Introduction
In the previous lessons, I explained the concepts of Tonal Harmony and Modal Harmony.
- I defined Tonality as having a functional harmony & a tonal centre
- I defined Modality as having a non-functional harmony & a tonal centre
With functional harmony (Tonality) there is a strong pull to the tonic, with the V7 wanting to resolve down a 5th to the tonic chord (like a G7 resolving to a CMaj7).
In modal harmony, however, because there is no functional harmony there IS NOT as strong a pull to the tonic. However, because there still IS a tonic, there is still SOME tendency to want to resolve to it. It is nowhere near as strong as in functional harmony, but it is still there.
As long as there is a tonic chord (i.e. a root note or tonal centre) there will be some tendency to want to resolve to it, no matter how weak. This is because by definition the tonic chord always feels ‘like home’ or ‘resolved’ or ‘completely at rest with no tension’. This means that all the other chords are heard in relation to the tonic chord, and therefore have some level of tension that feels like they want to resolve back to the tonic.
Pandiatonicism
In my previous lesson on Modal Jazz, I said that you need to constantly reinforce the root note to establish the tonal centre. But what happens when you stop reinforcing that root note and thus lose your tonal centre? I am going to call this Pandiatonicism.
Pandiatonicism can be defined as: The use of a diatonic scale and chords to achieve the sound of a diatonic key/mode but without emphasising a single note as the tonal centre.
Pandiatonicism literally means:
- Pan = All
- Diatonic = ‘key’
So the name implies we are playing in ‘all keys’ or ‘all the keys within a particular diatonic scale’.
Pandiatonicism is like a kind of like an in-between step separating Modality and Atonality
- Tonality → Modality → Pandiatonicism → Atonality
| Tonality | Modality | Pandiatonicism |
|---|---|---|
| Major & minor keys | All modes | Generic diatonic ‘key’ |
| Functional Harmony | No Functional Harmony | No Functional Harmony |
| Tonal Centre | Tonal Centre | No Tonal Centre |
Playing a melody and chords using only the white notes on the piano, but not emphasising any particular root note or tonic chord, would be an example of pandiatonicism.
Some Semantics
- The word ‘Tonal Harmony’ is often used as a synonym for ‘Functional Harmony’
- But technically, the term ‘Tonal’ just means there is a ‘Tonal Centre’, whether or not the harmony is ‘Functional’
- So, if you wanted to be pedantically accurate, you could use the word ‘Pitch Centric’ instead of ‘Tonal’ (which is synonymous)
So if we wanted to use very technical and academic labelling we could say:
| Technical Term | Layman’s Term | Characteristics | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch Centric Functionality | Tonality | - Functional Harmony - Tonal Centre - Diatonic (Maj & min) | All Pop songs Most Jazz songs |
| Pitch Centric Modality | Modality | - Non-Functional Harmony - Tonal Centre - Diatonic (all modes) | Modal Jazz |
| Non-Pitch Centric Modality | Pandiatonicism (Modality) | - Non-Functional Harmony - No Tonal Centre - Diatonic (all modes) | Some Modal Jazz (relatively rare) |
| Pitch Centric Chromaticism | ? | - Non-Functional Harmony - Tonal Centre - Chromatic (all notes) | Free Jazz (see next lesson) |
| Non-Pitch Centric Chromaticism | Atonality | - Non-Functional Harmony - No Tonal Centre - Chromatic (all notes) | Some Free Jazz 12 Tone Serialism |
(Aside: You CAN’T have functional harmony without a tonal centre. Functional Harmony implies that there is a tonic chord towards which we are moving).
Have a Listen to
- Love ~ John Coltrane (on the ‘First Meditations’ or ‘Meditations’ albums. This song fluctuates between tonality and pandiatonicism)