MUSIC 151 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Chromatic Scale, Major Scale, Octoechos
Document Summary
Harmony in music adds support, depth and richness to a melody. It refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other. A chord is a combination of three or more tones sounded at once. A chord progression is a series of chords. Chord progressions enrich a melody by adding emphasis, surprise, suspense, and/or finality. Some chords are considered stable and restful, while others are unstable and tense. A tone combination that is stable and restful is called a consonance. Consonances are points of arrival, rest, and resolution. A tone combination that is unstable and tense is called a dissonance. Its tension demands an onward motion to a stable chord. When a dissonance moves to a consonance, it is called a resolution. Consonance and dissonance can exist in varying degrees. Some consonant chords are more stable than others, and some dissonant chords are more tense than others.
