Workshop 10 — “My Funny Valentine”: Minor Color, Suspensions, Descending Bass, and Reharmonizing Emotion
This workshop focuses on a different kind of sophistication:
How do you create emotional depth from relatively slow harmony, minor-key color, and voice leading rather than from lots of chord changes?
The main lessons are:
- minor-key tonic colors
- descending bass
- inner chromatic motion
- suspensions and delayed resolution
- melody notes that create tension against the harmony
- tonic minor versus relative major
- using altered dominants sparingly
- arranging a ballad so that the harmony feels emotionally inevitable
We’ll work conceptually in C minor / E♭ major territory.
10.1First principle: minor is not one soundA tonic minor chord can be:10.2Compare the tonic-minor palettePlay:10.3Cm versus Cm7Cm:10.4Cm6Cm6:10.5Cm(maj7)Cm(maj7):10.6The famous minor line clichéOne of the most important devices in minor-key ballads is the descending chromatic line:10.7Play itKeep:10.8The harmony can stay “C minor” while one note changesThat is the key point.10.9Bass line clichéYou can also put the chromatic line in the bass.10.10Why descending bass is emotionalA descending bass tends to create:10.11Play melody above a descending bassHold a melody note G.10.12Contrary motionIf melody rises while bass descends, emotional intensity increases.10.13Minor key + descending chromatic line is a core arranging deviceMemorize the concept, not just this tune.10.14Level 1 — melody onlyAs always:10.15Level 2 — tonic minor onlyPlay melody over a C pedal.10.16Melody note as tensionSuppose melody is D over Cm.10.17Level 3 — descending inner lineHold bass C.10.18Then reverse the lineA → B♭ → B → C.10.19Level 4 — descending bassNow move bass:10.20Am7♭5 as destination of the bass lineAm7♭5:10.21Then dominant motionFrom Am7♭5, you can move to:10.22The emotional architectureA useful structure is:10.23Suspensions are especially effective hereSuppose dominant:10.24G7sus to G7G7sus:10.25Hear the chainC → B → C10.26Level 5 — shell voicingsFor Cm:10.27Level 6 — melody + one guide toneThis is an excellent challenge.10.28Level 7 — Cm9Cm9:10.29Level 8 — Cm6/9Cm6/9:10.30Cm(maj9)Cm(maj9):10.31Do not use every minor tonic color in the same barOne color should have meaning.10.32Level 9 — relative major contrastC minor’s relative major is:10.33Hear C minor → E♭ majorPlay:10.34Relative major/minor is smooth because of shared notesThis is why a modulation between them can feel natural rather than dramatic.10.35Level 10 — reharmonize a held melody note between minor and majorSuppose melody note G holds.10.36ExampleHold top G.10.37Level 11 — chromatic inner lineHold melody G.10.38Level 12 — altered dominantBefore Cm, use:10.39ResolutionG7♭9 → Cm:10.40G7♯5♭9You can intensify further with:10.41Level 13 — tritone substitutionInstead of G7 → Cm:10.42CompareTraditional:10.43Level 14 — backdoor color into minor?Backdoor logic is less straightforward in minor than in major, but borrowed dominant-type approaches can still work.10.44Level 15 — diminished passing chordTry:10.45Or descending diminished approachYou can use diminished chords to connect bass notes chromatically downward as well.10.46Level 16 — ballad textureFor first statement:10.47Second statementAdd:10.48Third statement / climaxPossible:10.49ReleaseAfter climax:10.50Fill vocabularyFor minor ballad:10.51Avoid blues vocabulary unless intentionally blending stylesConstant E♭→E natural blue-third gestures can pull the style away from the tune’s darker jazz-ballad language.10.52A minor arpeggio fillOver Cm:10.53Diminished fill into G7Before G7, use a leading-tone diminished arpeggio if appropriate.10.54RubatoThis tune benefits enormously from restrained rubato.10.55Rubato and descending bassIf bass descends:10.56Delay the melody over the bassBass arrives first.10.57But keep internal timeAs always:10.58Pedal with chromatic bassBe careful.10.59Finger legato in inner lineTry to physically connect:10.60Level 17 — walking inner voiceInstead of changing bass, keep bass C.10.61Compare inner-line versus bass-line clichébass stays C10.62Level 18 — counter-melodyIf the melody holds a long note:10.63Do not counterpoint every barUse one counter-line per section at first.10.64Level 19 — texture switchA useful arrangement:10.65Level 20 — waltz transformationThis tune can be recast beautifully in 3/4.10.66In 3/4, the line cliché can occupy one bar per stageBar 1: Cm10.67Level 21 — bossa transformationYou can also make it more detached and subtle:10.68Level 22 — melodic paraphraseFirst statement: literal.10.69Minor-key paraphrase vocabularyUseful:10.70Level 23 — phrase extensionAt a cadence into Cm:10.71Dominant pedalHold G in bass.10.72Level 24 — climax with tonic minor major-7 colorAt the climax, instead of resolving to plain Cm:10.73Tonic-color narrativeExample:10.74Level 25 — final cadence optionsG7♭9 → Cm.10.75Final Cm6/9 voicingCm6/9:10.76Final Cm(maj9) voicingCm(maj9):10.77Arrangement architectureA strong version:10.78Intro from the line clichéThis is especially natural because it introduces the entire emotional language before the melody begins.10.79Alternate introHold C pedal.10.80Practice loop 1 — minor tonic colorsCycle:10.81Practice loop 2 — line clichéPlay:10.82Practice loop 3 — minor cadenceFm7 → G7♭9 → Cm10.83Practice loop 4 — relative majorPlay:10.84Improvisation drill — tonic minor onlyStay on Cm9 for 4 bars.10.85Improvisation drill — line clichéHold motif:10.86Improvisation drill — one chromatic lineUse:10.87Improvisation drill — no fast notesOne whole chorus:10.88Ear drill — distinguish tonic colorsHave yourself randomly play:10.89Ear drill — line cliché by hearingPlay:10.90Ear drill — dominant resolutionPlay G7♭9.10.91Arrangement challengeCreate three versions of the opening:10.92Reharmonization challengeTake one long melody note.10.93Counterpoint challengeDuring one sustained melody note:10.94Rubato challengeRecord the same 8 bars:10.95Pedal challengePlay the descending-bass line with:10.96Full-performance challengeBuild:•Workshop 10 mini-test1. What is the classic minor line cliché in C minor?