Chromaticism and Modulation

Chromaticism and modulation

To an overview of concepts of harmony and tonalities belongs also chromaticism. Though not harmonically anchored as such, it is an essential ingredient for musical coloring and for leading to modulations between tonalities.

Chromaticism

The chromatic or twelve-tone scale consists of all twelve semitones in an octave. Chromaticism intersperses the pitches of a tonality with other chromatic scale pitches. These contrast and expand a given tonality. They may temporarily indicate or lead to a modulation from one tonality to another. During the last half of the nineteenth century, the concept of tonality expanded with the chromatic scale and chromaticism becoming more widely used, e.g. in Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde“. This opened up more tonal freedom and relaxation — what some called the breakdown of tonality.

Modulation

The module Anchored Tonality Modulation Samples is a very practice-oriented adjunct to the catalogue of anchored tonalities and the five-course series Harmonic and Tonality Fundamentals. Below are its currently over forty visuals. To facilitate finding smooth modulation paths, this module provides an overview of the tonalities included in the catalogue grouped by tetrachords, both by lower ones and by upper ones. Further, it presents — condensed as well as in detail — examples of cyclic modulation paths, which move through a number of tonalities and eventually return to where they originated from.

Visuals of Anchored Tonality Modulation Samples

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 01

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 02

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 03

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 04

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 05

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 49x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 56x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 58x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 59x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 64x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 67x

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 85

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 86

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 87

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 88

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 89

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 90

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 91

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 92

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-12 – 93

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 12

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2021-04 – 70

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 14

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 15

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 16

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 17

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 18

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 19

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 20

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 21

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 22

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 23

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 24

Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2021-04 – 71

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 26

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 27

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 28

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 29

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 30

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 31

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 32

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 33

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 34

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 35

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 36

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 37

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 38

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 39

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 40

Tonalibus 3-9 modulation – 2020-06 – 41