Music - Topic: SCALE
What is a Scale?
According to the Harvard Concise Dictionary of music, Scale is a collection of pitches arranged in order from lowest to highest and vice versa
Scale is gotten from an Italian word SCALA which means ladder, this Scale can be defined as "a series of 8 notes arranged in alphabetical order, ascending or descending, starting from any note and ending with its Octave". Dr. H. C Nwafor.
In music, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. Scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale.
C D E F G A B C is an example of a scale
NB: There are some scales that are not 8 notes. We will see them as we move further
LIST OF SCALES
the following are the list of scales we will be dealing with.
1. Major
2. Minor
3. Chromatic
4. Whole Tone
5. Gypsy
6. Pentatonic
7. Octatonic
8. Blues.
1. Major scale. It is noteworthy to know that before the major scale there was something called The Church Modes. The church modes were the tonal basis of early music until roughly the end of the 16th century that is the end of the Renaissance. The major and minor scale replaced the modes and remained prominent until the 19th century, when composers rediscovered the early church modes and also became interested in other scales.
The major scale or lonian scale is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music
Major scale is also called the Diatonic scale. Central to the structure of Western tonal music is the diatonic scale, a scale that includes 2 semitones (S) and 5 whole tones (T) arranged in the pattern embodied in the white keys of the pianoforte, taking C as the starting point T T S T T T S. In principle any of the Seven pitches of the scale can be taken as the starting point, this rearranging the order which the tones and semitones occur
A major scale from C will become C D E F G A B C. C to D is a Tone, D to E is a tone, E to F is a semitone, F to G is a tone, G to A is a Tone, A to B is a tone and B to C is a semitone give us our C major scale.
To arrive at the next major key scale using the circle of fifth for the Sharp series, we count 5 steps forward from C and that will be C D E F G. So to get the G Major scale using the T T S T T T S format. G to A is a tone, A to be is a tone, B to C is a semitone, C to D is a tone, D to E is a tone, E to F is a semitone and we need a tone, we simply sharpen the F to make our major scale correct, then F# to G is a semitone. Making the scale of G major, G A B C D E F# G. Continue to circle if fifth until you get the last major scale. Also useful when finding our key placement.
The solfa note of the major scale is "Doh ray me fah soh la te doh".
Read more on major scale
2. MINOR SCALE.
The major and minor scale share the same key signature but different starting point.
The minor start a minor 3rd below the major scale.
NB: A minor 3rd has 3 semitones. E.g. The relative minor of C Major will be C B A. Let us check if we are correct. C to B is a semitone, B to A is a tone=(2 semitones). So the relative minor of C major is "A" minor, hope you noticed I wrote the minor in small letter.
Minor scale is of 3 types
A. The Natural
B. The Melodic
C. The Harmonic.
A. The natural minor scale is the same thing as its relative major only that it is starting a 3rd below. It is formed with this pattern: W H W W H W W .
Let's try this pattern with A minor scale (with the relative cale of c major), a-b is tone T(w), b-c is H, c-d is w, d-e is w, e-f is H, f-g is w, -g-a is w
Nb: w stands for whole note(tone)
H stands for half note(semitone)
The natural minor of C major will now be "a b c d e f g a". The solfa notation is: "lah te doh ray me fah soh lah"
B. The Melodic minor scale, this scale has it's 6th and 7th degree raised will ascending and naturalized while descending. In other word, a sharp (#) is added to the 6th and 7th degree while ascending and a natural sign added while descending. The Melodic minor descending and the natural minor are the same thing. E.g. the melodic minor of C major is "a b c d e f# g# a" while ascending and "a g f e d c b a" while descending.
Therefore, the solfa notation is; Ascending "lah te doh ray me fe se la" but descending order of it is "lah soh fa me ray doh te lah"
C. The Harmonic minor scale. The harmonic minor has only it's 7th degree raised both in ascending and descending. E.g. The harmonic minor scale of C major is " a b c d e f g# a" . The solfa notation for both the ascending and descending order of harmonic minor is "lah te doh ray me fah se la" & "la se fah me ray doh te lah".
Read more on minor scale
3. Chromatic scale : The Chromatic scale is a scale in which each note or pitch is separated from its neighbour by a semitone. (A Semitone is the smallest possible distance between two notes). The notes of an equal-tempered such as piano instrument, chromatic scale are equally spaced. An equal-tempered chromatic scale is a non diatonic scale having no tonic because of the symmetry of its equally spaced notes. Thus this scale includes 12 different notes or pitches and like others scales has the starting note repeated at the end making it 13. It has all the white and Black Keys of the pianoforte taken together. The chromatic scale pattern is: H H H H H H H H H H H H.
"C" chromatic scale will be, C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
The solfa notation of Chromatic scale ascending is " Doh, De, ray, re, meh, fah, Fe, soh, se, lah, le, teh, doh, descending Doh, teh, taw, lah, law, soh, saw, fah, meh, maw, ray, raw, doh.
Read more on chromatic scale
4. Whole Tone Scale: The Whole tone scale is made entirely of whole step. It is among the most familiar scale, it has no semitone. This scale has only 6 notes and of course the starting note repeated at the end making it 7 notes.
The pattern for this scale is W-W-W-W-W-W For instance, starting the scale on key C, it will be; C D E F# G# A# C. The solfa note will be Doh ray me fe se le doh.
Read more on whole-tone scale
5. Gypsy Scale. Before I tell you about the scale, I think is wise for us to under Gypsy music. The itinerant people known as Gypsies are thought to have come from northern India and where known throughout Europe by the 15th century. They are widely distributed in the Near, Middle East and in America. Their music is correspondingly varied and little is known of what may have constituted a purely Gypsy tradition. What is known as Gypsy music in various regions is most often music native to the region in question and that has been adapted Ans modified by Gypsy musicians. The " flamenco music of Spain is a prominent example.
The music most widely thought if as Gypsy music is however the product if Hungarian Gypsies adapting a variety of local genres. By the late 18th century, the characteristic Hungarian Gypsy Ensemble was already known, consisting of two violins, cimbalom and double bass.
The scale found in much of the music played by the Gypsy musicians in Hungary in the 19th century and has be called Gypsy scale, the Formula/pattern is: W, H, W+H, H, H, W+H, H.
The C Hungary Gypsy scale will be: C D Eb F#(Gb) G Ab B C. The solfa notation is: doh ray re fe soh se t d.
The Intervals are: 1, 2, 3b, 4#, 5, 6b, 7
The Semi-notes: 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 3 - 1
There is also Spanish Gypsy Scale
Click here for Spanish Gypsy scale.
6. Pentatonic scale : Pentatonic scale is a scale consisting of 5 notes. Although there are many ways to construct a pentatonic scale, it can be easily played on the piano by using the Black Keys only. The scale occurred in China as early as 2000 B.C. It is called Penta because it only pick five(5) notes from the eighth(8) note major scale
C# D# F# G# A# C# or C D E G A.
In solfa notation Doh ray me soh lah. The Pentatonic scale is sometimes reffered to as Anhemitonic because it lacks semitones.
Read more on Pentatonic scale
7. Octatonic Scale. The Octatonic scale has 8 notes per octave arranged in a pattern of alternating whole tones and half tones.
With the FORMULA H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W
Octatonic scale is C C# D# E F# G A A# CDoh de re m fe soh lah toh doh
Read More on octatonic scale
8. Blues Scale is C Eb F Gb G Bb C..
The blues scale is actually a 6 note scale. The scale is
built will scale degrees 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7, and 1 again.
The solfa notation is doh, re, fah fe soh taw doh. Read more on blues scale
Inspired by: Lamina Folusho
Edited by: Adigun Oluwatosin
Please, feel free to drop in the comments box for corrections, contributions and questions.
References:
1.https://www.pianoscales.org/spanish-gypsy.
2.http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com.ng/2007/01/scales.html?m=1
3.http://decipheringmusictheory.com/?page_id=724
4.http://www.simplifyingtheory.com/pentatonic-scale/
5.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_scale
6.http://www.jazclass.aust.com/scales/scablu.htm
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