Causing tension within progressions.

T

TDOT

New member
To try and make my progressions more interesting, I'm really trying to emphasize tension and resolution.

For example in the CMaj Key. Just playing my basic Maj and Minor chords doesn't cause much tension to be resolved, what is it I would do to cause that tension.
Add a fourth note to my chord? Augmented Chords? 7th Chords?
 
the classic tension chord is the dominant 7th (flat 7 on major triad). This is causing tension mainly due to the tritone of the scale sitting in the very important chord tones of 3 and 7. The tension is cleanly resolved by moving each note one half step in the opposite direction (generally 3rd goes up, 7 goes down and we have the 1st and 3rd chord tones of the tonic chord from the fifth). This is basic harmonic tension.

You can make harmonic tension by hitting so-called "wrong" or dissonant notes and resolving them to chord tones. You hear this over the ii-V-I progressions in jazz. All of those "wrong notes" are really notes from the altered scale (also called half-half-whole-half-whole scale due to the way the first half of the scale is the half-whole diminished scale and the second half is the whole tone scale) and other complex scales. Diminished scale and whole tone scales add a great deal of tension and release as well. With the diminished scale you can create lots of tension by playing a diminished chord over each scale tone. If you are playing guitar you can just play one chord shape and move it up and down the neck. Same with the whole tone scale, which never ever resolves tension on it's own and makes for some seriously interesting material. Both of these scales can be played over the dominant 7th chord when going to the I/i chord.

In terms of rhythmic tension, syncopation, triplets and drum breaks are good techniques to use to bring tension. Dropping out the beat for a moment as well...
Basically any time you are messing with the expectations of the listener you are creating tension and you are releasing it when you meet their expectations again. That's how I see it.
 
Consider sus4 chords:

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/tensionChords-01.mp3[/mp3]

tensionChords01.png


Consider added 6th chords:

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/tensionChords-02.mp3[/mp3]

tensionChords02.png


Consider added 6ths and 7ths:

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/tensionChords-03.mp3[/mp3]

tensionChords03.png
 
Yep good stuff the sus4 is a personal favorite of mine in general whether it's for tension or just ambiguity of tonality. Quartal structure is a cool thing to check out, it sort of redefines what is and isn't dissonant.
 
A pedal point that works under _almost_ all of the chords, and then resolves, is a good trick, as is a "static" or signature bass-line-- something that plays throughout the changes, based on the I chord, and that functions as a sort of "moving pedal" underneath the chord changes. Two of my favorite tricks for that sort of thing.

GJ
 
Add to that inverted pedal point - a note above everything that is held constant or playing a short rhythmic pattern, whilst the chords change underneath it. A good example is Lionel Ritchie's "Running with the night"
 
So, an extended example that illustrates pedal point, and inverted pedal point with some forays into cliches from the gospel tradition

1: descending diads (partial chords) over a pedal point C
2: ascending diads (partial chords) over a pedal point C
3: block triads over a pedal point C, moving by one note per chord (except for last movement to G and then C)
4: gospel piano rendition of the New Orleans Funeral March jump - C-F-C-F-G-F-C over a pedal point C
5: inverted pedal point; bass follows root of chords only
6: inverted pedal point; bass moves by scale step or octave jump with non-scale tone movement from A to G in the second last bar

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/tensionChords2.mp3[/mp3]

tensionChords2.png
 
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OK so I'm undersanding that Augmented, Diminshed and Sus are ways of causing tension.

Last question to clarify:
Can the notes that are making ther chord Augmented or say Diminshed for example, have to be in the given scale you're playing?
Or can those notes be from outside the scale and that's what's causing the tension to begin with?

Example:
In the Key of C:
CMaj = C,E,G
CAug = C,E,G# (if I'm not mistaken, just going off the top of my head and I'm no expert)

the G# is not in the C Major scale, does that mean C Aug is not an option? or it is and that's what's giving you that tension to be resolved?
 
Technically the G[sup]#[/sup] is not part of the C major scale but it is part of the A Harmonic minor scale, so is a borrowed tone from the relative minor.

Consider the following which uses the G[sup]#[/sup] and its enharmonic equivalent A[sup]b[/sup] in the progression C-C[sup](#5)[/sup]-C-C[sup](#5)[/sup]-C[sup]6[/sup]-C[sup]dom7[/sup]-F-Fm-C-A[sup]7[/sup]-Dm[sup]7[/sup]-G[sup]7[/sup]-C-C[sup](#5)[/sup]-C

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/augExample.mp3[/mp3]

augExample.png


Think Johnny Cougar (later John Mellencamp) and Baby Hold On To Me for the opening usage. The rest is a direct rip more or less from Elvis's Love Me Tender B section

As for dim chords can substitute a dim[sup]7[/sup] chord for G[sup]7[/sup] by making it G[sup]#o7[/sup]. In fact this chord is usually written functionally as V[sup]7b9[/sup], showing the direct origin of the chord as a chromatic alteration of the dom 7th chord....
 
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TDOT said:
OK so I'm undersanding that Augmented, Diminshed and Sus are ways of causing tension.

Last question to clarify:
Can the notes that are making ther chord Augmented or say Diminshed for example, have to be in the given scale you're playing?
Or can those notes be from outside the scale and that's what's causing the tension to begin with?

Example:
In the Key of C:
CMaj = C,E,G
CAug = C,E,G# (if I'm not mistaken, just going off the top of my head and I'm no expert)

the G# is not in the C Major scale, does that mean C Aug is not an option? or it is and that's what's giving you that tension to be resolved?
Click to expand...

Using your example in C maj you generally would not use an augmented chord on the major root. The goal is mostly have the aug or dim chords have notes that lead into the tonality of the next chord. So in C major a potential augmented chord could be inserted as the V being G so G is G,E,D and augment that to make G,E,D# where that D# chromatically leads back to the third of the root I which is E the third of C major. Here's an example of a simply used diminished chord: suppose in The key of Cmaj you wanted to transition from the V (G) chord into the VI minor chord (Am) you chould insert a G#dim in between the G and the A chord since G# dim would be g#, b, d. Where the g# leads chromatically to a, the b resolves to the minor third of a and the d follows into the fifth E. There are endless possibilities which is why chord theory can be very in depth and complex. Learning the uses of 7ths and 9ths along with dim and aug chords will lead into many new possibitied for progressions
 
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