Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Music Scale at a Glance

In music, the scale consists of 12 notes: Chromatic sequence.
Each note is separated by a half step — semitone:

  • 1
  • #1
  • 2
  • #2
  • 3
  • 4
  • #4
  • 5
  • #5
  • 6
  • #6
  • 7
Chromatic with sharp

  • 1
  • ♭2
  • 2
  • ♭3
  • 3
  • 4
  • ♭5
  • 5
  • ♭6
  • 6
  • ♭7
  • 7
Chromatic with flat

The pronunciation of the number notes is called Solfège. You can read it on Wikipedia

Heptonic
The well-known Western scale, the Heptonic, also called as Diatonic scale - consists of 7 notes, which can be constructed to different set of scale modes.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
Major Scale

The first mode is called Ionian or Major (diatonic) scale, starting from the root of the key.
If the key is in C (natural), then:
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • A
  • B
C Major

The number notes can represent different key of the scale.
The key symbol is using the letter: A - B - C - D - E - F - G. There's no H - I - J - K - etc, because the Diatonic consists of only 7 elementary notes, and the sequence repeats with higher octave (going up) or lower octave (going down).
Sometimes, Diatonic is also called Heptatonia Prima, ya know, it's seven (7 — hepta), it's tonal related (tonia), and we primarily use it to develop other pitch sequences (prima).

And then there are the sharp (#): raising the pitch by a half step, and the flat (♭): lowering the pitch by a half step.
The signature (accidental sign) usually placed in front of, either the number notes, or the music notes.
For letter note, used to inform the basic key of a music or as rhythm chords guide, the signature is placed behind the letter, such as A#, D♭, and so on.

And, the last, the natural sign (♮): bring back the sharped or the flatted note to its original pitch.
There are other symbols in music - which aren't directly associated with the pitch, such as rest (pause), dynamics, tempo, sustain, etc.

Musical Mode
Modes are sweet — they enrich the whole production of music. Especially the pitch sequence.
It's pretty complicated if we just learn the theory. If we actually apply them in our daily musical routines, they'll get more complicated.
No, kidding.
What I meant by more complicated is that in time, you'll always discover some wicked sounding of 7 notes sequence other than the standard 7 modes (with example derived from C natural scale):
  1. Ionian: starts from the root note — major scale, e.g.: C - D - E - F - G - A - B C Ionian/C Major
  2. Dorian: starts from the 2nd note, e.g.: D - E - F - G - A - B - C D Dorian
  3. Phrygian: starts from the 3rd note, e.g.: E - F - G - A - B - C - D E Phrygian
  4. Lydian: starts from the 4th note of the key, e.g.: F - G - A - B - C - D - E F Lydian
  5. Mixolydian: starts from the 5th note, e.g.: G - A - B - C - D - E - F G Mixolydian
  6. Aeolian: starts from the 6th note — minor scale, e.g.: A - B - C - D - E - F - G A Aeolian/A Minor
  7. Locrian: starts from the 7th note, e.g.: B - C - D - E - F - G - A B Locrian
Then you'll name it so hard, everybody has to use a paper and pencil to count the steps and recognize the scale.
Jazz musicians and instructors do that, often.

Pentatonic
Pentatonic scale is the 5 notes from Diatonic - derived from Major Diatonic - which consists of the 'stable' notes within all the chords that can be built in a particular key.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 5
  • 6
First figure sequence: Pentatonic

On guitar, there're 5 basic 'box' shapes (or modes) of standard Pentatonic.

All guitar player always started to learn the holy moly 1st box, that is the Minor Pentatonic.
  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 5
Minor Pentatonic

Minor, because it starts from the 6th note of the Major scale.
If the Pentatonic starts from the 1st note, then it will be a Major Pentatonic — the first figure.
So then, there are 5 different sequence (modes) of Pentatonic.
Don't worry, like regular Diatonic mode, it's just a matter of naming them and shifting the starting-ending notes.
The sequence step is still the same - not the steps between the notes, but as in the Ionian (Major) scale steps in general.

Blues Pentatonic
This Pentatonic variation works so great on dominant chord, especially the dominant 7.
It consists of 6 notes. One additional 'blue' note.
The note that makes the scale has that blue feeling.
  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • #2
  • 3
  • 5

  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • ♭3
  • 3
  • 5
Blues Pentatonic - additional blue note on the tab


Additional notes can be added on Blues Pentatonic
These Pentatonic variations will work smoothly also on dominant chord, and some other chords which have that certain additional notes. Again, they consist more than 5 notes, because the additional notes.
But most people still call that as Pentatonic, with cool attitude.
  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • #2
  • 3
  • 5
  • #5
Variation 1 - colored light-brown on the tab

  • 6
  • 7
  • 1
  • 2
  • #2
  • 3
  • 5
  • #5
Variation 2 - light-brown and purple on the tab

  • 6
  • 7
  • 1
  • #1
  • 2
  • #2
  • 3
  • #4
  • 5
  • #5
Variation 3 - light-brown, purple, green and light-green on the tab


You'll probably wondering how do we decide to use the sharp (#) and the flat (♭)? It depends on the scale's key, and the way we look at it — if we have natural C scale — usually on naming a chord. It's from the circle of fifths.
Circle of Fifth by Just plain Bill
Example:
If we play a song/tune in G major scale, then we're in a one-sharped scale.
G major: G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - g

Therefore, the accidental notes should use sharp sign.
BUT then again, it depends on the changes. The sequence (arpeggio, kinda) of the chord we're in.
Hm...
It's a matter of naming convention.
Example ends.


World's Music Scale
This is a very interesting subject to myself. Those music scale variations sound different from one place to another. And each scale defines the place of origin, such as Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Native American, Javanese (from Java island in Indonesia), Balinese (from Bali, Indonesia), African (which has A LOT of tribes), Arabic, Egyptian, Indian, Viking, Irish, Scottish, ancient Celtic, Klingonian, etc - I don't know about Klingon.

Japanese Musician before 1902
Taken from Wikimedia Commons
Not all has 7 or 5 notes. Some can be more or less than 7 or 5. They are awesome, you can check them out, the traditional music, probably browsing YouTube and Google. They are the sophisticated sound of earth. You can freshen up your thoughts and pause doing SEO for a moment.
I haven't kept them in a journal, the different scales. I just love to listen to ancient music.

About Music in General
Music isn't like Science, it's a form of Art. It's more the abstract, hallucinating side of Science. I would say Art is the highest form of human's creation. As you probably read or heard from somewhere, the legend of Atlantis, the sinking civilization. They used music, paintings, and herbal medicine to literally cure sick people. That explains why every ancient civilization has drawings on their walls.

You'll notice that simple fact in your room. 
A room with funky wallpaper and lots of beautiful pictures feels warmer than the one which has blank solid colored wall. The same fact is also happening in music.
Herbal medicine: joint. Not completely true.
The earth has all the cure (the good thing) and poison (the bad thing) to our body - Yin Yang.
Modern world uses synthetic (dude-made) stuffs to fill in our blood stream. That's why, it's like, there's no cure in the forest. Well, because there's no 'complete' forest anymore. And the high mighty knowledge can only be 'found' in college or Pharmaceutical training center.

Illustration for John Milton’s "Paradise Lost" by Gustave Doré, 1866
Taken from Wikimedia Commons
Anyway, Heaven's music was first conducted by Lucifer - The Light Bearer, The Shining One, The Morning Star, and other titles. If referring to the Bible: Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-15. Doesn't mean all musician has the Lucifer-ish attitude. The producers are. Nyeeahaha... run Forrest!
If you read the Bible to overcome illiteracy, the story of kicking Lucifer out from Heaven stopped there. It didn't mention who was appointed to replace Lucifer and all.
I suppose metaphorical-encrypted story was a common way to transfer knowledge to someone else back then, in ancient time. Maybe.
Aside the event did happen or not, we can still absorb the lesson.

In my onion:
The storyteller (perhaps) wanted to emphasize the arrogance in human, and what would happen if we keep that attitude in a group of people/society.

The story begins.
With today's language:
Lucifer was a good-looking-musical-douche.
Really, according to my findings (from whole different sources -- different titles but referring to almost the same character), Lucifer is really an incredible being, very sharply intelligent look, knows exactly the good and bad (and secrets of our realm), super majestically musical, and a douche. A douche, because the beautiful surface is to deceive us, the truth is always about destructive ending, ALWAYS.
The "exterior" of Lucifer isn't like all the depictions you see in rock or metal or TV series or movies or even the image above. Very much not at all.
The scary looking beings are usually "lower echelons".
We have that natural quarter-way leadership instinct in our blood. To always be the center of attention. That's not our fault, that's just the way our system works. Hm...
I don't mind that, if we have wholesome things to be spoken out or showed to others. That I truly encourage.

Then, the moral of the story:
I think, we shouldn't be that Lucifer character. We need to control that (internally and externally) destructive behavior. Yeah, good looking persona isn't just the surface.
Lots of celebrities or not do/did plastic surgery. Are they plastic or sumthin. But then again, it's their own choice... or the managers'/producers' enforced marketing laws, the sellouts, and then shaped as public opinion, that "symmetrical plastic face is natural".
I suppose we should be humble whatever extraordinary (inborn or learned) skills and way of thinking we have. Being a kind person without extra ulterior motives is a great hobby. Share them knowledge to others. And never-ending-ly learn to be wiser, as the "world" is continuously designed to become a bitterer place everyday.
If you REALLY study the "world philosophies" and such, and the "leaders bloodlines" and all, you'll know that last half sentence of that sentence above is true. Ooooohhhh.... Hey wut?
Uhhh...

Anyway, don't be afraid to read and study different kinds of literature and observe the real things. Just try to grasp the real divine concept.
Probably you'll get the true understanding of how the entire system works, I mean like, literally. Outside the ones we were told via school, university, media and such. We need to have our own studies. We live in a deceptive world.


That's about it. This is the weirdest music theory article ever.
See ya next time!


The neat "Circle of Fifths" graphic is taken from Wikipedia, created and uploaded by Just plain Bill

This is an HTML5 one octave piano tool on Port Raptor to scramble the scale above with your mouse/keyboard: Oneveno H5

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