Line Clichés

Week 6

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of today’s session, students will be able to:

• Aurally recognize line clichés in popular music

• Identify and construct line clichés

• Accurately notate line clichés

What is a Line Cliché?

• A line cliché is a single (melodic) line which moves through a single chord.

• Line clichés create the illusion of a moving chord progression during a static chord.

• Line clichés are very common to minor key harmonies

Other characteristics

• They may occur on the top, in the middle or on the bottom of the harmonies– If the line cliché occurs in the bass it must start on

the root of the chord

• Line clichés are used as guide tone lines

• They always appear in place of the 7th of the chord (between the 5th and the root)

• They always move by step (whole or half)

• The movement of a line may be ascending or descending

• Though line clichés are associated with minor keys, they can be found in major keys

• Most often on the IIm, Ivm and VIm chords

• It is not unusual for the line cliché to be present on the IIm chord and be completed by the V7 chord

• Or the line cliché may appear as part of a dual function secondary dominant progression.

• In major, line clichés may appear on the I and IV major triads

Next Week:

• Review

• Quiz 1 – moved to Week 8

• Cheat Sheet – single sided A4 – hand written.