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Is there a quick rule-of-thumb for finding negative harmonies?

Usually they are explained by drawing a circle of pitches and pairing them by lining up the 'positive' and 'negative' pitches. But this needs a diagram. How does one quickly decide the negative of, say, the supertonic chord without having to draw a diagram?

I suspect this may turn out to be a very naive question.

EDIT: I presume the downvote is for not explaining negative harmony. I felt it unecessary to do so (since only someone who knows it can answer and youtube is awash with vids), and impractical, (since I barely understand it.)

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    I don’t think negative harmony is a common term, where does it come from? – Pat Muchmore Jul 7 at 12:17
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    I'm not sure if the question is naive or not, but it sure is difficult to answer. It's a bit as if you were asking "How does one quickly find out a relative minor key without drawing a circle of fifths/fourths?" I guess, the only quick way to go about it is to have an eidetic memory and knowing one's chords by heart. Other than that, you could program a tool that would do it for you. That's what I would personally do (as I do not have eidetic memory). – Pyromonk Jul 7 at 13:20
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    Beflummoxed by the terms 'negative' and 'positive' harmony. – Tim Jul 7 at 13:47
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    @PatMuchmore Negative harmony is all the rage on YouTube at the moment. – Your Uncle Bob Jul 7 at 13:57
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    Are you looking for a quicker method than the ones shown in the "Related" questions on the right side of the page? Unfortunately it's hard for me to imagine a quicker way. – Richard Jul 7 at 14:54
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No, there isn't. You just have to draw the diagram. Well, you could, beforehand, draw a giant table of all possible diagrams: every axis, every triad, say. But looking it up in the table might not be any faster. Also, see Richard's answer.

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  • Thanks. I feared as much. But counting the intervals down from the root seems to be a way to do it. – PeterJ Jul 8 at 10:34
  • @PeterJ, that's basically it: create the negative by listing the ascending intervals above the bass/root as descending from the bass/root. – Michael Curtis Jul 8 at 15:30

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