Relative Motion with Ebmaj6 diminished

The Eflat major 6th scale

1
Eflat Major 6

bœ nœ œ œ bw
& bœ œ œ bœ

D diminished 7

An important pattern for contrary motion is moving

from "drop 2" to "drop 3" to "drop 2 and 4". Since these voicings
grow progressively larger in size, you can make predictable moves
of contrary motions in the outer voices. For example, downward
stepwise motion in the bass produces stepwise ascending motion in the soprano. . .
E¨6 Dº7 E¨6 Dº7 Dº7 E¨6
3fr
E¨6
5fr 4fr 4fr 4fr 5fr
8fr

b œœ bbœœ bbœœ bnœœ œœ nœœ bbw

1 124

œœ
2314 2 141 2 141 2 141

œœ w
12 34
2314

œœ œœ bœ œœ w
4

w w
4

b œ nœ b œœ nœ b w
4

&b œ b w bœ w
1 3

œ œ œ
2
3 2
3
3
2
1
1

drop 2 drop 3 drop 2 and 4

E¨6 E¨6 E¨6 Dº7 E¨6

12fr 8fr 3fr

œœ n œœœ bb œœ n œœœ w
2314 12 34 1312 2 141 11 14

w œœ œœ œœ
4

b œ bw
b bbœœœ bbw
4
8

bœ œœ
4

&b œ œ w bœ œ w
1

w
3 1 3
2

œ n œ bbœœ w
4 1

nœ
3 2
1 3 1
2 1
1 1
2

11
E¨6 E¨6 Dº7 E¨6 E¨6 E¨6
3fr 5fr 2fr 5fr

bœ bbœœ nœœœ b˙˙˙

12

& b œœœ bœœœ bœœœ nœœœ bœœœ bœœœ nœœœ bœœœ bœœ bbœœœ
1312 2311 2 131 11 12 2311 3 141

n˙˙
2 1 2 1

b ˙˙
1 3 1 4

nœ b œ bœ œœ b œ b ˙ n œ b œ b œ œ n œœ œ
1 3 1 1 1 1
3 3
1 1 4 3 1
3 1 2
1
2 2 2
2 1 2 1
2 Focus on the ascending soprano and skip over the drop 3. The resulting drop 2 and 4 produces a leap
downward in the bass. Stay on the same voicing as the soprano ascends to move up by step, smoothing out the line

E¨6 E¨6 Dº7 E¨6

8fr 5fr 3fr

bbœœ
2314
n œœ ˙˙12 34
b œœ
1324
bbœœ
13 24
n ˙˙
& œœ
4 4

bb˙˙ nœœ
4

bœœ b˙˙
4 4

œ
1 1 3

œ
2 2
3 3 2 3
3
3 3
2 2 1
1
1

Focus on a descending soprano line and play drop 2 to drop 3 back to drop 2 for a bass that does the same motion as
the previous example

E¨6 E¨6 E¨6 E¨6 E¨6 E¨6

8fr 8fr 5fr 8fr 3fr

œœ bnœœ b œœ œœ n œœ b œœ b œ n œœ bbœœ b œœ œ œœ b œ bœœ œ œœ

1111 2314 2 143 2314 1 121

bœ œœ bœœ œ nœœ ˙
& b œ œœ œœ œœ nœ bœœ œœ nœœœ b œ bnœœ
1 1

œœ œœ bb˙˙˙
3

Ó
1 4 4 1 4

bœ œ œb œ
1 1 4 1

œ œ
2 1
1 3 1 3
3 1 3
2 2
2 1
1

There are three types of relative motion:

Parallel (both voices move in the same direction)
Contrary (both voices move in the opposite direction)
Oblique (One voice stays still while the other moves)
It is useful to experiment and analyze the different relative E¨6 E¨6 E¨6
motions resulting from the various voicings (I am focusing on the 3fr 8fr 4fr
motion between Soprano and Bass in all examples).

œ œ nœœ bœœbnœœœ bbœœœ œœœ œœ nœœ œœ

1312 1 111 4 231

bœ œ œ
& œ nœ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ
1

œ œ b œ œ œ nœ
2 1
1

œ œ bœ
1 1 3
3
2
1 1
oblique parallel 4
contrary parallel

There is a pattern that can be followed to produce stepwise contrary motion predictably.
This works on every scale degree (try it and see!).
Any part of this sequence can be used.

n œœ bbœœœ nb œœ b œœ nb œœ bbœœœ n œœ b œœ œ bnœœ œ

Contrary motion from unison to double octave

bœ œœ bnœœœ bnœœœ bbœœœœ

1 4 3

bw
2 4

bœœ œ nnœœ bœœ nnœœ œ bœœ bœœ nœœ œ œ

1 4 4
1 2

&
2 4 3
1 1 1 4
2 1
3 3 2 1
3 3 1 3
1 2
unison third triad no 3rd octave drop 2 drop 3 drop 2 double 8ve
or boundary then just reverse the pattern. . .
and 4 boundary
no 5th

Small moves, taking portions

nn œœ bb œœ nbœn œœ bb œœ nn œœ nn œœ #n œœ b œ œ nœ
From scale degree 2 of the larger array. . .

b œ n œ n œ
œb œ # œ n œ
œbœ œœ bœœ nœœ bbœœ œ œ œ œ bbœœ nœœ bœœ œœ œ w bœ œœbnœœœ œœbnœœœbnœœœ bbœœœœ
& b œ nœ œ œ œ b
 3
A good way of internalizing this is to pick a stepwise pattern in the soprano and harmonize it starting from
every possible chordtone, making sure to observe the pattern of voicings. Here we have scale degrees 5-4-3
descending against various ascending lines in the bass.

bbœœœ b œœ ˙ bbœœ b œœ ˙˙ b œœ b œ b˙˙ b œœ b œ b˙˙ bbœœ b œœ ˙ bbœœ b œ b˙˙

œ œ bœœ nœœ ˙ œ nœœ b ˙ œœ nœœ bb˙˙˙ œ œb ˙
4 1 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 3 1 4
1 1 1 1 4 4 1

& bœ œ ˙ b œ n œœ ˙
4 4 1
1 2 4 1 2
3 4 2 1 1
1 34 3 1
3
1 1 3 1 2
3
3 -3 3 3 3 2 1
2 2
1 2 2
triad third unison no 5th triad third octave no fifth triad octave drop 3 drop 2 3 1 1
boundary drop 3 drop 2 boundary
drop 2 and 4 drop 2 and 4

double drop 3
octave
boundary

Oblique Motion: Cover tones over descending Bb Major 6 diminished, ending with Fmajor6 over Bb

™ j ™ j ™ j ™ j ™ ™
œ œ #œ œ b œ b œ œ n˙˙ ™
j 3

™™™
œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
CVIII CV

bœ bœœ
4

& ‰ bœJ œ ‰ nœJ œ œœ

4 1 4

n ˙
1

‰ ‰ Jœ ‰ #œJ ‰ nœJ b ‰ bœJ œ ‰ b œ ˙˙™™

˙
3 1 3 2 3
2 2 2 1 3

 ÊJ
1 1
1 3 3 3 3 4
2 1
1
2 2 1
2

Practice parallel intervals all on one set of

strings (moving up the neck)and changing
strings (staying in one position). Imperfect
consonances (3rds, 6ths, and 10ths) are particularly
important

Parallel 3rds

bœœ bœœ <b>nœœ bœœ nœœ bœœ œœ bw

w
& bœœ

bœ <b><n>œœ bœ nœ w
Parallel 6ths

œ œ bœ œ bw
& bœœ œ œ bœ nœ œ

œ bœ œ w
bœ nœ œ
Parallel 10ths

œ bœ
<b>œ bœ nœ œ œ bw
& bœ œ œ