The Nautilus

A nautilus shell is an elegant image-- all polished up and halved for photographic depiction. Its uniformity of curvature is instantly comprehendable and mathematically pristine. It's been compared to the golden mean: that ancient aesthetician's concept of asymetrical balance. It's not a perfect circle, but it's a prefectly diminishing circle.

In my exploration I am trying to understand classical song structure, especially visualized as chord progressions. I don't take them from classical work. I just try out different patterns on the piano and write down those that sound classical. (When exploring I always work in the key of C. I can later transpose the progression, but by working within 1 key I avoid duplication.) My notebook of chord progressions is regularly expanding. I have sections for main themes, for turn-arounds, and for endings. I also have a section called: nexts. But I consider them all from a fixed system of beats. Each chord gets 1 measure; Or each chord gets half a measure. It makes for nice uniform music. It makes for music that is somewhat pedictable. Oops.

I think music must always strike the optimum balance between predictable and unpredictable. It should have comfort and diversity. If it is holding one variable constant, another should be transforming. The same is true of all art. It should form a span from the aesthetic to the progressive. It should push at the edges. If it is too far out it will be dismissed as scribble; If it is too far in it will be dismissed as prosaic. When it completes an arc from the expected to the unexpected, the audience can stand on a familiar shore and be provided a glimpse out into the intriguing mist.

I compose upon a chord substrate. I generate a chordal pattern that conveys a feeling that suits the current point. Upon that I can build the melodic phrases that further articulate the point. But the chords are commonly one measure per chord.

Time to change.

Taking a hint from the nautilus shell opens up a multitude of pages in my notebook. More progressions defined by more rapidly changing patterns. For now they are blank pages. Rather than use a full measure of a chord structure, moments of curvature may be useful. So I am exploring shifting from 4 beats of a chord to 2 beats each of 2 chords, and on to 1 beat each of 4 more chords. How often should this be done? I must experiment to answer. Certainly, not too often. It must sound right. Perhaps I will uncover a few reliable approaches that expand my choices and fill in some blank pages.