4506 / 18210 · Workshop 27 — “Nardis”: Modal Minor, Phrygian Color, Non-Functional Harmony, and Improvising When the Chords Don’t Behave Like ii–V–I← prev⊞ allnext →
27.88Do not use functional language where it makes the music harder to understand
You can invent complicated Roman-numeral explanations for many modal movements.
But if:
C remains the pedal
and upper chords simply change color,
the simplest useful explanation may be:
tonic pedal + changing modal upper structures.
Theory should simplify hearing.
Not complicate it.