Definition
Planing (parallel harmony) consists of moving a chord with all its voices in parallel motion, as a single block. The classical rule forbidding parallel fifths and octaves is suspended: the chord no longer has a function, it is a timbre that draws the melody. A constant structure (constant structure, a Berklee term) is a sequence of chords all of the same quality (e.g. all maj7, all m9, all sus).
Three types of planing
| Type | How it works | Example in C |
|---|---|---|
| Diatonic | the voices move within the scale, the quality changes | C – Dm – Em – F (parallel triads) |
| Chromatic (real) | the structure stays identical, shifted by exact semitones | Cmaj7 – Dbmaj7 – Dmaj7 |
| Mixed | constant structure on freely chosen roots | Cmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Abmaj7 – Fmaj7 |
Debussy and Ravel
- Debussy, La cathédrale engloutie (Préludes I, 1910): chords of hollow fifths and octaves that rise as a block, like the echo of bells and Gregorian chant in organum.
- Debussy, Sarabande from Pour le piano: chains of parallel seventh and ninth chords.
- Ravel, Boléro (1928): in one passage the theme is played by horn, celesta, and piccolos at intervals that reproduce the harmonics (octave, twelfth, seventeenth): an orchestral planing that fuses the instruments into a new timbre.
Constant structures in jazz
- Melodies harmonized entirely with the same voicing (for example maj7#11 or a voicing in fourths) following the melody: typical of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and modal jazz.
- Constant structure tunes: pieces in which the chords are all of the same type and the roots move freely; the improviser thinks of one scale per chord (for example Lydian over all the maj7 chords).
Planing in electronic music
The classic “chord stab” of deep house and garage: a sampled m7 or m9 chord (or one saved with the chord memory function of 1980s synths) played on different notes of the keyboard. Each key transposes the same chord: pure chromatic planing. The same goes for the “chord” synths of future bass.
Practical rules
- Diatonic = consistent with the key, smooth; chromatic = more exotic and modern.
- Choose voicings without heavy doublings in the low register: planing of close-position triads below C3 becomes muddy.
- Planing is a technique of melody orchestration: the top voice must be a good melody.
- You can keep a fixed pedal underneath (tonic bass) while the upper chords move in parallel.
Example
Melody C – D – E – G – E – D – C harmonized with an m9 constant structure, in which each note of the melody is the ninth of an m9 chord:
- C = 9 of Bbm9, D = 9 of Cm9, E = 9 of Dm9, G = 9 of Fm9
Result: Bbm9 – Cm9 – Dm9 – Fm9 – Dm9 – Cm9 – Bbm9: a fluid, “out of key” neo-soul movement that is nonetheless coherent in timbre.
Producer exercise
- Sample (or create) a Cm9 chord on a single note (C3) with a synth (Jup-8 V or Prophet-5 V).
- In the Piano roll, play an 8-note melody with this sample: each note becomes an m9 chord.
- Compare with the diatonic version (harmonization within the scale): which sounds more “house” and which more “pop”?
Related topics
Impressionist harmony, chromatic substitution, advanced quartal harmony (So What), neo-soul harmony, voicing.