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Pentatonic Scales

12/31/2014

  The prefix “penta” means five, so a pentatonic scale is a scale composed of five pitches. These scales are used heavily in Eastern music, folk music and many forms of improvisation. Technically, any five pitches can be combined to form a pentatonic scale. Eastern music contains many types of pentatonic scales.

                The music of Western Europe developed separately from that of other nations throughout history. The music theory and structure that we study in my courses (and in most North American and West European schools) comes from this Western European history. Western tonal music is based off of 7 pitches within a given diatonic key. Our key system can be based on either a major or minor tonality.

                The Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and even Native Americans all have their own musical history and structure that differs in many ways from Western Music. Some of these areas (particularly the Middle East and Asia) developed a formal music theory which we classify as Eastern music. This difference creates a split in music theory when referring to either Eastern or Western music.

                There are two main types of pentatonic scales: hemitonic and anhemitonic. Hemitonic scales contain one or more semitones. Anhemitonic scales contain no semitones. Anhemitonic scales are the type of pentatonic scales that occur in Western music, since they relate best to our diatonic keys. They will be the focus of the rest of our discussion.

                The two main types of anhemitonic pentatonic scales that we identify in Western music are major and minor pentatonic. The major pentatonic scale is composed of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th scale degrees of a major diatonic scale. This scale is useful for the implementation of simple improvisation techniques because it does not contain the 7th scale degree. This makes it a good scale for use improvising over both major 7th and dominant 7th chords. In addition, the scale does not contain the 4th scale degree which is considered an "avoid" tone in jazz improvisation.

The minor pentatonic scale is composed of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th scale degrees of the natural minor diatonic scale. This scale is useful for the implementation of simple improvisation techniques because it contains all the pitches of the minor 7th chord along with one additional passing tone. Also, the five pitches of a given minor pentatonic scale are the same five pitches of the relative major pentatonic scale from a different starting point. Essentially, the one scale can be used when improvising over both a major 7th chord and its relative minor 7th chord.

Since there are five pitches in a pentatonic scale, the anhemitonic pentatonic scales can actually be arranged in 5 different orders (from 5 different starting points). In Western music, we label one of these as the major pentatonic and another as the minor pentatonic. The other three are seen as inversions of the major or minor pentatonic scales. We use this perspective to best relate the pentatonic scales to our major and minor diatonic scales.
In this Learning Music With Ray video I discuss the definition and composition of pentatonic scales. I cover a brief history of the difference between Western and Eastern music and the use of pentatonic scales within these two frameworks. I then go into a more detailed discussion on the pentatonic scales that are most common to Western music. Finally I cover tips on how to determine the pitches of these pentatonic scales.

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Rounded Binary Form

12/24/2014

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  One of the simplest types of musical forms is binary. The prefix "bi" means two, so binary form is a music form composed of two sections. The "A" section states the opening idea. The "B" section states a second idea. The "B" section also often travels to a different place musically, and then returns for the final cadence. The most common "traveling" device is to temporally establish the dominant as a new key center. As the key change develops and then resolves back to the original key, the listener can picture the entire section as one large scale dominant to tonic cadential progression.

            Rounded binary form is a slight variation on the simple binary. The variation is found in the fact that the second section states a new musical idea "B" and then returns to the first idea "A." The diagram of this form would be A - (B A) as opposed to the typical A-B of a regular binary form.

            Some people may think of this as ternary (3 part) form (A-B-A), but there are several differences between a true ternary and a rounded binary form. First, the "B" section of a true ternary form dramatically contrasts the musical statement of the "A" section. In rounded binary, the "B" section can have similar musical attributes to the "A" section. Second, the return of "A" in rounded binary is usually abbreviated (half of the original statement). In true ternary form the return of "A" is a complete restatement of the section.

            The "B" section of a rounded binary form usually moves to a new (temporary) key center. Pieces that are in a major key often move to the key a fifth above (the dominant) for this temporary key center. Pieces that are in a minor key often move to the relative major. Another technique composers use in the "B" section is fortspinnung. This is a German term for a sequence of intervallic changes that take a musical motif through a process of development. The "B" section usually ends with a dominant harmony of the original key which leads back to the tonic for the repeat of "A." The picture below is a slide from the my Learning Music With Ray video on rounded binary form. It shows an original composition which is an example of rounded binary.

This Learning Music With Ray video discusses rounded binary form. In it, I review binary form and point out the different aspects of rounded binary. I then analyze a piece of music that is written in rounded binary form. I explain the components of this type of form, and the ways to identify them in the musical example.

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Jazz improvisation with Modal Scales

12/10/2014

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Last week we discussed the history, composition and used of modal scales. One musical use for modal scales mentioned last week was in jazz improvisation. Musicians can relate each chord in the changes of a song to the modal scale that most closely resembles the chord tones. Today we will dig deeper into this concept.

In our previous lessons on chord progressions, we discussed the diatonic chords in both major and minor keys (triads and seventh chords). The slides for that portion of the lesson are included below. An examination these slides reveals that the most common chords in music are the major seventh (or major triad), minor seventh (or minor triad), dominant seventh and the minor seven flat five (also known as half diminished). These are also the chords that are used in music's most common chord progression, the 2-5-1 chord progression. I mention both triads and seventh chords here, but seventh chords are usually more common in jazz music. Although fully diminished seventh chords (and diminished triads) do exist in music, they are used less often. For the purpose of this lesson, we will examine the most common chords listed above, and the modal scales that they relate to best.

Major triads and major seventh chords contain four of the seven pitches found in the Ionian scale of the corresponding tonic. The other pitches of the scale are musically pleasant passing tones that can be used when traveling from one chord tone to another. The 2nd and 6th scale degrees can also be thought of as chord tones since they are sometimes used as color tones or upper extensions. The 4th scale degree is labeled by some jazz musicians as an avoid tone. This does not mean that it cannot be used. Just that it is not a good pitch option for structurally or rhythmically significant portions of a melodic improvisation. The 4th scale degree can still be used as a passing tone between chord tones. This means that a musician can used the Ionian scale as a pool of acceptable pitches when creating jazz improvisation over a major triad or major seventh chord.

In the same way, the pitches of minor triads and seventh chords most closely resemble the pitches of the Dorian scale. The pitches of dominant seventh chord most closely resemble the pitches of the Mixolydian scale. Finally, the pitches of minor seven flat five chords most closely resemble the pitches of the Locrian scale. This means that a musician can use these scales as a pool of acceptable pitches when creating jazz improvisation over these chords. In addition, the Lydian scale can be used when improvising over an major seventh chord with a raised 11. The sharp 4 of the Lydian scale helps to accentuate the raised 11 of this chord.

When engaging in modal jazz improvisation, a musician should be able to instantly recall the associated modal scale for each chord change that occurs in the music. While the music remains on a given chord, the associated modal scale acts as a temporary key signature. The musician can create tasteful melodies using the notes of this temporary key signature. One practice that aids in the tasteful construction of melodies is using the chord tones as the main melodic pitches and the other tones of the scale as passing tones or anticipations. Another good practice is to use contrast. Melodic jumps can be contrasted with stepwise motion and upward motion can be contrasted with downward motion. Finally, the use of repeating patterns and melodic motifs can cause an improvisation to be more relatable and memorable to the audience.

In modal improvisation, another tasteful practice is to accentuate the differences in pitch between adjacent modal scales. Some chord progressions (like 2-5-1) will share the same pool of pitches (Dorian - Mixolydian - and Ionian that are all from the same key center). However, when the music moves to a chord who's scale is based in a different key center, accentuating the new pitch (or pitches) helps to embed the sound of the chord changes within the improvisation. A teacher once told me that he should be able to hear the chord changes in my improvisation even when there is no accompaniment present.

Jazz improvisation is a beautiful form of musical expression. I think of it as instant melodic composition guided by a framework of predetermined chords. Although there are many methods a musician can employ when improvising, the use of modal scales (as discussed in this lesson) can be a great starting point.

In this Learning Music With Ray video I discuss the use of modal scales in jazz improvisation. I list the most common chords used in jazz and the modal scales that best outline the notes of each chord. Finally, I demonstrate a modal improvisation over the chord changes of one of my original songs, and explain the improvisational choices I made.

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Modal Scales

12/3/2014

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Western tonal music is based off of 7 pitches within a given diatonic key. Our key system can be based on either a major or minor tonality. However, earlier in history there was a larger variety of tonalities called modes. Modal key centers and scales still impact certain types of modern day music, so it is important to have an understanding of these scales.

In our previous lessons on scales, we discussed that a scale is a consecutive listing of the seven pitches within a diatonic key. Modal scales are also a consecutive listing of seven pitches, but the melodic qualities of their intervals extend beyond the normal diatonic keys. There are seven different types of modes, and they are derived from the original plus the six displacements of a major scale or key. The first mode (Ionian) is identical to major. The second mode is derived by maintaining a major key signature, but starting and ending the scale on the second scale degree. This is what I mean by displacement. The start and end point of the scale is displaced by one step. With the third mode, the scale is displaced by two steps, and so on.

The names of the seven modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Within the video I supply a slide that shows the whole and half step sequence for each scale.

The idea of displacement described above can be used to derive the pitches of any of these scales. We only need to remember the number of the mode according to the order I listed above. We can then relate that to a corresponding major key signature. For example, an F Lydian scale would be an F scale with the key signature of C major because Lydian is the fourth mode and F is the fourth scale degree of C major.

Another way to derive the pitches of the modal scales is to remember their differences in comparison to major or minor scales. Ionian is identical to a major scale. Dorian is similar to a natural minor scale aside from a raised 6th. Phrygian is similar to a natural minor scale aside from a lowered 2nd. Lydian is similar to a major scale aside from a raised 4th. Mixolydian is similar to a major scale aside from a lowered 7th. Aeolian is identical to a natural minor scale. Locrian is similar to a natural minor scale aside from a lowered 2nd and 5th.

There are many modern day musical applications for modes. Some styles of music utilize a modal key center instead of a major or minor one. Also, jazz improvisation relies heavily on the use of modal scales. Many chords can be associated with specific modal scales that will provide the optimal pitches to use while improvising over that chord. Finally, composers can use modes to express melodic motifs that go beyond the expressive confines of major or minor. All of these reasons bring validity to the study and practice of modal scales for any musician.
In this Learning Music With Ray video I discuss the definition and composition of modal scales. I list the seven types of modal scales, cover a brief history of the origin of modes and discuss the practical modern day applications of these scales. I also cover tips on how to determine the pitches of any modal scale.

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Ray Melograne received his BA and ME in music education from Queens College. He is currently teaching music in the NY public schools. He also teaches privately on the Zoen.com network.

Pentatonic Scales

Rounded Binary Form

Jazz improvisation with Modal Scales

Modal Scales

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