
5.
A Min 13th b5
(A C Eb G Bb
D F#) [incorrect - should be called Am13b5b9]
This means that the
m13b5 chord listed in Chart A is also incorrect
as an Am13b5 chord would contain a nat9 (B) which does not exist
within the "Auxiliary Diminished Blues Scale Chordmode"
(hW dim scale).
Two-Step Thought Process vs
One-Step
As with the "major scale
modes and the melodic minor modes", it is exceedingly inconvenient
to think of modes as being conjoined with a parent scale. This
makes every decision a two-step process: "What is the parent?
And what degree of the parent scale should I play now?"
It
is so much quicker, easier and intuitive to simply think: "OK,
I've got a chord here with a few choice 'connector' tricks I can
throw in to get around my chord tones."
There
are a great number of ways to approach or "connect" target chord
tones, and many of them rely on principles such as:
· neighbor
hinges (chromatic or diatonic - ascending or descending)
·
multiple contiguous chromatics (ascending
or descending)
·
encirclement by thirds or larger jumps
(chromatic, semi-chromatic, or diatonic)
·
multiple encirclements (as used by Miles
Davis in the bebop era)
The author does not
take these techniques into account, and effectively posits that
the best way to improvise over chords is by using the LCC scales.
Cmaj13
wants to resolve to a Cmaj13#11
Page 5 Example I:2
asserts that a Cmaj13 wants to resolve to a Cmaj13#11. To my ear
that does NOT sound like any kind of resolution whatsoever.
Another
way of stating the above is that a C major scale wants to resolve
UP a 5th to a G major scale/C (or that an F lydian
scale/C wants to resolve UP a 5th to a C lydian scale).
Why
would this Cmaj13 chord need to resolve UP a 5th, when all other
chords usually resolve DOWN a 5th?
Omissions
- Lack of Quartals.
Quartal harmonies and tunes did not
show up in jazz until the advent of "modal jazz". However,
since Mr Russell claims to have invented
modal jazz, it is extremely surprising that this harmonic genre
is not addressed. Especially since quartals
play such a large part in the harmonies of so many numbers in the
modal jazz genre.
- The author also neglects
to take into account the powerful force of the tritone which resolves
to the two defining notes of the tonic. It is precisely this tritone
that gives the major scale its predominance over all other occidental
tonalities. (qv.
"Modalogy"
and the discussion of the overtone series above in this article).
The
True Meaning of Diatonic
On page 8, Russell claims that the term "diatonic" stems
from the latin prefix "di-" (meaning "two") and that that
indicates that the diatonic scale is composed of two tonalities
(one based on "Do" and the other on "Fa").
He then explodes this into a whole
"concept" in itself to further attempt to justify his concept.
The term "diatonic" stems
from Greek. The "dia-" prefix means "traversing", "through"
or "across", and is used in English words like "diameter", "diagram",
"diagonal" etc.
Which begs the question "Did
he know that he was lying and was just using that premise to build
another one of his faulty logic chains in order to fool people,
or did they not have dictionaries and encyclopedias on his planet?"
Conclusion
Inconsistencies, discrepancies and outright falsehoods such
as those mentioned above make the student's job of first successfully
deciphering and then subsequently assimilating this material next
to impossible and much more work than should be necessary to grasp
this sub-set of theoretical chord/scale musical possibilities.
If
someone has trouble understanding a concept, is it the author's
fault for not being able to get the point across in a succinct manner
or is it the fault of the learner?
The
author states on page 224, that he realized that he "couldn't
keep something so powerfully evident in nature a secret".
If
something so "so powerfully evident in nature" couldn't
be kept a secret, then why have only a small minority of musicians
ever even heard of this book, and an even smaller number have read
it (not to mention the much much smaller
number of those who claim to understand it, and have ever found
it useful)?
There
are several reasons that the Lydian Chromatic Concept never became
widely thought of as an alternate way to describe music (besides
the hard-to-read proprietary language it's written in).
The
main reason being, by not having it published by a major publishing
house at a reasonable price point, the masses have been prevented
from gaining access to the book.
But,
by keeping the book out of the hands of the general public, he has
also kept it out of the hands of critics and experts in the field
of the physics of music, most of whom
would have certainly pointed out the flaws in both the concept and
also the many errors found within the book.
In
the case of this article, something so powerfully NOT
evident in nature unquestionably couldn't be kept a secret.
The main points that
I gleaned from studying the LCC
1. It's ok to play a #4
2.
I can play a whole bunch of scales (the same scales that I already
know) over chords (the same chords that I already know), but I have
to learn to call them different names
3.
A side effect of the lack of unity makes the level of physical violence
more prevalent.
4.
The author thinks "The Star Spangled Banner" is Lydian
J.Brent©2008/2009