Guidelines for referencing www.harmony.org.uk
If you are planning to quote this website in an essay or on another website
or you are planning on carrying out any research or writing a thesis or
dissertation which involves root progression analysis techniques as specified
on this website then it is important to to correctly reference this work
in your thesis or dissertation.
Whilst I welcome references to the research and ideas on this site, please note that all writing on this website is governed by international copyright regulations and therefore needs to be referenced in a correct manner.
The following outline notes should help with this. Please read all sections.
If you are in any doubt please write to me at contact address
Please note, I am not able to to enter into joint projects. However, I will endeavor to answer questions re this theory were I can. Please write to contact address.
1. Following the techniques specified on www.harmony.org.uk
If you are planning to do a project which uses the root progression analysis techniques specified on this site then the following guidelines should help you carry out this task in a correct manner.
- Analyses of classical pieces should be based on authentic texts.
Which texts are used should be specified. Whether these are acceptable
is up to your tutor/ supervisor.
- All popular music analyses should be based on transcriptions of specific
recordings or performances. Song sheets and/or song books are not reliable
for academic analysis. What recording or performance your transcription
is based on should be specified. If a transcription by other than the
author is used then the source should be acknowledged. Permission will
normally be required to use someone else's transcription.
- I would recommend that transcriptions should be made in the key of
the recording or performance as this ensures greater accuracy and makes
it easier for a reader to compare the transcription with a recording.
- Chord symbols on song sheets/ song books cannot be considered as reliable
for a root progression analysis and should not be used. They also have
the problem that they don't necessarily take account of any voice leading
elaboration.
- All chord analyses should be based on analyses of note by note transcriptions
taking account of the notes of the melody, accompaniment, bass and all
other parts. i.e. the total music.
- Chord analysis should take account of the voice
leading surface as indicated on this site and as demonstrated in
the Example Musical Analyses
chapter. This includes consideration of
linear progressions, passing
chords, auxiliary
chords and appoggiatura
chords etc.
- All music analysed should be segmented into episodes of static
and dynamic harmony
as specified on www.harmony.org.uk. The Example
Musical Analyses chapter can be used as a guide on how to do this.
- The music should be segmented into complete and incomplete phrases as specified on www.harmony.org.uk. The Example Musical Analyses chapter can be used as a guide on how to do this. Chapter 6: Extensions to the basic structure is not currently on the site.
2. What is novel and needs to be acknowledged to the author Tom Sutcliffe
It must be recognised that certain concepts were introduced on www.harmony.org.uk
and full reference should be made to Tom Sutcliffe as the author of these
ideas.
These novel concepts include the following (but not only the following):
- The link between voice
leading and root
progression patterns
- static and dynamic
harmony
- functionality
as specified on www.harmony.org.uk
- polarisation of
chord progressions as specified on www.harmony.org.uk.
- The concept of the dominant
prolongation
- The concept of the static
coda
- The concept of the dynamic
introduction
- prolongation as
defined on www.harmony.org.uk
- linear progressions
as defined on www.harmony.org.uk
- the concept of the syntactic
element
- the standard musical phrase structure as specified in Chapter
1.
- the extensions to the standard musical phrase structure as summarised in Chapter 6.
Please note, the above is not a complete list. To check whether an idea needs to be referenced in this way then please refer to the Glossary. All such novel ideas or novel uses of a word are indicated with an *.
3. How to reference www.harmony.org.uk
If you wish to quote a section of www.harmony.org.uk, or use one of the
terms as specified on www.harmony.org.uk, then:
You should only quote a reasonable length - usually no more than a sentence from a particular section. The quote should be shown in quotes (single or double) and it should be clear who the author is and where on the site the quote is from so that the reader can check the quote in context.
When making a reference, then please make the reference in a way similar to the following examples:
a) using a term as used on harmony.org.uk
"…. using Tom Sutcliffe's concept of static and dynamic harmony (see www.harmony.org.uk) ….."
or:
"… using the concept of prolongation as specified by Tom Sutcliffe on www.harmony.org.uk....."
Note the difference between the last two examples: the first includes new terms introduced by Tom Sutcliffe. The second is a term used elsewhere but with a specific meaning as defined on this website. Please refer to the glossary for clarity on this distinction as indicated in section 2 above.
b) quoting a sentence or section:
According to Tom Sutcliffe (www.harmony.org.uk, book outline, Appendix B, "Modal and Blues-modal harmony"):
"… during the 1960's some pop groups started to experiment with
modal chord progressions as an alternative way of harmonising blues melodies.
. . . This created a new system of harmony that has influenced subsequent
popular music."
If you wish to specify the date of writing you can use the version information on the site (see footnotes) to determine what date a section was first added to the site, for example:
"Using the concept of Blues-modal harmony as introduced by Tom Sutcliffe on www.harmony.org.uk (2006) . . . . ."
The version control information in footnotes indicates that the popular music section was added in 2006.
Note: the version number at the foot of some pages indicates the last time the page was updated and so is not the correct date to use for reference purposes. The correct date is the date the section was first uploaded as indicated in footnotes
If your institution's standards require you to indicate a place of publication you can show: London, England.
You can place footnotes on the same page as the reference or references to bibliographies at the end of your essay depending on your institution's standards.
The important thing is to show the correct source of the quote or idea.
If you have any queries about this section or about anything else on this site then please contact me at: contact address.