Minor Keys & Diatonic Modes Chapter 5
Parallel Keys: Shared Tonic Parallel Keys: are keys with the same Tonic, ex. E Major & E Minor! Major Pentachord/Minor Pentachord. Only differ by 1 note! Parallel Keys often appear within a single piece or movement much like Franz Schubert s Der Lindenhaum
Relative Keys Relative Keys- share a key signature but have different tonics.! The motion between keys creates interest by changing mood and musical color! Listen to Corelli s Allemanda", from Trio Sonata in A Minor
Finding the Relative Minor The relative minor scale is made from the same scale as the Relative Major scale! Either find the submediant or go down 3 half steps! Make sure to stay within the major key signature
Finding the Relative Major Find the minor 3rd, that is the Tonic of the Relative Major! Go up 3 half steps! Make sure it spans 3 letter names
More on Minor Keys Key Signatures in parallel keys differ by 3 accidentals# Move 3 steps counterclockwise around the circle of 5ths.
Forms of Minor 3 different minor scales:! Natural Minor-Scale whose accidentals follow exactly what the key signature states! Harmonic Minor- Raises the 7th scale degree by a half step creating an augmented second (A2). An augmented second is equivalent to a step and a half! Melodic Minor- Raises the 6th & 7th scale degree by a half step ascending, then lowers it descending! Lets listen to the difference between minor scales
Minor Penta & Tetra chords Minor Pentachord- is the first 5 notes of all minor scales. W-H-W-W! Natural minor Tetrachord- the last 4 notes of Natural minor. H-W-W! Harmonic minor Tetrachord- the last 4 notes of Harmonic Minor. H- A2-H! Melodic minor Tetrachord- the last 4 notes of Melodic Minor. Ascending W-W-H Descending W-W- H
Scale Degrees in Minor They are identical to major with a few exceptions 1=Tonic=Do! 2=Supertonic=Re! b3=mediant=me # 4=Subdominant=Fa! b6=submediant=le# 6=Raised Submediant=la# b7=subtonic=te# #7=leading tone=ti 5=Dominant=Sol Modal Scale Degrees- 3,6,&7 are crucial in the distinction between major and minor.
Minor Pentatonic Scale Minor Pentatonic- Made up of 1, b3, 4, 5, b7 (do, me, fa, sol, te)! Listen to Wayfaring Stranger which is in Minor Pentatonic
Modes I Don t Punch Like Muhammad Ali
Modes of the Diatonic Collection Listen to Greensleeves What key are we in?! When scales don t quite fit into major or minor scales the are most likely Modal scales.! In the case of Greensleeves we are in Dorian Mode, The melody is altered at the end with an added G#.! Dorian mode: WHWWWHW
Modes of the Diatonic Collection Now listen to Old Joe Clark! Sounds somewhat Major with D as the tonic, but it includes a C natural???! Mixolydian is a mode similar to major with a lowered seventh.! Mixolydian= WWHWWHW
Modes in the Diatonic Collection Listen to Bartok s piano piece In Lydian Mode! Lydian mode sounds like a major scale with a #4! Lydian=WWWHWWH
Relative Identification of Modes Diatonic modes sometimes called church modes.! There are 6 Diatonic modes shared by the major scale! Listen to the 6 Diatonic Modes
The 6 Church Modes
Parallel Identification of Modes The 6 modes can be sorted into 2 groups of 3! Group 1 Based on Major Pentachords:! Ionian (Major)! Mixolydian (b7)! Lydian (#4)
Parallel Identification of Modes The 6 modes can be sorted into 2 groups of 3! Group 2 Based on Minor Pentachords:! Aeolian (natural minor)! Dorian (#6)! Phrygian (b2)
20th Century Modal Practice Locrian Mode is a mode based on the 7th scale degree of the Major scale! One of the most popular examples is this
Terms You Should Know Diatonic Modes:# Major Pentachord# Mode# Raised submediant# Aeolian# Minor Pentachord# Parallel Minor# Relative Major# Dorian# Minor Scale# Parallel Major# Relative Minor# Ionian# Locrian# Lydian # Mixolydian# Phrygian Harmonic# Melodic# Natural# Modal Scale Degree Pentatonic Scale# Major Pentatonic Scale# Minor Pentatonic Scale Subtonic# Tetrachord# Major# Harmonic Minor# Natural Minor