Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum # / b, in C? And, the major-minor franchise, "thing?"

Knowing some of my students, they'd start calling natural "banana" and harmonic "blueberry" or something . But whatever works!

I still don't know what to think about the idea of things being based on the C scale. It happens that on the piano the C scale reflects major scales in a way that no black keys have to be used so it's a good reference point.

The major scale has a particular set of intervals. I'll use "H" for half step,and "W" for whole step. So you have:
C(W)D(W)E(H)F(W)G(W)A(W)B(H)C
The piano plus C scale give us a handy reference point if we forget what the halfs and the wholes are, because it becomes visible. But that series is the same for any major scale.

A chord which is formed from the notes of this major scale and does not contain notes not in that scale (diatonic chords) will end up being defined by where the whole steps and half steps fall.

I CEG - you hear and see a major chord
ii DFA - you hear a minor chord
etc.
Therefore you get the series of chords I ii iii IV V vi viio (diminished)

Our notation system is nicely designed to fit with major scales. If you want G major, and stick a sharp in the key signature so that every F is F#, you will end up with the right intervals. If you stick in another sharp on C as C# and start on D, then the intervals are perfect for D major. It's just how it works.

The major chord was originally one of a bunch of modes. The other mode we borrowed from that time was the Aeoliean, which corresponds to the natural minor. If you take that C scale and start a third lower going from A to A, you get this mode.

A(W)B(H)C(W)D(W)E(H)F(W)G(W)A

This one also works nicely with key signatures. It's like you are playing C major, but starting two notes lower. That is why these pairs have the same key signature: C major & A minor; G major & E minor; F major & D minor etc. Each minor key starts 3 notes down, a minor third below.

You will notice that in C major, there is a half step from B to C. B is known as the "leading note" because it leads into the tonic (C). But in A minor, G to A is a whole tone, and this doesn't provide the same movement. You also don't get a dominant chord (seven chord) which also leads into the tonic. So the "harmonic minor" takes care of that. We raise the G to G# and voila - we have a leading note. The reason we have to do that is because we are borrowing a key signature that is best suited for the relative major. There is no G# in the key signature of C major (relative of A minor) so we have to add an accidental. So now we have:

A(W)B(H)C(W)D(W)E(H)F(3 half tones)G#(H)A

Your V7 chord is EG#BD ... the G# is in there and you're all set.

Other times it is handier to have the melody be natural minor, and other times you want the leading note, but the awkward leap from F to G# sounds out of place so you sharp the F# as well. This is also done for the sake of some chord progressions. Then you have what we learn is the "melodic minor"

A(W)B(H)C(W)D(W)E(W)F#(W)G#(W)A

In all three "minor" scales, your tonic chord is minor, and that alone gives it a minor kind of feel to it.

Somebody pointed out that the minor scale is a kind of chameleon that keeps changing its shape, that there "isn't" really such a thing as the minor scale types we learn, and the only real thing is that beginning.

This is getting borian.

keystring,

Well thought out, and concisely phrased; thank you.

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ten left thumbs,

You're right, we're getting "borian" so we'll put paid to this topic, and move along. ;-)

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Again, thanks to all for comments / replies.

--Pat

yes. all this music theory is boring me as well. i just wanna make music. is that so hard? oh yea it is kinda