What is a sequence?
-A repeating pattern -Sequences can be melodic or harmonic.
Melodic Sequences. What are the patterns? Diatonic or Chromatic?
Diatonic, 2 beat iteration, up a second (Note that this isn’t a major or minor second. The quality of the second will be determined by the key signature because we have described it as diatonic.)
Diatonic, 2 beat iteration, down by second
Chromatic, 2 beat iteration, down by minor second
Diatonic, 2 beat iteration, down by third
Diatonic, 2 beat iteration, down by third. (The starting notes of each iteration is what makes the pattern diatonic, after transposing the starting note, the interval sets are predetermined. There is some room for discussion for the ending note of an iteration, do you keep the strict interval pattern? or do you keep the final notes of the iteration diatonic to the key? Neither is more right than the other.)
Diatonic, 2 beat iteration, down a third up a fourth. (sequences can have more than one part. multiple part sequences may be even more common than others, think of the music of Bach and Vivaldi.)
Two voice sequence
Is it functional?
-Convincing to the ear? yes
-Does it follow tonic, predominant, dominant… No.
-Let’s add a third, “alto” voice: E, C, B, C, A, B, G, A, F, G. Jumping from E to C allows for easy movement to B to join the other voices in up a second, down a third sequential pattern.