The Principle of Least Change in Music

The principle of laziness in music composing.


An obvious example:


While moving from  C major chord to  F major chord. Instead of C E G to F A C, playing C E G to C F A on the right hand. It sounds great.


Another example:
An ordinary chord progression with many note changes is from C (1,3,5) to G (1,3,5) to C(1,3,5) ie from:
Bass C with harmony E G C to bass G harmony D G B to bass C harmony E G C.


Using the principle of least change it can be C (1,3,5) to G (4,5)  to G (1,3,5) to C (1,3,5) ie from:
Bass C with harmony E G C to bass G harmony D G C to bass G harmony D G B to bass C harmony E G C. This is used a lot by Vivaldi. It is not that one has to remember for example 4,5. Using the principle of least change we play E G C and then change just one note to get to D G C ie 4,5.


The principle of least change is a principle used possibly by most of the greatest composers of all time. And they are not too many. The interest is that this principle can creates sounds which are unusual, inordinary and exquisitely beautiful.


Another obvious example is Bolero - Ravel having the bass playing only C throughout the piece save for the last few seconds.


Also Chariots of Fire - Vangelis having a synthesizer playing the rhythmically repeating note C sharp.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU


Before giving more examples an explanation follows on how music works in as few words as possible.


Every piece of music is usually made of a set of notes called a scale or key.


The number of notes of a scale is usually seven.


C D E F G A B corresponding to Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si.


These are all the notes. But some of them may be flat or sharp ie usually the back notes of the keyboard depending on the particular scale used.


The seven notes of a scale are everywhere around the keyboard and look the same. For example there are many F notes on the piano and in music in general. These sound the same but higher or lower in pitch. An octave of a given note is the note giving similar sensation to the left or right of a given note.


Since any piece is usually made by just the seven particular notes of a scale it follows that the chords are usually just seven. They Re derived by the simple rule 1,3,5. This called the harmonic triad. This taking any note of the 7 notes of the scale and adding the 3rd and the fifth.


For example on the D major scale. Bass E defines the chord E G B. Bass A defines the chord A C# e if. MAGOR. The C is C sharp as the ad MAGOR scale has C sharp and Zv sharp by definition,


With the 1,3,5 we do not need to remember anything. The chords automatically become MAGOR or minor depending on the particular notes the scale allows. by its definition.


Most pieces of music are made by just these  seven chords or less.


The fun begins when one starts using other than 1,3,5 patterns.


For  example   (still using D major as example scale) and using the nation of figured bass:


A9 is bass A with harmony C E B.


C6 is bass C with harmony E A.


This chord for example sounds nice after D major ie:


D F# A to C E A.


Why?


It seems in music the more lazy the approach the better the sound. Less is more.


In the above example D F# A going to C E A involved only the change of 2 notes in the progression.


Other examples with just 1 change or a few as possible.ing from a propert of our brain is used by composers to make masterpieces.


It cannot be overemphasized that this principle possibly deriving from a property of our brain is used by great composers in composing masterpieces.


Example:


Vocalise Rachmaninov
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4rkcuhEV9q0


On Vocalise chords do change but one note at the time, like gradually one chord changing shale and morphing to the other. Most notes of a chord are kept the same on the next chord and change gradually as if playing a game of gradual chord progression change.


Another example:


Hello - Lionel Richie
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7hRPaIQMWbI


1st chord is A bass with A B C E. 2nd chord is G bass with G B C E and so on. it sounds fantastic even without the bass.


Another example is Chi Mai - Morricone written in F# minor.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DbHP9NtSnB0


This principle takes place thoughtout the piece. Notes from a chord to the next chord are lazily changed (or better saying not changed) creating prepared sevenths etc.


For example at the 51st second (0:51) the B bass with harmony B E G# changes at (0:45.5) to A bass harmony A C# G# ie prepared A major 7th, by the prepared G# note. And the bass of the previous chord although the it could have been E it is not. It is a lazy B which is nearer to where it was (it was already at B!) and where it is going which is to A.


At the end of the piece a lazy F# high note keeps playing through all the chords in a pedal bass way in melody. It is there all the time played in an interesting unexpected rhythm by the violins.


The sense of change is created by the lazy too bass going down step by step instead of jumping around the scale. Relativity at its best, the interval from bass to melody keeps increasing as it is the bass that gets more and more away from the constant F#. And the constant F# preparing our brain for Beaty and joy. The composer Morricone takes us by the hand and guide us to most of the miracles of the intervals of music in just a few seconds.


References:


Instructions for playing figured bass made for his scholars in music by Johann Sebastian Bach
http://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf


Musical Acoustics - Donald Hall


Vocalise - Rachmaninov - Piano Voice score


Prelude in C from the well tempered clavier score - J.S. Bach