Are these tunes written in a certain scale?

[SilentJ]

Hello,

How would you describe the mood of these DnB tunes?

I'm getting a serious, suspenseful almost cold vibe from them...









Are they written in the same or similar scale ?? Are they minor scales??

I'm new to all of this and am just trying to get an idea on the type of notes and chords used in these style of tunes

Thanks

[MOK19]

I'm no music theory expert, but I'm guessing a few of the more classically minded folks here might have little patience for this style, so I'll give my novice take on it.

The first tune, Lomax certainly wasn't caring about scales-
The arpeggio roots were going up by semitone steps, chromatic(The arp's themselves were ascending/descending by 5ths). As far as I could tell, the bass, most of the time, was playing an F. Occasionally some sub-bass hits would go between F-Ab-C, which makes the F minor chord, and that makes me figure F minor as the key. However, the key is hardly relevant in this song, as it has very few tonal elements.

Noisia's tune has a lot more tonality, and it sounds like its in G minor during the melodic sections. At one point, it even sounds like it modulates up to a higher key, briefly.
However the D&B section is harder to nail down what notes you're hearing. Some of those bass elements' texture and tone, I suspect, is the result of some funny business with their synthesizers' oscillators, where they're specifically looking to bring out surprise harmonics to make the sounds tonally ambiguous. So what note they played on the keyboard for those is pretty much irrelevant. Although, there's a few bass note runs that point to F# minor, to me. For instance @ 2:45, there's a very sinister sounding run of notes that goes back down into the bass. The string of notes is C#, then A, then F#: an F# minor triad. Since the bass is beating on F# most of the time(though its hard to tell on those low tones), that mostly establishes it as the root of the scale. I think there's instances where non-scale tones are used, but that's just D&B for ya.

In SubFocus' track, all throughout the song, the bass comes back to A like a rubber band, and implies that it's the basis of the scale. The song starts with a pad that plays an A major chord, indicative of A major key. And then it immediately after plays a G major chord, indicative of the A minor scale. So that could mean it rocks back and forth between major and minor, perhaps every 16 counts....
Yet, when you listen to one of the hooks/motives of the track, it plays a sequence - A, E, A, D#. In neither the major nor minor scale of A can that occur. After a quick look through a list of exotic scales, I couldn't find anything that could contain that pattern of of intervals. So, in short, it does not follow any scale continuously, and does not seem to have a pattern to when it changes scales.

If you're trying to find patterns in these songs that are applicable to making D&B for yourself, my thought is: Don't worry about scales. They are not your friend here. Focus on chords, particularly minor chords, for those times when you want a nice pad happening in the background. If the bass is playing, then that's your pad's chord root. Scales though... you could use them, but as we've seen here, you certainly don't have to. Fiddle with the keyboard till you find a motive or hook you like, and run with it by ear.
That's what these guys did, probably.

If you wanted to make music in a different genre though, I'd change my tune.

[SilentJ]

That makes a whole lot of sense, I guess I was worring about writing tunes using certain notes of a scale as a rule... but since these guys aren't I have nothing to worry about

Thanks for taking the time and writing such an in depth reply, seriously appreciated

[jancivil]

Wow. I wonder if there are painters on some forum right now asking if so and so, making a picture, used 'certain colors', even 'pigment' in the picture...

[Meffy]

Wow. I wonder if there are painters on some forum right now asking if so and so, making a picture, used 'certain colors', even 'pigment' in the picture...

Since I come from a fairly artistic family I can tell you: Yes, there are. Some talk about where to get ready-made paints. Some discuss how to grind or compound their own pigments. Those who aren't interested in such details generally have the good sense not to step in just to say they're not interested.

@SilentJ: Keep asking... after searching KVR to see whether your answer is already here. Keep trying things for yourself too. Both methods of learning work better together than either alone.

[jancivil]

Well, whatev, you know. It's a given that a painter used paint, that a guitar player has to use strings.

I'll grant you this is the more clever way to say the usual, 'can you transribe something for free'?
And there are people who will do it for you

I've tried to teach people to fish quite a lot here Meffy old girl, and I think to continue to throw 'em fish instead is just lame. excuuuuse me, ya know.

[Meffy]

Jan, in honor of your heroic contributions in the past, you are hereby excused from further effort. *certificate with gold seal and red ribbon* Live well and enjoy leisure activities of your choice.

Now let's leave the thread for those who feel like replying instead of throwing a wet blanket, 'kay? Thanks.

P.S.: Of course, if you feel like teaching one more to fish that's great. Sneering at an empty creel's not nearly so great.

[SilentJ]

[MOK19]

Meffy: Thank you for beating me to the punch with your impeccable tact.

For my part, I prefer to think that this time around, I was giving fishing tips while sharing the catch. Sometimes you have to show em how good the catch is before they feel inclined to learn to fish at all.

Okay, I think I've overdone that analogy. Done.

*edit, I've also learned that taking on a thread like this is good practice, particularly for me, a novice. Thus it's a good thread for both of us, and maybe others.

[Meffy]

Sometimes you have to show em how good the catch is before they feel inclined to learn to fish at all.

Hook 'em, so to speak. Well, KVR is the world's biggest fish-themed computer music forum.

[breakmixer]

Wow. I wonder if there are painters on some forum right now asking if so and so, making a picture, used 'certain colors', even 'pigment' in the picture...