Re middle eastern scales?

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rupert  wrote:
>
>Does anyone know specific tones, progressions, etc. for "middle eastern"
>sounding melodies... 

That's a little like asking for scales for "American sounding"
melodies. Much of what makes Middle Eastern Music (and remember the
Middle East is a large place with lots of local traditions) sound
"Middle Eastern" is not just the notes themselves, but how they are
phrase, how they are intonated, their timbral quality, etc. etc.
Someone like Tamburi Cemil Bey can take an ordinary major or minor
scale and make it sound completely other-worldly.

Having said that there are a few scales which composers tend to use to
conjure up images of the Middle East, several of which lend themselves
very readily to the harmonica.

The harmonic minor scale A B C D E F G# A is quite easily played on
the harmonic minor harp(duh) as well as in 4th position in the
mid-range of a standard major.

The fifth mode of the harmonic minor E F G# A B C D E (the Morning
Prayer mode of tradition Jewish music) is also an old standby for
"exotic" flavouring. It's easily played in 2nd position on a harmonic
minor or 5th position on a standard major. It also works really well
in the lowest octave of a standard major harp in first position, or in
2nd position if you are good with the hole 4 overblow. Roland Van
Straaten makes good use of these two approaches.

Raising the 4th of the harmonic minor gives the so-called double
harmonic minor A B C D# E F G# A, also commonly called the Hungarian
Minor (although it is by no means exclusive to Hungarian music). You
can play it without overblows in either the lowest or the highest
octave of a harmonic minor harp. This scale also lies beautifully on a
standard C chromatic in the key of Ebm. This is how I played that
version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" that I posted on my website
the Christmas before last.

The fifth mode of the double harmonic gives you the so-called
Byzantine scale, or the Bhairav scale of Hindustani classical music E
F G# A B C D# E. This lies well in 2nd position on a harmonic minor,
but requires the hole 5 overblow. Alternatively, it sounds great in
the lowest octave of a standard harp in first position with no
overblows required.

A favorite scale of mine is the so-called Lydian minor (also known as
Romanian minor, or the Hemavati scale of Carnatic music) A B C D# E F#
G# A  which turns up quite a bit in Turkish music. This can be played
without overblows in 12th position on a harmonic minor harp, or in 2nd
on a natural minor.

Of course merely knowing the scale doesn't make you able to play in
the classical Persian, Syrian or Yemeni traditions any more than
knowing the blues scale means that you are able to play the blues.
However, I hope the above is useful in some way.

 -- Pat.