Double harmonic scale and scale chords

[dbo]

Hi
It's my first post in this forum and i'm not quite confortable with music theory (although i'm doing my readings and studying the subject

I am using the following major double harmonic scale in C to build a melody (C,Db,E,F,G,Ab,C) and i'm trying to find out scale chords to go with it in the "usual" manner of progressions, cadences, ... or, at least, a way to harmonize and add interest to the song.
I understand it's not a typical scale and probabily won't follow typical rules.

Any help ? recommendation of links about the subject ? (considering what i've said as an intro

Thanks in advance

[Ogg Vorbis]

Hi
It's my first post in this forum and i'm not quite confortable with music theory (although i'm doing my readings and studying the subject

I am using the following major double harmonic scale in C to build a melody (C,Db,E,F,G,Ab,C) and i'm trying to find out scale chords to go with it in the "usual" manner of progressions, cadences, ... or, at least, a way to harmonize and add interest to the song.
I understand it's not a typical scale and probabily won't follow typical rules.

Any help ? recommendation of links about the subject ? (considering what i've said as an intro

Thanks in advance

Hey, is your scale missing a B natural at the end? That would give you two aug. 2nds (thus, double harmonic).

I am more familiar with this double-harmonic scale...

C D Eb F# G Ab B C

Anyway, you can do the following progression and cadence with your scale...

Tonic (C E G) and then go to a supertonic sixth (F Ab Db) and then go to a dominant (G B D) and then back to tonic.

You can substitute a submediant sixth (C Eb Ab) to prepare the dominant harmony.

Or you can prep the dominant by this harmony....(F# Ab C) which would lead in a supercool way to (G G B)! I don't know what "chord" that is but I don't think chords anyway...I think voiceleading (counterpoint). But I really like this last cadence!

[dbo]

Hey, is your scale missing a B natural at the end? That would give you two aug. 2nds (thus, double harmonic).

Yes, it was missing the B natural

Thanks for the info. I'll explore it.

[trewq]

Hi
It's my first post in this forum and i'm not quite confortable with music theory (although i'm doing my readings and studying the subject

I am using the following major double harmonic scale in C to build a melody (C,Db,E,F,G,Ab,C) and i'm trying to find out scale chords to go with it in the "usual" manner of progressions, cadences, ... or, at least, a way to harmonize and add interest to the song.
I understand it's not a typical scale and probabily won't follow typical rules.

Any help ? recommendation of links about the subject ? (considering what i've said as an intro

Thanks in advance

Here's a 'comprehensive' list - yeah I know that the notes are not ordered for their context, but you can't expect everything from a chord calculator! Anyway it would be a good exercise to check its accuracy.

B C Db E F G Ab - C DoubleHarmonic

Db F Ab --Db M
C E G --C M
B E Ab --E M
C F G --C sus4
Db E Ab --Db m
C F Ab --F m
B E G --E m
Db E G --Db dim
B F Ab --F dim
Db F G --Db b5
B Db G --G b5
C E Ab --C #5 Ab #5 E #5
C Db F Ab --Db M7
B C E G --C M7
B Db E G --Db m7b5
B Db E Ab --Db m7
B Db F Ab --Db 7
C E F G --C Madd4
B C F G --C M7sus4
C Db F G --Db M7b5
C F G Ab --F madd9
B C E Ab --C M7#5
C E G Ab --Ab M7#5
C Db E G --Db M7b3b5
B E F Ab --F M7b3b5
B E G Ab --Ab M7b3#5
Db E F Ab --F M7b3#5
C Db E Ab --Db M7b3
C E F Ab --F M7b3
B Db F G --Db 7b5, G 7b5
C Db F G Ab --Db M7#11
B Db E F Ab --Db 7#9
B Db F G Ab --G 7b5b9
B Db E F G --Db 7b5#9
B C Db E G --C M7b9
C Db E F Ab --Db M7#9
C E F G Ab --F M9b3
B E F G Ab --F M9b3b5
Db E F G Ab --F M9b3#5
B C E F G Ab --F M9b3#11
B C Db F G Ab --G 11b5b9
B C Db E F Ab --C M11#5b9
B Db E F G Ab --G Prometheous Neopolitan

[psenior]

I haven't really read the above responses. They seem overly complex to me.

I plugged in your notes into my Barry Harris scale reminder calculator and found that if you add an Eb to your set of pitches, you would get Ab 6th-diminshed. Or, if you add a Bb to your set of pitches, you would get F min6-diminished.

Ab 6th-diminished is just Ab6 and Gdim7 overlapping, so you could use those two harmonies throughout the scale. Similarly, F min6th-diminished is just Fm6 and Edim7 overlapping, so again just use those two harmonies throughout the scale.

[dbo]

Thanks for all the info.
Meanwhile i've found some more things about the subject, as in here:
http://www.tonalcentre.org/Doubleha.html

[jancivil]

well, you found out about someone's opinion on the matter with that page.

to find out about the thing itself as music, what do is is, you play with it.

statements such as: "The augmented seconds certainly give the scale a North African or Middle Eastern flavour, and make it quite unsuitable for common practice classical, where the augmented second is considered to be unmelodic."...

you may or may not find to be of actual use. It manages to say: 'a north african/middle eastern flavour is considered to be unmelodic in common practice 'classical' usage. Which, even if true, is besides the point of that kind of scale.


the thing about a peculiar construction like this one, is that the interest actually kind of lies in the peculiarity (particularity) of the construction, as perhaps having intrinsic melodic interest; the example given: 'augmented seconds in Arab music' basically. If you look at it, and particularly listen to musics with that kind of construction occcurring, you'll find that these practitioners don't obscure its qualities with 'chords' per se. A thing you may ask yourself is, "does this long list of chords amount to information I can use, ie., will it expand my understanding to where I'll get the most out of 'this scale'? It may be that what the list gives you is:

"Notes which do occur in this set of pitches as stacked vertically". Outside of any context of usage.

What you might want to do instead of mechanically trying to exhaust that kind of list, is to find some constructions on your own from this ordered set of pitches, and find the combinations of sonorities which set off the character of the interval combinations you've found you enjoy the most.

In doing so you may find that 'less is sometimes more'.

[dbo]

to find out about the thing itself as music, what do is is, you play with it.

That's what i've done, in the end thanks.

It turned out like this:

http://soundcloud.com/umeu/lost

[Lost_Highway]

This thread has been particularly interesting for me as one of the projects I have on the go at the moment, the first part of which I posted in the Café at the end of October, is based mostly around this scale.

When I discovered it I was attracted by its peculiarity, it lead to several interesting (to me at least) melodies and, at most, duophonic riffs (shows how crap a piano player I am, one hand at a time ).

I've ended up with a fair few accidentals here and there, slipping into the phrygian dominant (so I'm informed, I'm not at all knowledgeable about theory) from time to time.

It helped me achieve what I wanted to do, start with melody and put chords underneath afterwards, rather than starting with a chord progression. Melodies and monophonic lines seem to have just fallen out of this scale for me - I have a lot of exploration left to do, which is good because it should allow me to go for a respectably lengthy prog rock piece, if I ever finish it! Having said that, one section is a very boring progression alternating between Fm and C, but it went nicely under the melody I had.