T = Tonic

Negative Harmony
G= Generator Functional Tonal Polarity Concepts by Steve Coleman/Ernst Levy
Transcribed by Marco Fiorini

C Major scale Negative G Major scale

G-T G T
4 œ œ œ 3
&4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ œ
4
1 T 2 T 3 ST 4 T 5 T 6 T 7 ST 8 1 T 2 T 3 ST 4 T 5 T 6 T 7 ST 8

The concepts proposed here belong to a Functional Tonal Polarity Theory. It's fundamental to
understand the value every note has within the considered scale and tonality.
Let's take a C Major scale, this scale has an interval structure of T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST.
It's also important to notice the relevance of the perfect fifth interval C-G, called the "spine" of tonality.
Our ear, infact, will perceive as Tonic the note at the bottom of this interval, in this case C.
With these concepts in mind, the relative Negative scale of C Major will be the one maintaining the same
aspects of Functional Polarity, the same interval structure and the same perfect fifth interval C-G.
That leads us to the so called Negative G Major scale, a mirror negative reflection of the C Major scale
(notice how this scale descends, in contrapposition to the ascending positive scale).
Let's now introduce the concept of Generator Tone, meaning the tone from which the interval structure
T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST starts. While in the positive world this tone coincides with the Tonic C, in the negative
world the Generator is G (that's why the scale is called Negative G) and the Tonic is always a fifth below
that.
The Tonic of this new scale is again C and that's why is wrong to call the scale G Phrygian or Eb Major;
in doing so you would lose the Functional Polarity of the tones in relation to their degree (the numbers
below every note in both scales)
For instance, the Gravity or Functional Polarity that tends to attract the tone B towards C in the
ascending C Major scale is the same as the one leading Ab to G in the descending Negative G Major
scale; they both represent degree 7.

The first practical application of this theory is to learn to mirror a well known melody, as Happy
Birthday.
First we want to define the key (C Major) and write down a numerical pattern reference of the degrees of
the melody:

556517-556521-5553176-443121
(underlined numbers refers to an octave higher)

Now we can move to the Negative G Major scale and play the melody related to these degrees, keeping in
mind that what in the positive world is ascending becomes descending in the negative one, and viceversa.
Our new melody will start on the fifth degree of the Negative G Major scale ad will have a descending
aspect, contrary to the relative positive melody.

© Marco Fiorini 2017

marco.fiorini.1991@gmail.com
2
Happy Birthday
3 œ œ ˙
&4 Ó œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ
5 5 6 5 1 7 5 5 6 5 2 1 5 5
œ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ œ œ ˙™ bbb
5 3 1 7 6 4 4 3 1 2 1
Negative Happy Birthday
b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&b b Ó œ ˙ œ ˙
5 5 6 5 1 7 5 5 6 5 2 1 5 5

b nnn C
&b b œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ ˙™
5 3 1 7 6 4 4 3 1 2 1

Now that the melodic aspect should be clear enough we can move to the harmonic one.
Let's start by harmonizing in triads the C Major scale, in the positive world.
The triads are C(I) Dm(II) Em(III) F(IV) G(V) Am(VI) Bdim(VII).
In order to speak about the chords generated from the negative scale is necessary to extend the
traditional nomenclature with two new concepts: Absolute Conception and Telluric Adaptation.
Telluric Adaptation consists in reading chords from the bottom up, as we are already used to do in the
positive world.
In Absolute Conception, on the other hand, we read the chords starting from the Generator tone, so
from top to bottom.
Let's see how we find the negative I chord, related to the positive C major triad.
To find the relative negative chord we go on the I degree of the Negative G Major scale (G) and we
descend in thirds, using the same intervals of a major triad (the triad quality of the I degree of the
positive scale).
This leads us to the notes, in descending order, G - Eb - C.
The resulting chord is read as a Negative G Major in Absolute Conception or as a Cm in Telluric
Adaptation.
It's important to remember that, for the triads generated upon this scale, the first note from the top is
the Generator Tone, while the Tonic is a fifth below; so G is the Generator of this chord (hence the
name -G in Absolute Conception) while C is the Tonic.
Let's see the V chord, G Major in the positive world.
We move on the fifth degree of the Negative G Major scale (C, Generator of this chord) and descend
in thirds, obtaining C - Ab - F.
The resulting chord is -C in Absolute Conception or Fm in Telluric Adaptation.
Notice how the chords that in the positive world are Major (I, IV, V) become minor in the negative
world, the minor chords (II, III, VI) become Major and the diminished triad stays still (VII).

© Marco Fiorini 2017

marco.fiorini.1991@gmail.com
 C Major scale harmonization 3
C D‹ E‹ F G A‹ Bº C
œœ œœœ œœœ
& C œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ
œ œ bbb

Negative G Major scale harmonization

Absolute Conception
-G -Fm -Ebm -D -C -Bbm -Abdim -G
bbb œœœ œœ
œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ
& œ œœœ
C‹ B¨ A¨ G‹ F‹ E¨ Dº C‹
Telluric Adaptation

© Marco Fiorini 2017

marco.fiorini.1991@gmail.com