Workshop 60 — “Butterfly”-Type Floating Harmony: Deep Pocket, Pedal Centers, Upper Structures, Parallel Voicings, Common-Tone Motion, and Making Harmony Feel Suspended Rather Than Functional
Workshop 59 focused on microtiming and pocket.
Now we keep that deep pocket but change the harmonic world.
Instead of:
chord → dominant → resolution
we explore:
a tonal center that stays present while upper harmony seems to float above it.
This is a major sound in modern jazz, fusion, soul-jazz, neo-soul, and modal arranging.
The central lesson is:
Harmony does not always need to “go somewhere.” It can hover, rotate, and change color around a stable center.
60.1Begin with a pedal centerUse C.60.2Add an open fifthLH:60.3First upper structure: E♭ majorRH:60.4Add DRH:60.5Now remove the 3rdPlay:60.6This is a recurring principleThe 3rd determines chord quality very strongly.60.7Level 1 — one bass, three upper colorsKeep C-G bass.60.8Analyze Color CE♭-A-D over C:60.9C DorianC Dorian:60.10CompareC pedal.60.11Level 2 — color without root changeSpend four bars on:60.12Harmonic movement can occur vertically rather than geographicallyTraditional functional harmony often says:60.13Level 3 — upper-triad thinkingKeep C bass.60.14B♭/CB♭-D-F over C gives:60.15Dm/CD-F-A over C:60.16F/CF-A-C over C:60.17Level 4 — rotate upper structuresKeep C.60.18Why slash-chord thinking is usefulInstead of memorizing a giant chord symbol like:60.19Level 5 — parallel movementNow keep a three-note RH shape and move it.60.20Classical warning that no longer applies rigidlyParallel movement would be heavily restricted in certain classical voice-leading contexts.60.21Level 6 — planingPlaning means moving a chord shape in parallel while preserving its intervallic structure or approximate identity.60.22Two kinds of planingsame interval structure moves.60.23Level 7 — common-tone anchorHold G in top voice.60.24Fixed pitch, changing functionG over C: 5.60.25Level 8 — bass finally movesAfter eight bars of C pedal:60.26This is why bass movement feels huge after a long pedalIf roots change every half-bar:60.27Level 9 — return to C without dominantF → C.60.28Level 10 — introduce dominant only onceAfter a long modal section:60.29G7alt compact voicingLH: G.60.30Contrast the two harmonic systemsC pedal + floating upper structures.60.31Level 11 — harmonic rhythm becomes slowStay on one color for:60.32Long duration changes perceptionA chord held for one beat may sound like:60.33Level 12 — pocket underneath slow harmonyNow bring back Workshop 59.60.34ExampleC pedal all bar.60.35Level 13 — chord fragments rather than full changesInstead of sustaining whole voicings:60.36Less vertical thinkingDo not always think:60.37Level 14 — melody can define the chord identitySuppose upper harmony omits 3rd.60.38Level 15 — suspended dominant as tonic-like colorPlay:60.39Then reveal EChange F→E.60.40Level 16 — ambiguity is a resourceYou do not always need the listener to know:60.41Level 17 — pedal with chromatic upper structuresKeep C.60.42D♭/CD♭-F-A♭ over C:60.43D/CD-F♯-A over C:60.44E♭/CE♭-G-B♭:60.45Level 18 — color progressionWrite a four-bar sequence:60.46Level 19 — register changes color perceptionPlay B♭/C:60.47Level 20 — leave the low register cleanDo not play:60.48Level 21 — quartal voicingsTry:60.49Why quartal voicings floatTraditional tertian chords strongly imply:60.50Level 22 — combine triadic and quartal languageStart with:60.51Level 23 — bass ostinato rather than held pedalInstead of long C:60.52Keep the bass riff sacredDo not alter it every bar.60.53Level 24 — upper harmony ignores bass rhythmBass riff has one rhythmic pattern.60.54Level 25 — one common upper note across planingKeep D on top.60.55Double pedal conceptNow you may have:60.56Level 26 — melody as pedalHold high G.60.57Level 27 — structural bass shiftAfter long C:60.58Then FG becomes:60.59Level 28 — common-tone modulationSuppose G is common between:60.60Level 29 — avoid chord-symbol panicWhen playing this kind of harmony, you may encounter voicings that can be named several ways.60.61Level 30 — functional cameoAfter a long suspended/modal world:60.62Level 31 — remove function againImmediately after Cm9:60.63Full-form architectureTry:60.64Practice Loop A — pedalC-G.60.65Practice Loop B — Dorian/AeolianC bass.60.66Practice Loop C — upper triadsOver C:60.67Practice Loop D — planingOne quartal shape.60.68Practice Loop E — common toneHigh G.60.69Practice Loop F — modal to functionalEight bars pedal.60.70Practice Loop G — pocketBass on-grid.60.71Improvisation Challenge 1 — C Dorian onlyC Dorian:60.72Challenge 2 — omit root in RHLH provides C.60.73Challenge 3 — one top noteHigh G only.60.74Challenge 4 — no 3rd for four barsAvoid E♭ and E.60.75Challenge 5 — functional cadence once16-bar improvisation.60.76Challenge 6 — pedal to new rootStay C for 12 bars.60.77Ear Drill — Dorian versus AeolianAgainst C:60.78Ear Drill — 3rd present versus absentCompare:60.79Ear Drill — pedal versus progressionRecord:60.80Ear Drill — function after modal suspensionListen to eight bars of C modal pedal.60.81Mini-composition exerciseWrite 24 bars centered on C.60.82Apply it to “Happy Birthday”This is one of the strangest but most educational versions yet.60.83Apply it to “Mack the Knife”Take the melody away from walking swing entirely.60.84Apply it to “The Bare Necessities”Use F pedal.60.85The larger harmonic lessonEarlier in the course, harmony mostly meant:60.86The advanced arranger chooses the modelIf you're hearing:60.87A practical diagnosticWhen harmony feels confusing, ask in this order:•Workshop 60 mini-test1. What is the core difference between functional harmony and the floating pedal harmony studied here?
← PreviousWorkshop 59 — Behind the Beat: Neo-Soul Pocket, Microtiming, Grace-Chord Slides, Inner-Voice Motion, and Rich Harmony Without Losing the GrooveNext →Workshop 61 — Melodic Minor as a Practical Color System: Altered Dominants, Lydian Dominant, Minor-Major Harmony, Locrian ♮2, and Choosing Tension by Destination