A demonstration of how to transform a musical theme, using scalar mapping, along with reharmonization and orchestration. This is part of a series on thematic transformation:

Part 1: A demo mapping Amazing Grace onto major, minor, octatonic, chromatic, and pentatonic scales (this video)
Part 2: A Game of Thrones style mapping and fragmenting of the Happy Birthday song    • How to transform a theme, part 2 (sca...  
Part 3: Thematic transformation in Debussy, Bartok, and John Powell (not yet released)
Part 4: How to practice transforming themes, scalar mapping   / galendegraf  

The changing character of this theme has a lot to do with changes to orchestration and harmony in addition to the melodic transformation that takes place moving between scales. However, just playing all the examples on the same instrument isn't nearly as much fun...

Amazing Grace uses the tune "New Britain." Because the melody only uses notes of a pentatonic scale, it could have been measured in terms of an underlying pentatonic scale. However, for this video, I will only be mapping it based on an underlying major scale.

I also put these exercises together into larger set of variations for solo organ. Sheet music is available by request to Patreon members:   / galendegraf  

Update: by request in the comments, the examples from this video are now available to stream individually through Soundcloud here:   / al63bz99qu7xwapua  

EXTRA CONTENT
Get more content such as scores, tutorials, worksheets, Dorico files, and expanded video access   / galendegraf  

SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE USED
Graphic design/animation: Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro
Music notation: Dorico
Audio examples: Cubase with Native Instruments Noire and Orchestral Tools Berlin Series
Microphone: Shure MV7 https://amzn.to/3WoVPlm

RECOMMENDED/RELATED READING
Dmitri Tymoczko, "A Geometry of Music" (a fabulous book, but abstract and mathematical, see especially Chapter 4, "scales") https://amzn.to/3UkNXi0

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:22 Major
2:04 Minor
2:57 Octatonic
3:48 Chromatic
4:38 Pentatonic

FTC Legal Disclaimer - Some links found in the description box of my videos may be affiliate links, meaning I will make commission on sales you make through my link at no cost to you.

#musictheory #composer #scales