The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization is a theory of music and the life work of George Russell. It has existed in a state of continual evolution since the early 1950s. Totally revised and expanded, the most recently released Fourth Edition (2001) is entitled Volume One: The Art and Science of Tonal Gravity. This new publication presents the work in a highly comprehensive and organized manner, totally surpassing any previous editions. Most people familiar with this body of knowledge refer to it simply as "The Concept."
The principal aim of "The Concept" is to grasp the behavior of all musical activity (i.e. melody, harmony, rhythm and form) from the most objective viewpoint possible. It seeks to document observations within musics "genetic code" by charting the framework of laws that act as guidelines for composition, improvisation and analysis. Its purpose is to provide a road map of the musical universe that tells you where all the roads are, but does not tell you which roads to take.
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