MUSC 524 Analytical Techniques

This course is a foundational course for graduate contemporary music theory practices. Systematic and empirical investigations into formal and compositional procedures of selected masterworks from the tonal repertoire.The study includes a thorough investigation of jazz and extended harmonies used in contemporary popular music. Students continue to learn and apply analytical technique to various music styles. Melodic concepts and music form are explored in the literature from historical music periods and compared to present popular music literature and practice. Lectures lead to individual analytical projects. Principles of harmonic function are taught and applied to representative historical and popular music forms.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Music theory courses are often devoted to the study of traditional, classical theory, and aural skills. This course builds upon the traditional, common-practice approach but provides a much broader, practical, and immediate application of the skill. This practical approach presents material corresponding directly with current worship practices and industry-based concepts. This involves the study of popular genres including, but not limited to, rock, jazz, gospel, country, praise and worship, gospel, and traditional hymn tunes. In addition, concepts of melodic construction are evaluated in classical, traditional, and popular music examples.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be at least 350 words; have a clear, logical flow; and demonstrate course-related knowledge, stating major points clearly and supporting them with good examples and thoughtful analysis. Each thread must support assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation in current Turabian format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads, focusing on a meaningful point in the thread, providing substantive additional thoughts, and explaining why the student agrees or disagrees with the classmate’s thread. Each reply must be at least 150 words and be clear and coherent. Replies should be supported by at least 1 biblical principle and references to any required readings for the prompt in current Turabian format. All posts must meet the writing expectations in the grading rubric.

The student will apply his/her understanding of chord construction, chord identification, and  evaluation of chords related to the harmonic context by investigating the harmony of a Bach chorale. The student will also apply the Roman numeral and Nashville number system as a tool for musical analysis, correctly showing the root, quality, harmonic inversion, and secondary function as prescribed by each system. The student will complete a chord-by-chord analysis (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) of the provided chorale and save the analysis as a PDF file.  

The student will apply his/her understanding of harmonic status and function, proper chord progression, and second-inversion paradigms. The student will employ various types of analysis, including Roman numerals, Nashville numbers, TSDT function, and figured bass. The student will complete assignments from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will apply his/her understanding of extensions in 2 ways. First, the student will realize music for 2 different textures from given chord symbols. Second, the student will analyze a brief excerpt of music using appropriate chord symbols showing extended harmony. The student will complete an assignment from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

This assignment gives the student the opportunity to apply his/her understanding of extended harmonies. The student will realize extended harmony from chord symbols in 2 different textures for the same piece of music. This assignment will reinforce the student’s understanding of the hierarchy of harmonies, as well as offer a creative solution to the musical harmonization. The student will complete an assignment from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will create charts for the common rhythm band and vocalist format that is common in contemporary worship music. The student will create 2 different types of charts that are similar but require slightly different processes to notate the same ideas. The student will recreate the provided lead sheet in rhythm chart format, including a basic rhythm chart (1 staff with slash notation and chord symbols) and a rhythm plus chart (2 staves—the rhythm staff and a vocal staff that includes melody and any vocal parts). The charts should exhibit an exceptional application of scoring principles, including various types of notation, dynamics, and performance instructions, as well as an introduction, any turnarounds between verses, and an outro. The assignment must be completed in notation software or in neat handwriting and submitted in a PDF file. 

The student will use principles of hymn harmonization to compose a 4-part hymn using a given melody. The student will also analyze existing hymns and songs to discover how melodies are harmonized in hymn and contemporary styles. The student will complete assignments from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will practice labeling and translating various chromatic chords to and from Roman numerals and Nashville numbers, as well as chord spelling. These chromatic chords include secondary leading-tone chords, borrowed chords, and augmented-sixth chords. The student will complete assignments from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will combine his/her understanding of part-writing procedure with proper spelling of various chromatic chords. The student will also compose in power ballad style and translate harmonies using Roman numerals and Nashville numbers. The student will complete assignments from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will analyze phrase structures and cadences in excerpts from various musical styles. The student will use harmonic and melodic analysis to synthesize understanding of larger musical structure. The student will complete assignments from the Kinchen & Miller workbook (completed with notation software or in neat handwriting) and save the work in a PDF file. 

The student will combine melodic, harmonic (using Roman numerals), and formal analytical considerations for a provided musical piece and synthesize them into graphs that attempt to explain musical and compositional structures that exist below the surface. The student will apply concepts of Schenkerian theory to understand and graph background, middleground, and foreground levels of musical structure. The student will then write a brief (3–5-page) paper articulating the findings in current Turabian format, including a description of the foreground, middleground, and background layers and what musical elements prompted the student’s decisions. All elements of the assignment must be completed in notation software or in neat handwriting and submitted in a PDF file. 

The student will combine melodic, harmonic, and formal analytical considerations for a provided music piece and synthesize them into an overall structural chart that attempts to explain melodic and harmonic structures that exist below the surface. The student will be looking for compositional, harmonic, and melodic structures and patterns but will graph these as an overall reduction rather than the graded reductions characteristic of Schenker. The assignment must be completed in notation software or in neat handwriting and submitted in a PDF file. 

Rhythm Chart Project Assignment

The student will arrange or compose a song in rhythm plus chart format (with 2 staves that include a rhythm section and a melody line with supporting vocal harmonies) for the common contemporary worship ensemble of band and vocalists. The student will correctly harmonize vocals, as well as give appropriate instructions to a band so that an ensemble could accurately create the song on a read-through. The student will either select a contemporary praise and worship song and write a full contemporary vocal arrangement in a soprano-down configuration (3-part trailing texture) requiring no bass part, or write an original song incorporating certain harmonic, formal, and stylistic elements discussed in the course. The original song must also include some harmonic extensions beyond the seventh. Harmonic originality is a key focus of this assignment utilizing the extended chordal vocabulary discussed during the course. The assignment must be completed in notation software or in neat handwriting and submitted in a PDF file.

The student will combine melodic, harmonic, and formal analytical considerations, along with surface design concepts, phrase concepts, and linear ideas, for a provided music piece and synthesize them into a graph that attempts to show melodic and harmonic features. The student will focus on the harmony and linearity of the piece to show the ideas that create continuity and coherence in a complex piece of music. In addition, the student will submit the score with complete harmonic (Roman numerals and Nashville numbers), melodic, and phrase analysis. The assignment must be completed in notation software or in neat handwriting and submitted in a PDF file.