An introduction to the harmonic concepts of Consonance and Dissonance and how they inform your music making…
Table of Contents
- Lesson Goal
- Prerequisites
- What is Consonance?
- What is Dissonance?
- Consonance or Dissonance?
- Famous Example of Dissonance that Resolves to Consonance
Lesson Goal
To understand that Consonance and Dissonance are relative, not absolute terms… and to think about harmony and melody in such artistic terms… whether performing written music, composing, or improvising.
Prerequisites
Basic music reading… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
What is Consonance?
Consonance is the state of harmony that sounds and feels stable, settled, resolved, and free of tension. Here’s an example…
back to… Table of Contents
What is Dissonance?
Dissonance is the state of harmony that sounds and feels unstable, unsettled, unresolved, and full of tension. Here’s an example…
back to… Table of Contents
Consonance or Dissonance?
It’s crucial to understnd that consonance and dissonance are relative terms… in at least four ways:
- There degrees of Consonance and Dissonance (C&D).
- There are many flavors of C&D.
- Our perception of C&D depends strongly on the musical context.
- C&D are highly subjective terms. (One person’s consonance may be another person’s dissonance).
Here’s a deliciously ambiguous example…
Is this Consonant? Dissonant? Why quibble? Why not just experience it, learn what it is, and enjoy it!
back to… Table of Contents
Famous Example of Dissonance that Resolves to Consonance
As you read, hear, and play each chord, “think” disso-nance… conso-nance, disso-nance… conso-nance…
Ear Training Tip: As you read and play any kind of music, make special note of where the dissonances are and how they resolve to consonances. Over time, you will discover that only a very short list of such constructs are used in almost every kind of music… patterns that you will learn using all four musical intellegences: ears, intellect, eyes, and muscles.
learn more… Chords & Chord Progressions
dissonance – the boss (my wife that is) is a film fan and she told me the shower scene in Psycho was violins doing your example staccato F-E chord
The boss is quite right, Dave. I intentionally copped the example from said source! Thanks for sharing, man.
the last example is beautiful!
Thanks, man. See: https://piano-ology.com/jazz-school/major-7-chord-voicing-lydian-scale-chord/