Ab Major - Research on Harmony - Variation 1

Five notes played Animé, mf, legato, in triple time — the first variation to quicken the pulse and raise the volume. The line climbs from Ab2 to C7, ascending through root and fifth in close intervals before leaping to C7 at the very top. All chord tones, no visitors. Pure Ab Major, distilled.

Blue fills the lower half — dark blue at Ab2, brighter as the roots and fifths rise through the mid-register. The fifth at Eb3 and Eb4 adds blue-violet weight. At the summit, C7 bleaches the red of the third toward near-white, a pale glow crowning the canvas. No warmth from accidentals, no orange intrusion — only the triad's own cool colors.

The coldest variation, and the most restrained palette in the series. Where the opening study sprawled across six octaves with visitors in tow, this first variation strips the chord bare — ascending, unadorned, the triad alone and climbing.