Quartal Harmony Clusters On Adjacent Strings PART 1: First 3 Adjacent Strings

Pictured below is a quartal cluster, (a harmonic cluster comprised of intervals of fourths) and it's two inversions. The numbers in parentheses indicate the intervals between each chord tone, from lowest to highest, and below that are the order of chord tones from lowest to highest. As we move through each inversion, you will notice that the bottom tone of the previous chord rotates to the top of the next.

The first cluster (4-4) has an interval of a fourth (a perfect fourth in this case) between each chord tone.

The 1st Inversion (4-2)shifts the bottom tone of the first cluster (A) up an octave, creating an major second interval between A and G, becoming a new inversion of the first cluster, only with an interval structure of a fourth and a second

The Second Inversion (2-4) shifts the bottom tone of the 1st Inversion (D) up an octave, creating a perfect fourth interval between the tones A and D.

(Note: The process of creating inversions for the quartal clusters is the same as inverting the triads found in the "Learn Your Triads PART 1" tutorial of this blog. I recommend getting the basic triads down first.

These are very strong and open-sounding chords that are great for harmonizing melody within modal composition/improvisation. Start familiarizing yourself with these as we will be applying them very soon. Eat these tasty clusters!!!