6. Tension and Release
Pitch retention is the deliberate practice of storing a pitch in short term memory. The act of pitch retention can be a useful sight singing tool when reading melodies that are based on functional harmony. The pitch “Do”, the tonal center of the melody or harmonic progression, should be the primary focus of note retention efforts. A secondary focus should also be placed on the pitch “Sol”, the first scale degree of the original key.
Deliberate retention of “Do” and “Sol” can help with pitch accuracy during sightreading.
Triads built on the 1st and 5th scale degrees (“Do” and “Sol”) complement each other and are the bare minimum required for harmony to establish a tonal center. Chords that utilize “Do” and “Sol” as their root pitch are known as Tonic and Dominant function chords.
Tonic and Dominant Triads (plus the 7th for a dominant seventh chord)
The back and forth movement between tonic and dominant function chords creates movement between feelings of tension and release, and it is this synergy that creates the sensation of tonality in the listener's minds. Dominant chords are tension chords that urge the mind to desire a sound that releases this tension. Tonic chords fulfill this desire and with them bring a varying sense of satisfaction.
Tension and Release cycle
In a basic functional harmony progression, two particular pitches have the power to create maximum tension in a dominant chord. These two pitches are present within an often-used chord known as the dominant seventh chord. Built from the “Sol” 5th scale degree, the dominant seventh chord contains four unique pitches as opposed to the three unique pitches found in triads.
Dominant Seventh Chord
Most importantly, the dominant seventh chord contains the pitches “Ti” and “Fa” which act in tandem to create a strong sense of tension urging listeners to desire a tonal release. The tonal release expected is the return to the pitches “Do”, “Mi” and “Sol”; the tonic triad.
Dominant Seventh Chord Resolutions
The pitches “Ti” and “Fa”, when part of the dominant seventh chord, naturally resolve through half-step movements into the tonic triad. “Ti”, as the leading tone, resolves up by a half-step into the syllable “Do”. “Fa”, only when attached to the dominant seventh chord, resolves down by a half-step into the syllable “Mi”.
Retain "Do" and "Sol" while Sightsinging
That simple recognition that “Ti” will want to resolve up to “Do”, and that “Fa” will want to resolve down to “Mi” can be extremely helpful in understanding some of the most basic chord progressions that may be heard in general music. Melodies and harmonies found in children’s learning shows and television series are good examples of simple harmony that typically employs a “tension and release” formula.
The children’s television series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a spinoff from the classic Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, contains a myriad of simple tunes based on functional harmony that are easy to remember and sing. The song titled “Grownups Come Back” moves from Pre-dominant to Dominant to Tonic function chords in the span of five notes; an efficient use of functional harmony for sure! The ending note of the easy to remember jingle employs a clear resolution from “Ti” to “Do” to close out the phrase.
Tension and Release in "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood"
“Grownups Come Back” from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
Similarly, the British children’s series Peppa Pig outlines the tonic triad and the dominant seventh chord and allows the tension points to easily resolve into the tonic triads.
“Opening Theme” from Peppa Pig
“Opening Theme” from Peppa Pig
The song “La Bamba”, written and performed by Rock & Roll legend Ritchie Valens, is essentially an endless Tonic - Predominant - Dominant harmonic loop that repeats in the bass line. Layed on top of the bass line is the melodic line that adamantly features the “Fa” pitch of the dominant seventh chord, before resolving down to “Mi”. The incessant repetition of “Fa” creates great tension at the start of each harmonic cycle which in turn promptly fulfills the listener’s desire for release when it resolves down to “Fa”. When the harmonic function is analyzed in its entirety, it is found that “La Bamba” has a total of 30 tension and resolution cycles in a short span of the song’s two minute duration. Clearly, a song that fully, and frequently, satisfies the musical ear.
RITCHIE VALENS “La Bamba”
RITCHIE VALENS “La Bamba”
In short, when sight singing melodies that are based on simple harmonic progressions, the two most important concepts to keep in mind are:
Pitch Retention. Pitch Retention of the syllable “Do” and the syllable “Sol”. These scale degrees generally function as tonic and dominant.
Tension and Release. Knowledge and Understanding of the pitch resolutions of the tension notes Ti and Fa as part of that dominant 7th chord and their typical movement into their tonic triad resolution.