what is "resolve/ing"??

varunkapahi · #1 06-09-2009, 07:41 AM

i have heard this term often but i dont know what it is exactly. i was just reading Garry Willis 101 bass tips book and it said:

"from G7 to C, the chord tones B and F resolve smoothly to C and E. the same resolution happens to those two notes when you go from Dflat7 to C."

some one please explain.......

RustyAxe · #2 06-09-2009, 07:45 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolution_(music)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonance_and_dissonance

Jim Nazium · #3 06-09-2009, 08:06 AM

It means it "feels" like there is a release of tension. Play up and down a major scale a couple of times, from root to octave and back. Then play it from the root to the major 7th and stop. You want to hear the octave now, right? It feels tense. Now play the octave. Aahh!

varunkapahi · #4 06-09-2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolution_(music)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonance_and_dissonance

tried reading but it just went over my head more or less. had way too many fancy words i couldnt understand really

thanks anyway

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

It means it "feels" like there is a release of tension. Play up and down a major scale a couple of times, from root to octave and back. Then play it from the root to the major 7th and stop. You want to hear the octave now, right? It feels tense. Now play the octave. Aahh!

i understand a little but not quite entirely. could you explain it in reference to the example i posted above? if you want i can type the whole paragraph, its not much

bongomania · #5 06-09-2009, 08:37 AM

It means those chords (arpeggiated, played one note at a time) sound incomplete, with a feeling of tension, until you play that last note, whereupon it "sounds complete".

xzzy · #6 06-09-2009, 08:40 AM

This is a pretty good plain-language explanation I stumbled on a ways back:

http://korgds-10.blogspot.com/2009/0...stability.html

If you get lost in his terminology, just skip down to the video.. it's a good illustration.

HaVIC5 · #7 06-09-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

tried reading but it just went over my head more or less. had way too many fancy words i couldnt understand really

Really? That first sentence in the wikipedia article on resolution gives you a crystal clear layman's definition. If you want to learn more about the inner details of what's going on, then yes, you're going to deal with some more advanced music theory and acoustics, but all anybody needs to know is in that first sentence.

bongomania · #8 06-09-2009, 10:17 AM

Ooh! Thought!

Varun, in your region is the music you grew up with mostly in the European 12-note system, or is it mostly in other tunings/scale structures?

If the music you grew up hearing as a child was not in the European scale, then it would make sense that these particular resolutions might not sound "resolved" to you.

varunkapahi · #9 06-09-2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Ooh! Thought!

Varun, in your region is the music you grew up with mostly in the European 12-note system, or is it mostly in other tunings/scale structures?

If the music you grew up hearing as a child was not in the European scale, then it would make sense that these particular resolutions might not sound "resolved" to you.

although some of the traditional/classical Indian music is not even similar to the diatonic or 12 note system. all of the popular music here is based on the same 12 note system you and I are used to listening to

JTE · #10 06-09-2009, 12:03 PM

Well, do it.

In a G7 chord (you do know how to figure out that I'm right) the notes are G B D F. A C chord is C E G. If you know enough piano or guitar, play the G7 then the C. LISTEN to how there's a feeling of unsettledness to the G7, and listen to how the tension is released when you play the C. And then work out voicings of the G7 and C chords where you keep the G the same, but just move the B to C and F to E.

Then look at the spelling of the Db7 chord which is Db F Ab Cb (enharmonic equivalent of B). Play it, and see how you can move that Cb to C and the F to E.

It's something that you have to hear, it's not going to be in the books. That's why I think it's vital to sing any exercises you play- it forces your ear and brain to work together to HEAR things.

You can do this on a bass too, but it can be a challenge to play the four note chord and not get muddy.

jte

dalkowski · #11 06-09-2009, 12:12 PM

^^^ Good explaination!

This is one of those instances where you can read about it all you want, but it takes a good teacher to show you what to listen for.

varunkapahi · #12 06-09-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

Well, do it.

In a G7 chord (you do know how to figure out that I'm right) the notes are G B D F. A C chord is C E G. If you know enough piano or guitar, play the G7 then the C. LISTEN to how there's a feeling of unsettledness to the G7, and listen to how the tension is released when you play the C. And then work out voicings of the G7 and C chords where you keep the G the same, but just move the B to C and F to E.

Then look at the spelling of the Db7 chord which is Db F Ab Cb (enharmonic equivalent of B). Play it, and see how you can move that Cb to C and the F to E.

It's something that you have to hear, it's not going to be in the books. That's why I think it's vital to sing any exercises you play- it forces your ear and brain to work together to HEAR things.

You can do this on a bass too, but it can be a challenge to play the four note chord and not get muddy.

jte

WOAH! this was cool

infact i was playing G7 and C on the bass a few minutes before reading this (G7 without the 5th and an inverted C though)
but after reading this i SUNG along and like you said it "forced your ear and brain to work together to HEAR"

now i can also recall this how is most of my classical guitar pieces used to end, on the tonic chord. i hear and understand the resolution much better now

thanks