Parallel Fifths

Well, they're frowned upon in counterpoint - but a heck of a lot of bands make a nice living using nothing but! (That's because any song with two power chords in a row is using parallel fifths)

The reason they're frowned upon is because they sound a bit hollow, compared to the other choices - like thirds or sixths. Like many theory "rules", it's really a guideline, and with exceptions... sometimes explicit ones. And they had to write more exceptions after Debussey, because he used them a lot.

The best practice is to use what's right for the sound you want. Harmonizing in thirds won't cut it for punk; rows of parallel fifths won't work for strict counterpoint. The only hard-and-fast rule about whether or not to use perfect fifths is the one you hear lawyers use whenever you consult one:

It depends....

But why is using two power chords in a row a Parallel Fifth, they use the root note as the bass note ( and the 5th and the root again if you want ), why then is it Paralel Fifths, if the fifths are just standing there ?

And.. harmonizing in 3rds? ok Harmonizing is playing a scale in intervals, so is that playing the scale in major 3rd intervals ? And why is so important to harmonize scales, what could you use it for ? My guess is to solo with intervals ( not ONLY intervals but being able to use them and know they will fit and know what kind of interval you are doing etc )

Ok, I'll try to keep this simple. With two different notes (a harmony) you can have three different types of motion: similar, contrary, and oblique.

Similar = both notes move the same direction (both move to higher notes, or both to lower)
Contrary = both notes move in opposite directions (one moves up, the other down)
Oblique = one note stays put, the other moves

When you're using similar motion, if both notes move by exactly the same amount, that's a sub-type: parallel motion.

If you've got consecutive power chords, you've got parallel motion... because however the root moves, the upper note moves by exactly the same amount. And since power chords are perfect fifths, songs with only power chords have a harmony that consists of only parallel perfect fifths - the kind that counterpoint says we should avoid.

Harmonizing is simply playing more than one sound at the same time. If two singers sing the same note, they're harmonizing in unison; if they're an octave apart, they're harmonizing at the octave, etc. With two voices you can make harmonized scales in any interval; harmonizing at the unison, fourth, fifth, or octave gives you the same type of sound; harmonizing at the second, third, sixth, or seventh gives you different sounds, which are more interesting to the ear. For example, the thirds C/E and D/F sound different - because C/E are two whole steps apart (four frets), while D/F are one whole and one half step apart (three frets).

Add another voice and you get chords. In fact, that's how chords were developed - we kept adding to the harmony.

For example, the thirds C/E and D/F sound different - because C/E are two whole steps apart (four frets), while D/F are one whole and one half step apart (three frets).

:lol: Haha thats the same example you used in your book, C/E is a major interval and D/F is a minor interval ( Major 2 steps and Minor 1 step and a half).

OOOHHHHH OK I get Parallel fifths now, since both the Bass and the Fifth moved the same number of steps up or down.

Harmonizing in thirds won't cut it for punk;

Well, it depends ....

I'm a punk bass player and I do a lot of harmonising in 3rds. I do this in three ways:

1) as decoration with the root note:
G major C major D major
G|--------------------------------------------------
D|--------------------------------22----------44----
A|-------22----------22------3-33----33-5--55----55-
E|--3-33----33--3-33----33--------------------------

2) Replacing the root note (less often):
G major C major D major
G|-----------------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------------
A|--------------2-22-22-22-3-33-33-33-5-55-55-55-
E|--3-33-33-33-----------------------------------

3) Truly harmonising the root note (very seldom):
G major C major D major
G|-4-44-44-44--4-44-44-44--9--9--9--9-11-11-11-11--
D|-5-55-55-55--5-55-55-55-10 10 10 10-12-12-12-12--
A|-------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------------

i dont mean to hijack this, but andy summers uses sus2 chords a lot (i have seen them tabbed as add9 chords but there is no 3rd). i saw an interview where he said playing the 3rd sounds muddy at loud gig volumes or somehting like that.

is this an example of harmonising in 5ths??

There's some confusion of terms here. The hollow sound that NoteBoat is referrring to is caused by 'bare' or open' 5ths, rather than just parallel 5ths. Bare 5ths are 2 notes separated by a perfect 5th. When heard without a 3rd or any other interval (apart from the octave) they sound very pure and consonant, or bare and hollow, depending how you look at it.

Parallel 5ths are perfect 5ths used consecutively between the same two voices regardless of what other notes are played or sung by other voices . Here's an example of parallel, (but not bare) 5ths (i.e., not power chords)
G A
E F
C D
The objection to this during the cllassical period was a weakening of harmonic texture when parts (voices) were expected to maintain their individuality, and not keep the same interval between them (apart from 3rds and 6ths which were always considered ok during that period)

Here's an example of a bare 5th
G
C
The objection to this during the classical period was the hollow sound. Beethoven was criticised for using bare 5ths (but not parallel 5ths) to open his 9th symphony by a few critics who obviously didn't know any better.

If you string a series of bare 5ths together, then you'll have parallel bare 5ths (as in power chords) - which would be doubly objectionable if it was in a traditional harmony or counterpoint setting. In a medieval or heavy metal setting, though, they're perfectly ok as they're not trying to achieve the same individuality of parts within a rich harmonic texture that was the norm for traditional (Common Practice) harmony.

If Andy Summers is using add 9th chords, with or without 3rds then that's what he's harmonising with while those chords are playing- it's not harmonising by 5ths.