Many composers write music that pulls notes from the parallel minor into a major key, or vice versa. C major and C minor are parallel to each other, like two trains running on separate tracks. When we “switch” from a major scale to a minor scale using the same root, the relationship is said to be parallel Two musical structures (normally melodies) are parallel with respect to each other when they begin at the same point and follow each other in the same direction. This reflects the new notes of the scale as compared to the original major scale, which is always our point of reference-in any situation. Now, when we describe this scale we will compare it to that same major scale we will say it has the notes 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. In our numbering scheme before, we had the notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Now that we’ve built a C minor scale using the minor formula, we have C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭. In C major, we had the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B. This formula is the same sequence as the major scale formula, but it begins on a different note. The formula for the minor scale is whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. The minor scale is created with a formula, just like the major scale. This combination of notes is called the minor scale. If you look closely at it, you can still find the “whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half” arrangement-even though it begins at a different place in the sequence and overflows from the right to the left. In addition, our cherries and brackets have the exact same relationship to each other that they did before but they’ve all been shuffled to the left. Not much has changed: we’re dealing with the same twelve notes. We can create most of the scales that are commonly used simply by moving this sequence of whole steps and half steps while preserving their relationships to each other.īefore we begin, let’s number the notes of the C major scale as they appear. This set of notes has an important feature: the “cherries” that represent half-steps are spaced as evenly apart as possible. We want a seven-note scale with as few half steps as possible in order to increase harmony and decrease dissonance. This is because the notes vibrate at frequencies which have some conflict, and this conflict is audible to the human ear. The half steps in the scale are the primary cause of dissonance Refers to the quality of two or more notes which do not have strong harmonization. If it had eight, there would be an extra note, and extra half steps. If it had six, there would be a “gap” somewhere. Our scale will probably have seven notes. If we want a set of notes that works well for building chords, our choices of scales are limited. #Second notes on the d scale series#Hundreds of years of music prove this series of steps reliable. Building the Major Scale The process The result We may have to accept these two things at face value: our definition of a “major scale” is a series of 7 notes chosen from a set of 12, guided by the following steps: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. To learn how scales and chords work, we need to understand what a “major scale” is, and what a “minor scale” is. Most music is based on either a major or minor scale, and these two scales are closely related. In reality, few of these combinations are used in music. In fact, there are 462 possible “C” scales we could create using 7 notes in which the first one was “C”. It follows that we could create many scales where “C” is the lowest note, because there are twelve notes and we can complete the scale with any other six. The quality of the scale (major) is determined by the notes in it and their relationship to the tonic A word describing the tonal center of a piece of music, with other tones resolving to this note. Previously, we learned about the musical alphabet and the major scale. Next→ Analysis of Common Chord Progressions in Popular Music The Minor Scale Formula
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