Prism – Donald Brown

A dramatic ballad full of peaks and valleys, Prism packs a lot of variety into a relatively short form. The 18-measure chorus is not divided into sections in our lead sheets; the melodic thread runs smoothly throughout. The actual rhythms of the melody are very diverse, with many triplets and sixteenth-note pickups connecting the longer notes. The harmonies are just as colorful, with a focus on major 7(♯11) chords. Though this song begins and ends on Dmaj7(♯11), the melodic and harmonic movement never imply a D major key center and our lead sheet shows no key signature. In a few places the melody goes outside the chords, notably in the rising triplets in the 14th measure, over maj7(♯11) chords moving in a circle of 4ths.

In a few places the solo changes are simplified, generally where triads shift over bass pedals in the head to complement the melody. These are shown below the staff in our lead sheets.