Other Scales Microlesson

Introduction

In Western music, there are many types of scales. You may recognize terms such as chromatic scale, major scale, minor scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and modes. These are a few types of scales or patterns that you may choose to write a composition.

Explore

We will now take a look at other scales common to western music, including Whole Tone, Pentatonic, and Blues Scales.

Whole Tone Scales

These scales use entirely whole tones from the starting pitch. They are easy to create and remember because each pitch is one whole step from the other.

Pentatonic Scales

Pentatonic scales are one of the “other scales” that are used around the world by different cultures and also in American folk music.
Pentatonic scales mainly use five pitches. These scales are very common in the global community and also in folk music. Western music mainly uses two types of pentatonic scales - Major Pentatonic and Minor Pentatonic - although there are many types of pentatonic scale types used world-wide.

To create a Major Pentatonic scale, use the 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6th degrees of the Major Scale:

To create a Minor Pentatonic scale, think of the natural minor scale and use the 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7^th degrees of the natural minor scale:

Blues Scale

A Blues Scale uses the minor pentatonic scale and includes a flatted fifth degree. Below are hexatonic scales as they use only six pitches in each of the scales.

Lead Sheets

In jazz and blues music, it is common for musicians, to use Lead Sheets because jazz and blues musicians improvise.

A lead sheet basically displays the melody and chord symbols/chord progression.

Because jazz musicians improvise, the sheet music does not need to display all pitches and allows the performer to improvise one’s own music while knowing which chords are being played. See the excerpt below for a Lead Sheet example and notice the chords written above the melody:

Modes

Modes are similar to major and minor scales, but they are based on different whole and half step patterns.
Before we begin with modes, we will discuss tetrachords as these are the first four pitches in a scale, as well as the last four pitches of a scale. We use two tetrachords in each of our major and minor scales, and modes. Each tetrachord is usually based on a Perfect Fourth interval from the two outer pitches in each tetrachord. When we learn about modes, it may help by breaking it down into two tetrachords.

Although these modes are from ancient times, they are still used today, even in popular music. There are seven common modes, sometimes referred to as modal scales. Listed in order, these modes are:

Ionian
Dorian
Phrgyian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian

A hint to recall their order is: “I don’t punch like Muhammad ALi” (he was a famous boxer).

These each differ from their arrangement pattern of whole and half steps. It often helps to return to the C major scale to think of the modes and these different patterns.

The patterns of half and whole steps below are specified for each of the modal scales:

What is interesting about modes is that they can begin on any pitch, and by using the same series of half and whole steps, you can create the same mode but on a different starting pitch or tonic.

To create the patterns for each mode, you should think of the C Major scale and use those pitches, but begin at a different starting pitch. Notice in the examples, each mode’s vertical Tonic pitch is that of the C Major scale in horizontal order.

By using these exact C Major pitches but starting on a different tonic pitch, horizontally, the half and whole step patterns change.

Take a look at the following notation examples. They all encompass the exact pitches as the C Major scale, but they begin on a different Tonic or starting pitch. By doing this, the half and whole step patterns are changed.

Challenge

Review your understanding of Other Scales with the activity below.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS OR OPENSOURCE