LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Simplest major scale harmony tunes?

Reharmonize_me -- 02/01/2007, 23:56:08 -- #32823

Hello, I'm looking for five opinions, one each from each of the first five respondents, about the most beautiful tune ever composed using only simple, major scale harmony, no modulations. Before responding, please be sure that you are not repeating the suggestion of a previous respondent, and please be sure that you are not adding a sixth suggestion to the mix. I'm beginning to study major scale harmony, and I will use the responses for my own study of harmony.   Thanks in advance to the first respondents, up to five, and to everyone else who considered responding, even if too late. pleasant sounds, R-m

Brotherdavies -- 02/02/2007, 05:04:42 -- #32823

Many standards do not modulate to a new key (although many do on the bridge) rather they shift briefly to new tonal centres but the shift is in the context of the original key. The first song I thought of was Stardust but there seem to be shifts to different tonal centres in this song? Bro'

JHMurray -- 02/02/2007, 05:12:47 -- #32823

"My Romance". The melody never leaves a simple F major scale but the chords make you think it does.

Reharmonize_me -- 02/03/2007, 20:32:54 -- #32823

Thanks JH and Bro. Davies, I'm starting there (even if Stardust goes out of bounds a bit)!  Two down. R_m

Jazz+ -- 02/03/2007, 21:03:36 -- #32823

I Love You For Sentimental Reasons (Nat King Cole classic)

Jazz+ -- 02/03/2007, 21:09:50 -- #32823

My Romance does not stay within diatonic chords

Jazz+ -- 02/03/2007, 21:16:11 -- #32823

Many 'A' sections stay within diatonic harmony like Blue Moon and Honey Suckle Rose, My Ship, Tea For Two, Stormy Weather, At Last, Mack The Knife for example.

Reharmonize_me -- 02/03/2007, 21:23:51 -- #32823

I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew with the way I worded the question!  I don't know how to qualify my own request. My error, and please bear with me here. If we reduce all accompaniment chords so they contain no extensions beyond the 7th, unless the melody itself adds an extension beyond the 7th, would that be a better way to qualify the tunes? I'm not interested in studying "Kumbaya", for example, but this is the kind of tune that would qualify at face value. If someone posts that "Kumbaya" is was not first written in major scale harmony, I'll have to eat a shoe or something. How about considering the melody only (as JH did), and whether that melody fits entirely into a major scale? I'm a beginner, help me out here guys and girls! (Thanks Jazz+ for the input! - and I love the Cole tune that you suggest). R-m

Reharmonize_me -- 02/03/2007, 21:32:54 -- #32823

Jazz+, I understand (about A sections), thanks for that.  I'm hoping for tunes that can be played through bridge and all, without ever leaving the harmony of the tonic key!  I'm thinking simpler than you are thinking. R_m

Jazz+ -- 02/03/2007, 23:02:28 -- #32823

("I Love You") For Sentimental Reasons (Nat King Cole classic)

Reharmonize_me -- 02/04/2007, 00:08:33 -- #32823

"I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" , suggested twice by Jazz+, is on the list. 1. Stardust 2. My Romance 3. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons Three down. I appreciate these posts very much. R_m

Reharmonize_me -- 02/04/2007, 00:23:35 -- #32823

p.s.   Concerning "My Romance", for example, if the entire melody can be expressed without leaving a major scale (as per JH), then to me, the harmony can also be expressed using just major scale harmony, even if the harmony has to be simplified a bit here or there. After all, if we are going to try to classify whether or not a tune is written in simple major scale harmony, we have to start somewhere....so why not start with the melody itself?

Reharmonize_me -- 02/04/2007, 00:46:08 -- #32823

p.p.s. I am starting to learn that a better way to write the question would have been: "Suggestions please of simple, classic tunes that never leave the tonic, either melodically or harmonically." I love this forum! R_m

Reharmonize_me -- 02/04/2007, 00:50:46 -- #32823

In my last post, replace "never leave the tonic, either melodically or harmonically..." with "never leave the major scale tonic key, either melodically or harmonically ...." pleasant sounds, R_m

jwv76 -- 02/05/2007, 03:38:58 -- #32823

I'm not sure that what you're asking for exists in the standard jazz repertoire, not that I know every song there is out there, but the reason why songs become popular among jazz musicians is because not only do they have an appealing melody, but they also serve as an interesting vehichle for improvisation. If a tune had chords that never left one key, it would be boring to blow over. There are plenty of songs like that in rock and pop music, but none I can think of in jazz. If you really I want to get a handle on how functional harmony works in major keys, I highly reccomend you take a good look at "I Got Rhythmn". There are a few variations on the way the A section is played, the way I practice the changes are (the exclamation marks are bar lines, it's late, and I'm too tired to figure out a better way to notate them here) !I vi!ii V7!iii vi!ii V7!ii/IV V7/IV!IV IV7/IV!iii vi!ii V7! (last two bars are for first ending, 2nd ending is just ii-V7-I. Also, I sometimes sub VI7alt for vi) So in the first eight bars of the tune, you've got I, ii, iii, IV, V7,  and vi, all of your diatonic chords in a major key, except viidim, which you never really see functioning in major, unless it's as a ii to the relative minor. You also got ii-V7 leading to IV, which is probably the most common harmonic side trip there is, except maybe to relative minor. The bridge is a good study in Dom7 chords moving through the cycle of 4ths.

Jazz+ -- 02/05/2007, 11:44:58 -- #32823

RHYTHM CHANGES ||: I  VI7  |  ii7  V7  | I  VI7  | ii7  V7  | | I  I7/3rd |  IV  #IVdim7 | I/5th  VI7  | ii7  V7 :||

Reharmonize_me -- 02/13/2007, 01:20:58 -- #32823

I'm starting to see that my request was a bit more compicated than I understood at first.  Even my musician friends were pressed to suggest tunes that moved only in major scale harmony and melody.  I'm going to study the thing a bit more on my own, and if I come up with a better understanding of the thing, I hope to post a better question sometime in the near future! My sincere thanks to everyone who posted a response. R_m.

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.

Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.