HARMONIC TERMINOLOGY
To discuss different theoretical harmonies more clearly, the following terminology
will be used. Examples of chords here are in leithghléas tuning which would be
appropriate to the piece.
theoretical harmony
harmony which informs or guides a musical structure
horizontal harmony
harmonic structure within melody
vertical harmony
harmony which physically results from the sound of two or more simultaneous
occuring pitches
sonority
any kind of harmony associated with given pitches
dyad
a chord containing no intervals other than a perfect 4th or 5th, eg,
triad
similar to a dyad but adding intervals no smaller than a 3rd to make major and
minor chords, eg,
dyads and triads are named after the highest note of the 4th or the lowest note of
the 5th in the chord, so for example
A
E would be an A dyad
E
B
G would be an E minor triad
D
B
G would be a G major triad
tetrads
there is no evidence that such chords were struck in Gaelic harp bass
however, tetrads may explain some interactions between the two hands
with respect to Gaelic harp music, the most common of this these could be seen
as being formed by two related major and minor triads and thus introducing the
interval of the 2nd, eg,
major tetrads gain their identities from the major triad within them, and likewise,
minor tetrads gain theirs from the minor triads within them
they can be seen another way:
most major tetrads resemble triads with an added 6th
minor tetrads resemble triads with an added 7th
the G major tetrad can have either an added 6th or 7th
Féachain Gléis