Scales and Modes

Scale

Collection of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order

Diatonic Scale 

Collection of seven natural pitches/ tones; includes five whole steps and two half steps in each octave; Represented by the white keys on the keyboard 

Major Scale

Seven note diatonic scale; scales are named after their tonic

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Major Scale pattern 

Tetra Chords

Divide the scale into two equal halves of for notes each between scale degree 4 and 5

Transposition

Process of moving a piece from one key to another

Tonic 

Most stable scale degree- all other degrees resolve around it 

Supertonic

Typically resolves down to the tonic or up to the mediant

Mediant

Relatively stable, but not as much as the tonic or dominant and resolves down to the tonic; Halfway between tonic and dominant

Subdominant 

May move up towards the dominant, down to the mediant, or function as a “lower dominant” 

Dominant

relatively stable scale degree that often resolves directly to the tonic

Submediant

Tends to resolve down to the dominant and can act as a stepping stone in motion from the dominant to the tonic; halfway between tonic and subdominant

Leading Tone 

Has a strong upwards pull towards the tonic except when it is part of the descending scale starting on 1

Tetra chords

Two _____ of any major scale have identical patterns of whole and half steps

Sharp

To build up _____ scales, we go up in letter names from the tonic to dominant

Flat

To built _____ scales, we go down five letters names from the tonic to the subdominant

Circle of fifths 

Represents twelve different major key signatures and 3 enharmonic key signatures 

Clockwise

Moving _____, each subsequent key starts on the fifth degree of its predecesor and adds one sharp, the leading tone of the scale, until the circle reaches C-sharp major, which has 7 sharps 

Counterclockwise

Moving _____, each subsequent key starts on the fourth scale degree of its predecessor and adds one flat, the subdominant of the scale, until the circle reaches C-Flat Major, which has 7 flats

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Order of sharps 

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Order of flats

Pentatonic scale

collection of five pitches that consist of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees

Blues Scale 

A chromatic version of the minor pentatonic scale, including a raised 4th 

Bright

Three _____ modes, which contain mi (SD3) instead of me (Lowered SD3): Lydian, Lonian, Mixolydian 

Dark

Four _____ Modes, which contain me (lowered SD3) instead of mi (SD3), Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian