Major, Minor and Pentatonic Scales

Music Studies I

Major Scales• Def: A scale is a succession of 8 notes in alphabetical

order.

• The word scale comes from the Italian “La Scala” “a ladder”.

• A scale can be built on any note.

Chromatic Scales• The word "chromatic" comes from the Greek word chroma meaning "color." • The chromatic scale consists of 12 notes each a half step apart.• Chromatic scales move by half step only.

Major Scales• Every major scale has the same structure of intervals and is broken

into two halves – called tetrachords.

• The intervals of each tetrachord are: W – W –H.

• The tetrachords are then joined by a tone. Therefore the interval structure of a complete major scale is as below:

W W H W W W H

Tetrachord Tetrachord

Major Scales• Every major scale has the same structure of intervals.

• The interval structure of a complete major scale is:

W – W – H – W – W – W – H

• Using this plan, you can create a major scale from any note. All major scales except C will need accidentals.

Tetrachord Tetrachord

Intervals of the Major Scale

• In the Major Scale, there is a half step between the 3 - 4th notes and the 7th - 8th notes.

W W H W W W H

D Major Scale (F♯ and C♯ )

W W H W W W H

• It is the intervals of the scale, which determine the scale’s key signature.

G A CB ED

F#

G

D E G B DA

F# C#

• G major scale has one sharp – G#, due to the intervals of the scale.

• D major scale has two sharps – F# & C#, due to the intervals of the scale.

Key Signatures with ♯’s

Key Signatures with ♭’s

Degrees of the Scale

• Each note of the scale has its own technical name – as well as being known as the 1st or 3rd etc of the scale.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

I II III IV V VI VII I

The Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths, with relative minor key signatures. (From Wikipedia commons).

Degree of the Scale Technical NameI Tonic (home)II SupertonicIII MediantIV Sub-dominantV DominantVI Sub-mediantVII Leading Note (Leads back to the

tonic)

Degrees of the Scale – Technical Names

The 4th Scale Degree in major scales…

• The 4th degree in each major scale is said to be characteristic

• For now remember – 4th scale degree is characteristic – sounds bad with chord 1.

• Like NASA sending pigs into space – bad idea!!

Minor Scales

• Minor scales sound different to major scales because they are made up of a different pattern of intervals.

W – H – W – W – H – W – W

• Even though they have the same key signature, a minor key and its relative major sound very different.

• They have different tonal centers, and each will feature melodies, harmonies, and chord progressions built around their (different) tonal centers.

Intervals of the Natural Minor Scale

• The Natural minor scale is the Aeolian Mode.

• This scale has a half step between the 2-3 and 5-6 notes. It is the simplest form of minor scale and is used a lot in jazz and folk music.

W H W W H W W

• The Leading Note (7th degree of the scale) in minor scales and minor key signatures is very important to give a feeling of ‘leading’ to the end of the scale (and leading to the end of a piece of music).

• The Natural minor scale doesn’t have the ‘finished’ effect of a 7th note (leading note) giving the feeling of ‘leading’ to the tonic.

• The 7th note of the Natural minor scale is a tone away from the 8th note, rather than a semitone.

W H W W H W W

The Harmonic Minor Scale• To create the “leading” note effect that the Natural minor scale lacked

the Harmonic minor scale was developed, with a raised 7th.

• It is the half step between the 7th & 8th notes of the scale which gives it the minor feel.

• The structure of the harmonic minor scale is:

W H W W H W+H H

The Harmonic Minor Scale (cntd)

• However -by raising the 7th note, this gave the minor scale its raised 7th, but left an awkward augmented 2nd between the 6th and 7th notes.

C Harmonic Minor Scale

W H W W H W+H H

The Melodic Minor Scale

• To avoid the awkward augmented 2nd of the Harmonic minor scale, the Melodic Minor scale was devised.

• This raised both the 6th and 7th notes of the Natural minor scale.

W H W W W W H

The Melodic Minor Scale

• When using the melodic minor scale, the 6th and 7th notes are raised when ascending.

• the scale reverts to the natural minor when descending.

Melodic minor Natural minor

• In Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor scales, the 6th and 7th notes may differ from the natural minor scale, as these two scales have their own interval structures as shown in previous slides.

Minor scales• The reason for the differences in the harmonic minor and

melodic minor scales, are that melodies in a minor key are easier to sing using the raised 6th & 7th when ascending rather than the awkward augmented 2nd of the Harmonic minor.

• On the other hand ‘chords’ in a minor key normally use just the

unsharpened 6th degree and the sharpened 7th degree. Ie chords are built upon the harmonic minor scale.

• A piece is never said to be in “C harmonic minor” or “C melodic minor” – as minor pieces use a combination of both scales. Just “C Minor” etc.

No 4th degree in the major pentatonic scale

No 7th degree in the major pentatonic scale

• Pentatonic scales are made up of only 5 notes.

• The Pentatonic Major Scale excludes the 4th & 7th degrees of the major scale.

Pentatonic Major Scale

Pentatonic Minor Scale

• The Minor pentatonic scale excludes the 2nd and 6th degrees of the natural minor scale.

No 6th degree in the minor pentatonic scale

No 2nd degree in the minor pentatonic scale

Relative Key Signatures

• Every Key Signature has two keys - – 1 major (from the Ionian Mode) – and 1 minor (from the Aeolian Mode)

• The intervals of the natural minor scale result in the minor scales having the same accidentals as their relative major. This is why the two scales are said to be related.

• The relative minor has a different tonal centre to its relative major.

Relative Key Signatures

W H W W H W W

W W H W W W H

D Major Scale

B Minor Scale has the same two ♯’s as D major. Therefore the two are related.

Working out related scales #1

• To work out the relative major of a minor key, count UP 3 half steps (and 3 letters) INCLUDING the letter you start from.

• To work out the relative minor of a major key, count DOWN 3 half steps (and 3 letters) INCLUDING the letter you start from.

Ie G minor is related to Bb Major Ie A Major is related to F♯ Minor

Working out related scales #2

The relative minor is always the 6th degree of the major scale.

D Major Scale

B Minor Scale

The relative major is always the 3rd degree of the minor scale.

Relative Major and Minor Key Signatures

C Major G Major D Major A Major E Major B Major F# Major C# Major

A Minor E Minor B Minor F# Minor C# Minor G# Minor D# Minor A# Minor

F Major Bb Major Eb Major Ab Major Db Major Gb Major Cb Major

D Minor G Minor C Minor F Minor Bb Minor Eb Minor Ab Minor

Working out related scales #3

You can create minor scales from the parallel (tonic) major scale.i.e. From the major scale adjust the following scale degrees (remember “♭”simply means to lower the respective scale degree by a ½ step) :

•Natural ♭3 ♭6 ♭7•Harmonic ♭3 ♭6•Melodic ♭3

D Major Scale

D Harmonic Minor Scale

i.e. From D major scale, lower the 3rd & 6th notes by a half step (semitone) to arrive at D Harmonic Minor scale.Therefore F ♯ is lowered a ½ step to become F♮ etc.

Modulation to Related Keys

I IV V

Major C F G

Minor Am Dm Em

• The most commonly related keys used to modulate are: – relative major to relative minor – tonic (I) to subdominant (IV) or dominant (V). – tonic (I) subdominant or dominant of the relative minor – Tonic major – tonic minor and vice versa

**Can modulate to any key from a dim7 chord. Useful chord to ‘launch’ into another key.

Parallel Major / Minor Scales• Parallel major & minor scales are not related, as they will have a different key signature. • They are parallel because they begin & end on the same tonic, or Do. That is where the similarity ends.

D Major Scale

W W H W W W H

W H W W H W W

D Minor Scale