Evolution of Scales / (?)

Objective: To gain a sense of how the various groups of pitches we use to create all of the styles of music we love are extracted from within the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale and how these scales gradually evolve in theoretical and emotional complexity. To begin to correlate theoretical complexity with musical style.

A five note group. From within the Pythagorean / equal temper 12 pitch system of theory and tuning, the smallest grouping of pitches commonly used is the five pitch, pentatonic color ( penta = five ). This grouping comes in two flavors, major and minor. We often hear the minor pentatonic color associated with our own Native American music as well as other indigenous cultural sounds from around the globe. (1) In this next chart we extract the pitches of the five note minor pentatonic color based on the root pitch C from the 12 pitch chromatic scale. Example 1.

Extracting these pitches, let's measure the musical intervals from our root pitch C to each of the pitches. Example 2.

The overall color of a scale or chord is determined by the intervals used to create it, especially the quality of its 3rd and 7th degrees. Hear the earthy sound from the minor pentatonic color in a mostly top to bottom, scalar melodic motion. Example 2.

Got a memory somewhere for this sound and color? It does go way back in our histories. Dig out some Native American music and listen to its magic to ground one's soul to the spirits of the natural world we live in. So cool and powerful. In traditional performance of this music, when peoples gather, everyone gets to sing the melody of the song. Thus, multiple intonations on pitch. This tuning issue in performance is a big part of what makes the Native American sounds as well as American blues tick. The blues really took off when our early American ancestors mixed an European equal temper tuned piano, which could play the chords, with natural voices more accustomed to earthy pentatonic colors and impassioned testimony than worrying about staying on pitch. This combination of a tuned harmony and variably tuned vocal pitches is at the core of these American sounds we love. (2)

With this in mind, we enter our first evolution from the five note, minor pentatonic color. We achieve this evolution by simply adding one pitch. The pitch we add is the tritone, whose musical interval splits the equal tempered octave perfectly in half. Example 3.

Old number 7 eh? Among the most dissonant of our intervals right smack dab split right down the middle of our perfectly tuned, equal temper octave. Here is the melody line of example 1 from above now with the addition of the tritone color. (3) Example 4.

Wow, instant blues huh? So we jazzed up our minor pentatonic line by adding in the tritone pitch to create a blusier sound. Simple as that. Maybe try to get this last line under your fingers on your instrument. Evolving our minor pentatonic scale by the addition of tritone above the root creates our minor blues scale, the core group of pitches for American blues. Compare the pitches of the two groups. Example 5.

Do take notice the yellow pitches C, F# and C of the minor blues scale. Well, the interval between C and F# spans a tritone, literally a "tri - tone" or three "tones" or whole steps. Here is a big stompin, tritone vamp reminiscent of the 1920's jazz era. Notice the pitches C to F# while the Eb is the blue or minor 3rd. Example 6.

Cool huh? It does have a bit of the jungle in it yes. Maybe try to sing this line to lock in the emotional vibe the tritone creates. Perhaps teach it to your band when jamming, getting everyone playing the line. That ought to get things a cookin in a hurry! Cool so far?

Back to square one. Let's go back to where we started above and repeat the above evolution in the major tonality. Here we start with the major pentatonic scale pitches and also add a tritone color, although this time we need a two pitch tritone interval to work the magic. Lets start with this classic pentatonic lick. Example 7.

Ya gotta know this melody yes? Classic major pentatonic coloring creating a joyous, happy go lucky, whatever may come feel. Maybe try to tell that to those who play the game huh? Take Me Out To The Ball Game is a classic American melody, sung by millions every summer. And believe it or not, this hook is created from the pitches of the major pentatonic scale, which within equal temper ranks nearly tops in simplicity. So simple, so cool, so loved by so many. Let's start our evolution of this group by extracting the major pentatonic color from the pitches of the chromatic sale. Example 8.

As with the minor pentatonic color above, to evolve this group we need again to add a tritone color, mix in a little tension. Unlike the minor tonality where only one pitch was needed, this time we need a tritone created with two pitches. Pairing up our pitches with their scale degrees, let's examine these 5 pitches of the major pentatonic color first. Example 8.

Well, looks like the 4th and 7th scale degrees are two of the vacant (?) intervals between the octave. Of course there are others, but remember we are evolving from the set in stone interval group of major pentatonic. Any guesses to what is the musical interval between F and B? Example 9.

Recognize the sound? Right, a tritone interval. The musical distance between F and B is three whole steps, or six half steps, just like the distance from F# to C as illustrated above. Theory numbers aside, our ears eventually become our best way to determine what is happening theoretically. By adding in these two pitches into the major pentatonic scale, any guesses as to what evolves? Example 10.

The major scale is deep at the heart of the system of equal temper tuning. It's not every composer's or player's main color, but by far, far and away the majority of songs created in equal temper over the last couple of hundred years over half the globe come from the major scale group of pitches. Here's an idea that combines the two colors. Our antecedent phrase is major pentatonic while its consequent phrase is major scale. Example. 11

A typical call and response type phrase, the three note triplet in measure 26, which spell out the pitches of the tonic triad, gives a nice lift to the line. Hear the change of sound color in the line? We created this by using two hues of the major tonality. We'll look at these 3 note chords or triads in the next chapter. Where does the C major scale exist on the piano keys? Example 12.

Why ... it's built right into the white keys of the piano! Of course the A natural minor scale is tucked into the white keys as well. Simply create a group of pitches from A up or down an octave to A, using just the white keys. Any idea what colors are built right into the five black keys on the piano? Example 11.

The 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 of F# / Gb major pentatonic as well as the 1, b3, 4, 5, b7 of the D# / Eb minor pentatonic grouping. Kinda nice when essential colors are built right into the instrument. Sure does make the learning and memorization a lot easier. And that's why we are here, to learn the theories of our musical sounds, memorize their essential structural components to better understand and create the music we love.

Review. The pentatonic colors are five note scales that are historically the smallest, functioning melodic scales of equal temper tuning. These five note groups are crucial to creating American Native music, indigenous music globally as well as the music of China, Japan and other Asian cultures as well as the British Isles. Thus, a very ancient color. Splitting the octave perfect in half creates a tritone interval from the root or starting point. The tritone interval sound is often used within equal temper tuning to create aural tension. Adding this tritone interval from the root of the minor pentatonic scale evolves this group into the American blues scale. Adding a two pitch tritone into the major pentatonic scale at what becomes the 4th and 7th scale degrees evolves into the major scale. The vast majority of music from equal temper for the last 300 years or so is created with this major scale group of pitches. The white keys on the piano play the C major scale as well as the A natural minor group. The natural minor color is the heart and soul of the minor tonality and essential to so many great players and composers. We so often hear these two scales / tonalities contrasted in the same composition. A historically early example of this coupling is in the song Greensleeves, which starts minor, moves to major then ends in minor. We gain the D# / Eb minor and F# / Gb major pentatonic colors from the black keys of the equal tempered piano.

Vocabulary for this chapter. (1)

Ace this matching quiz then move onto the next chapter. So far so good yes?

A gradually increasing complexity of scale resource paralleling a gradually increasing complexity of musical style? Hmmm ... What are your thoughts on this? What other scales do you know? info@jacmuse.com On to our next topic but first a quote.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein

evolution of scales into arpeggios

Footnotes:

(1) Appel, Willie and Ralph T. Daniel. The Harvard Brief Dictionary Of Music, p. 221. New York: Pocket Books, a Simon and Schuster Division of Gulf and Western, 1960.

(2) Schuler, Gunther. Early Jazz, Volume 1, p. 90 to 106.  New York, Oxford Press, 1968.

(3)Appel, Willie and Ralph T. Daniel. The Harvard Brief Dictionary Of Music, p. 312. New York: Pocket Books, a Simon and Schuster Division of Gulf and Western, 1960.

(4) Ottman, Robert. Elementary Harmony, Second Edition, p. 100. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1970.