EXTEMPORE PLAYING - online tutorial

40 Lessons in how to correctly play improvisations.

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	LESSON XIV
	Fundamental Discords. The Dominant Seventh As the early composers experimented with the fore­going unessential discords they lighted upon one that sounded so pleasing that it suggested the idea of being accepted rather as a new kind of concord than as a plain discord. Prepared for by gradual steps and slow changes, the dominant seventh emerges to-day in the position of a link between the pure concords and the palpable discords. The old rule was that the seventh must be 'prepared,' i.e., introduced by being sounded as a concord in the preceding combination. This preparation is now considered un­necessary; although, of course, there is no reason why it should not still be used if desired; e.g.,
	The only rule as to the approach that the student need now regard is that when the seventh is taken by leap that leap must be in an upward direction.
	The old rule for 'resolution' was clear: that the seventh must immediately pass to a concord, as in the above ex­ample 40. Modern methods of resolution are numerous, the tendency being ever in the direction of greater freedom, some extremists even claiming that no resolution at all is now necessary. The student will wisely ignore this last theory, and confine himself to studying the various orthodox devices in use.
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