scales, modes, synthetic scales, symmetric scales, scale construction, melodic minor, harmonic minor, pentatonic
Chords are made from scale materials or pitch sets, meaning that any scale that contains the notes of a particular chord that is being used is a potential candidate to be used over it. But something to always be… Read More »Matching Scales to Chords
When I mentioned the overtone series and that the pentatonic scale is one of the most used and recognized scales in the world, you probably noticed that there were some scale degrees missing. Probably, the most commonly used pentatonic scale… Read More »The Pentatonic Major and Minor Scales
The first diatonic scales we will be looking at are the natural major and minor. Scales can be classified as being major or minor, depending on the third interval between the tonic and the mediant – a major third is… Read More »The Diatonic Major and Minor Scales
A symmetrical scale is basically one that results from the equal division of an octave. I will only be approaching the most common but there are many other ways to divide the octave. This symmetry is also usually present even… Read More »Symmetric Scales
In Western music, a diatonic scale is a heptatonic scale where each tone is a degree of the scale. Each degree refers to the relative position of a particular note to the tonic, the first and main note of the… Read More »Scale Degrees and Leading Tone
A musical scale is basically a collection of notes that divide the octave in a certain number of scale steps. The reason why the pitches are organized within one octave is so we can proceed with the same notes or… Read More »Scales and the Overtone Series
In music, an interval is the relative distance between two notes that can be measured in tones or steps and, in the equal temperament system that uses twelve notes, the smallest measurable unit is a half-step or a half-tone. The… Read More »Intervals
Each of these modes can be found by playing its one octave range, or ambitus, on the “white key” notes on a piano, or C major scale. The important thing was the pattern of half steps and whole steps within… Read More »The Medieval Church Modes
