Scales and Modes

Scale- Collection of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order

Diatonic Scales

  • Diatonic Scale- Any collection of seven natural pitches, or tones- also known as the “white-notes”- that includes five whole steps and two half steps in each octave

    • Represented by the white keys on the keyboard (Basic form)

    • Use each of the seven letter names only once

  • The pattern of whole and half steps determine its name and character 

Major Scale 

  • Seven note diatonic scale with a specific pattern of whole and half steps 

  • All scales are named after their tonic: Pitch that starts/ ends the scale 

    Major Scale pattern 

Five whole steps and two half steps in major scale: W W H W W W H 

Tetra Chords 

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

Transposing the Major Scale 

  • Transposition- Process of moving a piece from one key to another 

Scale Degree Names and Solfege Symbols 

  • Scale Degrees- Seven steps in a scale 

  • 3 most important degrees are the tonic, dominant and subdominant 

  1. Tonic (do)- The most stable scale degree- All other degrees revolve around it 

  2. Supertonic (re)- Tends to resolve down to the tonic or up to the mediant 

  3. Mediant (Mi)- Halfway between tonic and dominant. Relatively stable, but not as much as the tonic or dominant. Resolves down to the tonic

  4. Subdominant (fa)- May move up towards the dominant, down to the mediant, or function as a “lower dominant” 

  5. Dominant (sol)- Relativey stable scale degree that often resolves directly to the tonic 

  6. Submediant (La)- Halfway between tonic and subdominant. Tends to resolve down to the dominant. Can also function as a stepping stone in motion from the dominanat to the tonic (5→6→7→8) 

  7. Leading Tone (Ti)- Has a strong upwards pull towards the tonic except when it is part of the descending scale starting on 1 

Building Major Scales Using Sharps 

Using Tetra Chords to build Major Scales 

  • Two tetra chords of any major scale have identical patterns of whole and half steps 

Building Major scales that use sharps 

  • To build up sharp scales, we go up in latter names from the tonic to dominant

    Process 

  • The second tetrachord in C major (G,A,B,C) is identical to the first tetrachord in G major 

  • The G major sclae may be completed by adding a second tetrachord (D,E,F,G) 

  • It is necessary to raise SD7 (F) in the scale of ZG to maintain the W W H tetrachord pattern (D,E,F,G) and it becomes (D,E,F sharp, G) 

  • By raising F natural to F sharp, the newly built G scale conforms to the WWHWWWH pattern 

Building Major Scales using Flats 

  • To build flat scales, we go down five letter names from the tonic to the subdominant 

Process: 

  • The first tetrachord in F major (F,E,D,C) is identical to the second tetrachord in C major 

  • The F major scale may be completed by adding a second tetrachord (B,A,G,F) 

  • It is necessary to lower SD4 (B) in the scale of F to maintain the HWW pattern. (BAGF) becomes (B-flat, AGF) 

  • By lowering B natural to B-flat, the newly built F scale conforms to the HWWWHWW pattern 

  • the new flat on a major scale with flats is always the fourth scale degree (Subdominant)********

The circle of Fifths 

  • Represents twelve different major key signatures and 3 enharmonic key signatures 

  • Moving clockwise, 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 

  • Moving counterclockeise, 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 

  • The sharp side (Clockwise) overlaps the flat side (Counterclockwise) in three enharmonic keys: 

    • B major (Five sharps) sounds the same as C-Flat Major (seven flats) 

    • F sharp Major (six sharps) sounds the same as G-Flat major (Six Flats) 

    • C-sharp major (Seven sharpbeas) sounds the same as D-Flat Major (five flats) 

Order of Sharps: B E A D G C F 

Order of Flats: F C G D A E B 

The Pentatonic Scale 

  • The pentatonic scale is a collection of five pitches 

    • Consists of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees 

The Blues Scale 

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

Chromatic and Whole Tone Scales 

The Chromatic Scale 

  • Half Steps can be either diatonic or chromatic 

    • If the half step is A to B-flat, then it is a diatonic half step because there are two letter names 

    • If spelled A to A#, then it is a chromatic half step because it involves the same name 

  • “Chromatic” is reserved only for half steps, never whole steps 

  • Whole steps usually involve notes with two different letter names 

  • Chromatic Scale (Twelve-tone scale) involves all twelve notes used in western musical system 

Whole tone Scale 

  • Built entirely of whole tones 

  • Each note is separated from its neighbors by the intervals of a whole tone 

Modes and the Parallel Relationship 

  • The diatonic modes are scale-like collections of notes with specific patterns of half and whole steps 

  • Modes can be described within a continuum of modal brightness 

    • Brighter sounds like a major scale, darker like a minor scale 

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

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