Hermeto Pascoal: Visionary of Contemporary Brazilian Music

prepared by
RICHARD BOUKAS

SUMMARY OF HERMETO'S CHORD SYMBOL NOTATION and COMMON EQUIVALENTS

Hermeto's way of notating harmonies may at first seem unorthodox or difficult to decipher. No system is perfect.

However, after further review, they are actually quite literal in indicating voicing content and possess a greater degree
of specificity than some Jazz chord symbols. This is especially true of more complex sonorities shown as "slash chords".

Hermeto's "cifragem universal" (universal chord notation, as bassist-composer Itiberê Zwarg coins it)
evolved naturally as a means of expressing his overall harmonic approach, which is based on the stacking of triads
(whole or partial) and/or pure intervals above a fundamental tone which is not really perceived to be a "root"
in the conventional sense.

In his harmonies, there can be one, two or even three levels (what he calls "andares" or "floors"). A "two-floor chord"
is notated as a slash chord, and clearly represents the notes played by left and right hand of the piano.

In a sense, this left/right differentiation and pure intervallic notation is a type of figured bass, where the construction
of a voicing is often guaranteed by just looking at the chord symbol. This is very important when using inversions.
In most cases, there are jazz equivalents, except when one attempts to consolidate all harmonic content as related to
only one root (as opposed to a "slash chord" approach).

An important point is that the left hand part of the voicing (under the slash) usually only refers to specific intervals
above the bass note, whereas the right hand can refer either to chordal or pure interval content.

For example the chord E / G7, (our E13b9) uses only a minor 7th interval in the left hand above the G bass note, and
is not a complete dominant seventh chord- which would be the case if it were written above the slash in the right hand.

Hermeto uses (+) and (-) when referring to alterations of the 5th, 7th, 9th, 11 and 13. Unlike our notation (ex. C7b9)
these indications always follow the alteration, because in Portuguese, the adjective (flat, sharp) follows the
noun (interval or alteration). e.g. C major 7th (C7+) is called "dó com sétima maior", and C diminished (C- 5-) is
"dó menor com quinta diminuta". This is important if you are working with Portuguese-speaking musicians or students.

TRIADS: C C- C+ C-5- (major, minor, augmented, diminished)

SEVENTHS: C7+ C7 C-7 C-7 5- (or C-5- with mi7th often assumed) (major, dominant, minor, half-diminished).
You might see diminished chords as Cdim or Cº . This could mean either a diminished triad or full diminished 7th.

EXTENSIONS consolidated into one chord symbol: C7 9- C7 9+ C-9 C7 13- etc. For minor extensions,
Hermeto commonly uses the 11th as a 4th: ex. C- 479, which indicates that the 4th is voiced below 5th, 7th and 9th.


IDIOSYNCRATIC CHORD SYMBOLS and VOICINGS USING "ONE FLOOR"
Cmi11no9 Cmi11 F7(#9#5) Gma9 C7¨9

      

C-47 C-479 F9+13- G7+9 C13‚9 D6‚9 C79- Ami6

  
     
 

    
     
Copyright © 2011 Richard Boukas
 HERMETO CHORD SYMBOLS and VOICINGS USING "TWO FLOORS"
2 notated as RIGHT HAND / LEFT HAND SLASH CHORD and Jazz equivalents
prepared by


RICHARD BOUKAS
G13¨9 Dadd9/F# E¨ma7#5 A7sus¨9

 
E/G7 A458/F#5+7 G(1)/E¨ G(3)/E¨ G(5)/E¨ G-6/A G/A
  


  
 
 


 
   
   
(specifies the root, 3rd or 5th
to be the top voice note, a finer distinction later added
by Itiberê Zwarg to the system)


Cma76‚9 Dadd9/B¨
C/B C/B¨ C7+6‚9 A456/B¨ D4+(1)/C B7/G6
   
  

  
 

 
 
      



G#Ø7 Cma9/G Fma9#11 Bdim¨13
B-/G#7 C237+/G6‚9 B45+9-/F5‚10 G/B6 or D48/B6
  
 
 

 
 


  
  
  
 


Dadd9/C Dadd9/F# C#add9/A Gma6‚7#5#9
A4568/C A45/F©7 G#4568/A B7+/G6
 

  
 

  
 

   
  