G-L Factor

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    Gravity and Levity in Music

    BySteve Horn

    The purpose of this article is to offer food for thought more than to define an element or draw a conclusion and your comments are welcome. This is a discourse in music theory although scientifically very soft. The point is simply to better understand the complex nature of what we hear in music. What is Gravity and Levity in music? Gravity/Levity, or the Gravity/Levity factor (G-L factor), is similar in concept to weight. This article will deal with the concept of Gravity/Levity in terms of harmonic content but other aspects of music can have significant bearing on the G-L factor: timbre, tessiatura, a variety of techniques of orchestration, to name a few. Harmonically speaking, the more gravity a musical element has, the more of a…

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    The G-L Factor Found in the Diatonic Modes

    BySteve Horn

    The Seven Diatonic Modes: an established system for comparison The seven diatonic modes are have their roots in early music of the Medieval and Renaissance eras. These modes survived and thrived through the centuries in folk music and can be found today in popular music, rock, country, blue grass and jazz. Although the original modes of early times have been expanded upon (even Ionian and Locrian modes are later additions), we can use the 7 diatonic modes as basis for “weighing in” regarding the G-L Factor of other scales and elements of music. Ionian mode – identical to the major scale “c” to “c” using white notes on the piano Dorian mode – a minor scale with a raised 6th scale degree “d” to “d”…