RE: [Harp-L] Which Minor?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

A very good Peloquin post on melodic minor.

One additional use for the melodic minor: its fourth mode. This is a "soft" mode in that it yields some easy, palatable sounds but lacks the tension that brings greater interest and color to the seventh mode.

let's say you have the A melodic minor scale:

A B C D E F# G# A

And you use it in its fourth mode, over a D7 chord. Over this chord, the scale adds the #4 to the scale (G# is the #4 of D) , and allows you to superimpose an E7 over the D7 for a floating feeling.

By the way, I don't remember if Michale made this qualification,but we're talking about the *ascending* form of the melodic minor scale.

At least in classical music, the melodic minor is really two related scales. You play one going up and the other going down.

For instance, here is the A melodic minor scale ascending and descending:

A melodic minor ascending: A B C D E F# G# A

You have the G# rising a semitone to A, which is considered desirable - it's a "leading tone", leading to the tonic from only a semitone below.

But in order to avoid an augmented second from F-natural to G#, which was considered grotesque by classical-period musicians, you have to raise the F to F#, hence the ascending form of the scale with both the sixth and seventh degrees raised.

However, when you come down the scale, you don't need all that raised stuff. You can lower G# and F# back to G and F, resulting in a natural minor scale going down:

A G F E D C B A

This is the same as the C major scale and has the same modes and chord built into it.

For jazz, the action is in the ascending form of the melodic minor, which can be played both ascending and descending (actually classical composers seldom bothered with the ascending/descending rule, either; that's just the way it's taught in elementary theory classes).

The ascending melodic minor is unusual in that it contains four tritones (intervals of six semitones), while most seven-note scales contain only two (for instance, in the C major scale the tritones between B and F and between F and B) and two dominant 7th chords.

For instance, A melodic minor contains tritones from C up to F# (and from F# up to C), and also between D and G# (and between G# and D). The scale likewise contains two, not just one dominant seventh chords: D7 (containing the C/F# tritones) and E7 (containing the D/G# tritones).(If you were to use the A melodic minor scale in its seventh mode, over a G#7 chord (really a G altered chord once you use this scale with it), you could superimpose over the G# bass note the D7 and E7 chord in alternation and get a beautiful, sophisticated sound).

Winslow


--- On Tue, 6/3/08, Michael Peloquin <peloquinharp@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: Michael Peloquin <peloquinharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Which Minor?
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 1:09 PM
> > From: chriscanning@xxxxxxxxxxx> I'm just
> starting to focus on my scales now that I can overblow (1
> overblow> still eludes me). I'm wondering about
> minor scales. The natural minor seems> to get alot of
> attention because you can lever off your major scales.
> I'm> wondering if the Melodic Minors might give me
> more improvisational bang for> my practice buck (if you
> know what I mean). Any thoughts? I thinking in> terms of
> blues/rock/swing styling. 
>  
> Chris,
> Open up your throat for the 1OB; imagine you are trying to
> cough up a golf ball.
>  
> The Melodic Minor is a great scale, almost more useful in
> its modes than in its root position.
> C D Eb F G A B C
> 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 
> As you can see, it can be looked at as a major scale with a
> flatted 3rd.
> Or a dorian minor scale with a major 7th.
>  
> Let's look at a iiØ , V7b9, i min turnaround (1 bar
> each, over G minor jazz blues) 
> AØ / D7b9 / Gmin
>  
> The most useful modes of this scale are built from:
> The 6th degree:
> A B C D Eb F G A 
> this is known as the SUPER-LOCRIAN scale
> it is like a regular LOCRIAN mode (7th degree of Bb major
> scale A Bb C D Eb F G A Bb)
> as you can see, the only differnce is the major 2nd instead
> of the flattted/minor 2nd
>  
> both are useful over a half-diminished chord (min7b5, Ø )
> with different colors to the sound
>  
> Next is the use of a Melodic Minor mode over the V7b9
> (D7b9)
> use Eb Melodic Minor starting on the 7th degree of D:
> D Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D
> this is know as the altered scale as it has the all
> imortant 3rd & flat 7th of the V7 chord, then it
> contains all of the altered extensions b9, #9, #11, b13
> a very colorful scale it is! (I may be turning into a
> Yerxa--we do both have Canuck heritage!)
>  
> Then of course for color, you could use the G Melodic Minor
> in root position over the Gmin chord!
>  
> Happy playing and thinking y'all -see you at SPAH. 
> Michael Peloquin
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