music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

, a linear progression (''Auskomponierungszug'' or '' Zug'', abbreviated: ''Zg.'') is a

passing note A nonchord tone (NCT), nonharmonic tone, or embellishing tone is a note in a piece of music or song that is not part of the implied or expressed chord set out by the harmonic framework. In contrast, a chord tone is a note that is a part of the ...

elaboration involving stepwise melodic motion in one direction between two harmonic tones. "The compositional unfolding of a specific interval, one of the intervals of the

chord of nature In music, ''klang'' (also "clang") is a term sometimes used to translate the German ''Klang'', a highly polysemic word. Technically, the term denotes any periodic sound, especially as opposed to simple periodic sounds (sine tones). In the German ...

."Jonas, Oswald (1982). ''Introduction to the Theory of Heinrich Schenker'', p.62. (1934: ''Das Wesen des musikalischen Kunstwerks: Eine Einführung in Die Lehre Heinrich Schenkers''). Trans. John Rothgeb. . The mention of the "chord of nature" in this context reflects Jonas' own opinion, which Schenker would not have shared, if only because the minor chord cannot be a "chord of nature". See Klang (music). For example: -- over the tonic. According to Schenker: "A linear progression always presupposes a

; there can be no linear progression without a passing note, no passing note without a linear progression." In German ''Zug'' may be combined with prefixes to create related words such as ''Untergreifzug'', a linear progression rising from a lower voice, ''Uebergreifzug'' ("

reaching over Schenkerian analysis is a method of analyzing tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935). The goal is to demonstrate the organic coherence of the work by showing how it relates to an abstracted deep structure, the ''Urs ...

"), a linear progression overlapping another, or ''Terzzug'', linear progression through a third. The term ''Zug'' may best be translated as "a direct, unimpeded motion from one place to another."Snarrenberg, Robert (1997). ''Schenker's Interpretive Practice'', p.19. . Linear progressions prolong harmonies through elaboration, or filling-in with dissonant notes, of a leap between two consonant notes from different voices in a chord.Pankhurst (2008), p.28. In English they may be abbreviated "prg." such as 3-prg. for 'third progression' (rather than "Zg."). Linear progression in Mozart Piano Sonata in G major

Linear progression in Mozart Piano Sonata in G major

Note that in the Mozart example above the passing tones are dissonant and unable to be embellished; however, in the Urlinie example to the right the passing tone is supported harmonically, allowing for embellishment. Also note the Schenkerian notation indicating relative hierarchical depth, surface or structural importance, where structural notes are indicated through stems and beams and surface notes are indicated through note heads only which are then slurred to stemmed and beamed notes. Thus in the bottom right example the third progression from D is a decoration of the deeper third progression from E.

Sources

{{Schenkerian analysis Schenkerian analysis

See also

Sources