Minor Scales
-Unlike major scales, minor scales use the following step pattern:
Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole
-The major scale & minor scale patterns(each sequence notes), but this slight rearrangement of half & whole steps makes a big difference.
-The best way to know the difference is to play & hear a major scale side by side.
C Major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C C Minor scale: C, D, E-flat, F, G, A-flat, B-flat, C
-Hear the difference?
-Try another demonstration. The song Joy To The World.
-First time play the melody, which uses the C Major scale. The second time play the song with the melody constructed on the C Minor scale. Notice a difference in the sound.
-1st time play: C, B, A, G, F, E, D, C, G, A, A, B, B, C
-2nd time play(Joy To The World- in minor scale): C, B-flat, A-flat, G, F, E-flat, D, C, G, A-flat, A-flat, B-flat, B-flat, C
Moving Right Along.
-In the key of an A minor scale is all white keys.
-A Minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
-E Minor Scale: E, G-flat, G, A, B, C, D, E
-D Minor scale: D, E, F, G, A, B-flat, C, D
-G Minor scale: G, A, B-flat C, D, E-flat, F, G
-Major & Minor scales aren't the only scales(one's).
-Experiment with the step patterns of Major & Minor scales.
-Create your on scale. Creating your own scales is not only acceptable but it's recommended. They are called experomental scales. Some sound great & some sound terrible.
-Harmonic Minor Scales
-The Harmonic Minor Scale differs from the normal minor scale by only one half step. By doing this you get a whole new sounding scale. Follow these steps to play the harmonic minor scale:
-1. Begin playing a normal minor scale.
-2. When you get to the seventh note, raise it one in a half step.
- So the resulting pattern for a harmonic minor scale is:
Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half- 1-1/2 -Whole
-Play & compare the normal minor scale along with the harmonic minor scale.
Try this:
Key of A -Minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
Key of A -Harmonic Minor Scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, A-flat , A
-The harmonic minor scale is in mostly classical piano music.
-Melodic Minor Scale:
-The melodic minor scale is also known as the jazz minor, because it is in most jazz music. Bach & Mozart used this scale for their works of art before there as jazz.
-Whether jazz, classical, or any other type of music, the step pattern for a melodic minor scale is: Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half
-It's called a fickle scale, because it can't decide whether to sound major or minor.
-If you look @ the step pattern. The first four steps are the same as in the minor scale pattern & the last four steps are just like the major scale pattern.
-Key of A minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
-Key of A melodic minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, G-flat, A-flat, A
-Blues Scale
-It begins with a 1-1/2 step.
-It has only seven notes.
-The step pattern for this little scale is: 1-1/2 -Whole-Half-Half- 1-1/2 -Whole
-Getting the Blues: C, E-flat, F, G-flat, G, B-flat, C
-Major Chords
-You build a major chord by starting out with a root note & then adding other notes from the desired chord's scale.
-Minor Chords
-A Minor chord is built by lower the second note, or 3rd interval, by one half step. In example, a C Major chord has notes C E G. To play a C Minor chord, lower the E to E-flat.
-Augmented & Diminished Chords
-An augmented chord is the fifth finger raised one half step. C E G becomes C E A-flat
-A diminished chord is the fifth finger/(diminished(dim)fifth) is lowered one half step & the third finger is lowered one half step. C E G becomes C E-flat G-flat
-And so on...
1=1st finger
2=2nd finger
3=3rd finger
4= 4th finger
5=5th finger
6=6th note
7=7th note
Chord Symbol -- Chord Type --- Scale Note Recipe
1. C Major 1-3-5
2. Cm Minor 1-3(flat)-5
3. C+ Augmented 1-3-#5
4. Cdim diminished 1-3(flat)-5(flat)
5. Csus2 Suspended Chord 1-2-5
6. C(add2), C(add9) Add second(or ninth) 1-2-3-5
7. Cm(add2), Cm(add9) Minor, add second 1-2-3(flat)-5
8. Csus Suspended fourth 1-4-5
9. C(flat)5 Flat fifth 1-3-5(flat)
10. C6 Sixth 1-3-5-6
11. Cm6 Minor Sixth 1-3(flat)-5-6
12. C7 Seventh 1-3-5-7(flat)
13. Cmaj7 Major Seventh 1-3-5-7
14. Cm7 Minor Seventh 1-3(flat)-5-7(flat)
15. Cdim7 Diminished Seventh 1-3(flat)-5(flat)-6
16. C7sus Seventh, suspended fourth 1-4-5-7(flat)
17. Cm(M7) Minor, major seventh 1-3(flat)-5-7
18. C7#5 Seventh, sharp fifth 1-3-#5-7(flat)
19. C7(flat)5 Seventh, flat fifth 1-3-5(flat)-7(flat)
20. Cm7(flat)5 Minor seventh, flat fifth 1-3(flat)-5flat)-7(flat)
21. CM7(flat)5 Major seventh, flat fifth 1-3-5(flat)-7
-Seventh
-Each of the four types of three-note chords(Major, Minor, Aug., Dim.) are capable of becoming a seventh. Simply by attaching a 7th interval or the seventh note of the scale. The seventh is the seventh note lowered one half step. For example, in the Key of C, the seventh note up the scale is B. But a seventh is B lowered one half step.
-C E G B is C E G B-flat =seventh or C7
-F A C E is F A C E-flat =seventh or F7
-A D-flat -E G is A7
-B D F A-flat is B(flat)7
-To play seventh chords, use fingers 1, 2, 3 & 5.
-The Blues, 12 Bar ditties
-Most blues music uses a form called 12-bar form. Because each musical phrase of the song is 12 measures(bars) long.
-The chords that are mostly used in the 12-bar form are:
-1. Chords with the first scale note as their root note, called a I chord.
-2. Chords with the fourth scale note as their root note, called a IV chord.
-3. Chords with the fifth scale note as their root note, called a V chord.
-These chords are in the same order & has the same number of measures every time the 12-bar phrase is repeated.
-You can play your own blues with either hand or both hands.
-When you have the chord progression memorized, you can try playing these chords with the left hand while your right hand plays an easy melody, riff, or blues scale:
-1. Play a (I) chord for 4 measures -F(8x)
-2. Play a (IV) chord for 2 measures -B-flat(4x)
-3. Play a (I) chord for 2 measures -F(4x)
-4. Play a(V) chord for one measure -C(2x)
-5. Play a (IV) chord for one measure -B-flat(2x)
-6. Play a (I) chord for 2 measures -F(5x)
-7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 until you have your audience singing with you.
-The 12-bar Blues
-Play
-1. (I) -F, first 4 measures -F(8x)
-2. (IV) -B-flat, next 2 measures -B-flat(4x)
-3. (I) -F, next 2 measures -F(4x)
-4. (V) -C, next 1 measure -C(2x)
-5. (IV) -B-flat, next 1 measure -B-flat(2x)
-6. (I) -F, next 2 measures -F(5x)
(Repeat for 12-bar Blues, 6+6=12)
-Let's change it up.
-All Blues players think that playing the same chords over & over can become boring, so they substitute other chords within 12-Bar form. For example, try a IV chord in measure 2 & make the last V chord a V7.
-1. (I) -F, first 1 measure -F(4x)
-2. (IV) -B-flat, next 1 measure -B-flat(4x)
-3, 4. (I) -F, next 2 measures -F(8x)
-5, 6. (IV) -B-flat, next 2 measures -B-flat(8x)
-7. (I) -F, (IV) -B-flat, next 1 measure -F, B-flat(4x)
-8. (I) -F, next 1 measure -F(4x)
-9. (V) -C, next 1 measure -C(4x)
-10. (IV) -B-flat, next 1 measure -B-flat(4x)
-11. (I) -F, next 1 measure -F(4x)
-12. (v7) -C7, next 1 measure -C7(4x)
-Minor chords sound kind of sad & help enhance the feeling of being blue. Play this blues chord sequence, but make all the chords minor this time to enhance the right emotion. Remember the only difference between a major & minor chord is the 3rd interval.
-The Blues chord sequence or blues chord progression:
-1. (Im) -Fm, first 1 measure -Fm(4x)
-2. (IVm) -B(flat)m, next 1 measure -B(flat)m(4x)
-3, 4. (Im) -Fm, next 2 measures -Fm(8x)
-5, 6. (IVm) -B(flat)m, next 2 measures -B(flat)(8x)
-7.(Im) -Fm, B(flat)m next 1 measure -Fm, B(flat)m(4x)
-8. (Im) -Fm, next 1 measure -Fm(4x)
-9. (Vm) -Cm, next 1 measure -Cm(4x)
-10. (IVm) -B(flat)m, next 1 measure -B(flat)m(4x)
-11. (Im) -Fm, next 1 measure -Fm(4x)
-12. (V7) -C7, last 1 measure -C7(4x)
-Jazz
-The rules for jazz are:
-Chord substitutions
-Swing rhythm
-Syncopation
-Knowledge of scales
-Knowledge of Chords
-Syncopation -a type of playing
-One of the most common types of playing off the beat is just a little rhythmic thought called syncopation.
-To understand syncopation, you first have to know downbeats & upbeats. For example:
-1. Begin tapping your foot to any beat, & count eight notes -"1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and."
-2. Every time your foot stomps on the floor you say a number. When your foot goes up you say "and". In this example, the numbers are the downbeats while the"ands" are the upbeats. Now do you get it? Your foot goes down on the downbeats, up on the upbeats.
-3. The downbeats are the beats that are normally emphasized in the song.
-Substituting Chords
-Chord substitution makes the song not sound so childish. The idea is to find a more interesting chord progression from I to V7 to I.
The Song -Merrily We Roll Along
-1. Chord Symbols C G7 C
Mer- ri -ly we roll a- long, al- though the chords are dull.
Melody E D C D E E E E D D E D C
-2. Use black & white keys for new chord roots- move up in half-steps, building triads on each new root note.
C D(flat)dim Dm G7 C
Mer- ri- ly we roll a- long, al- though the chords are ______.
E D C D E E E E D D E D C
-3. Move up in 4ths -Change Em to an Em7 chord & then move up a 4th interval & build an m7 chord on each new root note.
C Em7 A7 Dm7 G7 C
Mer- ri- ly we roll a- long, al- though the chords are ______.
E D C D E E E E D D E D C
