We began investigating quartal harmony—
voicings constructed from
stacked fourths, rather than thirds—in
last month’s column (“Exploring Quartal
Harmony,” April 2011
PG). It was the first
of a three-part series, and this month we’ll
be building on what we covered previously.
If you missed that introduction or want
a quick refresher, check out the lesson
here.
So far, we’ve played three-note quartal
voicings on string sets 3–2–1 and 4–3–2. In
this lesson, we’ll map out three-note forms on
the lower string sets and then test-drive larger
four- and five-note quartal voicings. Ready?
In
Fig. 1, we harmonize E Mixolydian
(E–F#–G#–A–B–C#–D) in fourths along
string set 5–4–3. For starters, slowly play the
middle note in each voicing by itself, ascending
on the 4th string from E, 2nd fret, to
E on the 14th fret. This one-octave crawl
establishes E Mixolydian as our parent tonality,
which you can think of as a note pool or
construction kit for our quartal voicings.
Download Example Audio...
Now, return to measure one and play
each three-note grip. Again, we’re ascending
through a one-octave stretch of E
Mixolydian, but this time we’re moving a
pair of stacked fourths along three strings.
As you work through these voicings, notice
how the fourths are either perfect (which is
most of the time) or augmented, depending
on where you are in the scalar ascent.
For example, the first two grips consist
of a pair of perfect fourths. But when we hit
grip three, the interval stack changes—the
bottom one becomes an augmented fourth
(D-G#), while the top remains a perfect
fourth (G#-C#). We also depart from stacking
perfect fourths in the penultimate voicing,
A–D–G#, at the 12th position. This time our
bottom interval is a perfect fourth and the
top interval is an augmented fourth. In each
voicing, we adjust the intervals to conform
to the parent tonality of E Mixolydian.
Quartal harmony is inherently dissonant—
many would say
deliciously so—and our ears
are more willing to accept this restless, edgy
sound in higher registers. It’s not that you
can’t play quartal voicings on the bass strings
at the lowest frets, but you have to be careful
not to let the harmony get too murky. Muddy
fourths just don’t sound appealing.
That said, one advantage of fretting quartal
forms on the bass strings is physical: It
allows you to slip in a pedal tone or drone on
a higher string, as in
Fig. 2. Here, an insistent
open E adds a welcome sparkle to the dark-sounding
chords. This technique isn’t limited
to E Mixolydian, so as you explore quartal
voicings on the bass strings in other keys and
different parent tonalities, try plucking open
E or B (or both) to see if you like adding a
bit of jangle to the block-chord sound.
Download Example Audio...
Up to this point, we’ve been working
with three-note grips, but the real fun
begins with four- and five-note quartal
stacks.
Fig. 3 opens the door to this sound
with four-note voicings composed of three
stacked fourths. This time, we’re using E
Dorian (E–F#–G–A–B–C#–D) as our parent
tonality. And instead of restricting ourselves
to a given string set, we’re now moving
across the fretboard, as well as up and down.
Download Example Audio...
But the basic concept hasn’t changed:
Each voicing contains various combinations
of perfect and augmented fourths, and the
mix of intervals within each grip is determined
by the parent tonality. For example,
the first voicing in bar 1 comprises three
perfect fourths, while the arpeggio in bar 3
is built on an augmented fourth with two
perfect fourths stacked above it. For extra
points, record or loop this four-bar phrase
and then try jamming over it in E Dorian.
Fig. 4 consists of five-note quartal voicings
drawn from the parent tonality of E
Aeolian (aka E natural minor). One way to
keep these lumbering babies from sounding
too muddy or dissonant is to borrow a trick
from Brazilian guitarists. First, fret the voicing
as a single large grip and then selectively
pluck notes from within it, darting back and
forth with your picking-hand thumb and
fingers to create syncopated rhythms from
smaller clusters of sound (measures 1 and 3).
Playing arpeggios (as in measures 2 and 4) is
another way you can keep the harmony distinct
and reduce muddy dissonance within
five-note forms.
Download Example Audio...
Okay, it’s time to incorporate the 6th
string into our quartal grips and actively
comp across and along the entire fretboard.
With its three-octave-plus range
and booming low-E pedal tone,
Fig. 5 gets
us into piano-like territory. Notice how
we’re venturing all the way up to the 15th
fret while juggling highly mobile, three-note
grips on string sets 6–5–4, 4–3–2,
and 3–2–1. Cool!
Download Example Audio...
A quick recap: We’ve learned how to
stack perfect and augmented fourths to
construct quartal voicings, and we’ve played
them in three-, four-, and five-note forms
on all six strings and all over the fretboard.
Next month, we’ll conclude this journey
by looking at ways to integrate quartal harmony
with more traditional tertian (third-based)
chords. This way, you get the best of
both worlds—familiar chord progressions
laced with hip, quartal colors.
Andy Ellis is a veteran guitar journalist
and Senior Editor at
PG. Based
in Nashville, Andy backs singer-songwriters
on the baritone guitar, and also
hosts
The Guitar Show, a weekly on-air
and online broadcast. For the schedule,
links to the stations’ streams, archived audio
interviews with inspiring players, and more,
visit
theguitarshow.com.