Scales

[PJC]

Hey guys! This is my first post. I have some doubts about scales.

Lets start: Scale comes from the Italian (scala) in English means stair. My question is we have to make the melody like not jumping steps or we can jump steps? let me give you some examples: I gonna use the G minor scale. The G minor scale is made of this notes G, A, A#, C, D, D#, F, and G again.
So if i make one melody using this notes G, A, A, A, G, A, A#, C, C; D Im not jumping any notes right? this looking im going setp by step, but if i do like this G, A, C, C, A#, A#, F, A im jumping notes but this is correct too? i still on the scale?

One more example in the track BOOYAH by SHOWTEK this are the notes.

you guys can see the melody jump steps because this track key is the D# minor scale


I hope u guys can understand me

[jancivil]

My question is we have to make the melody like not jumping steps or we can jump steps?

Well, your question will have the analogy for writing, "Can we have words that are not straight alphabetics?" Look at some music rather than this what you're doing. Even your example exceeds 'stairs', yes?

[tapper mike]

Practicing scales is for you to work out the physicality of moving across them and gain familiarity with the key. It is very important in your early stages of development that you practice the scale in linear form. This allows you to develop muscle memory.

After you have acquainted yourself with being able to smoothly play scales. Experiment with simple melodic lines either of your own conception or works of others.

Scale Patterns also are used in the formulation of melodies. Generally most beginner material will provide scale patterns as practice material. Like |1234|2345|3456|4567|5671| etc

Moving foreward once you can adequately perform scale patterns you can then work out intervals. there are also several simple intergalactic patterns such as 1-3,2-4,3-5 etc.

Scales are foundational material from which melodies and chords are derived. Developing a strong foundation in playing scales will go much further in your future development and confidence as they become muscle memories. It will also make it easier down the road if you have that skillset early on to build from rather then jumping around.

[jancivil]

The G minor scale is made of this notes G, A, A#, C, D, D#, F, and G again.

Actually, G (natural) minor scale is in fact G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F. Above, Mike has indicated scales as your foundation for forming materials... so let's see if we can't get a real foundation so we avoid problems unnecessarily. You see a (7-note) scale will in every case show a consecutive alphabetical set. A B C D E F G; never these two As and two Ds (and no E or B at all). When you do come to form triads for harmony from the thing, this error will confuse matters, and you will want to be speaking coherently instead. For instance, your first triad in this key is G Bb D; each of these tones a third up from the previous in construction. G, A# is, as a matter of fact, not the interval of a third, where it really must be. That (augmented 2nd) interval is actually this other whole thing in musical meaning. The mistake is not trivial, in other words. So. It's going to work out better if you can locate a coherent basis for your information, rather than sort of randomly canvass the net or what-not & landing on this kind of errata.

[trimph1]

Some very cogent points to remember for sure.

[cryophonik]

The G minor scale is made of this notes G, A, A#, C, D, D#, F, and G again.

Actually, G (natural) minor scale is in fact G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F. Above, Mike has indicated scales as your foundation for forming materials... so let's see if we can't get a real foundation so we avoid problems unnecessarily. You see a (7-note) scale will in every case show a consecutive alphabetical set. A B C D E F G; never these two As and two Ds (and no E or B at all). When you do come to form triads for harmony from the thing, this error will confuse matters, and you will want to be speaking coherently instead. For instance, your first triad in this key is G Bb D; each of these tones a third up from the previous in construction. G, A# is, as a matter of fact, not the interval of a third, where it really must be. That (augmented 2nd) interval is actually this other whole thing in musical meaning. The mistake is not trivial, in other words. So. It's going to work out better if you can locate a coherent basis for your information, rather than sort of randomly canvass the net or what-not & landing on this kind of errata.

Exactly. And, if you (the OP) don't pound this into your brain now, neither the circle of fifths nor key signatures will make any sense to you. And, it gets even worse from there when you start to venture into chord progressions. For example, there can be no III-chord in your version of G minor because, as jancivil said, you don't have a third in your scale, just an augmented second. IMO the best way to learn this is the old tried-n-true method of writing your scales down. If the scale in question is G minor, then start by writing down all seven notes in ascending order from G to F without any notation (i.e., sharps/flats). Would you put two A-notes on that scale and skip the B? No, of course not. So, fill the flats/sharps in, based on the intervals that you need to create the scale in question (e.g., G-minor, in your example), after you have all seven note names down.

Also, ignore the note names that FLS is showing you in the image you posted because it obviously does not know what key you are in or what scale you are trying to write. If there is a way to assign a key signature in FLS, then try that and hopefully it will give you the correct note names, although I've seen many examples of DAWs giving the wrong note names even when the key is assigned.

[jancivil]

The G minor scale is made of this notes G, A, A#, C, D, D#, F, and G again.

Actually, G (natural) minor scale is in fact G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F. Above, Mike has indicated scales as your foundation for forming materials... so let's see if we can't get a real foundation so we avoid problems unnecessarily. You see a (7-note) scale will in every case show a consecutive alphabetical set.

Also, ignore the note names that FLS is showing you...

Yes, looking at the piano roll depiction we find 'F' in this apparently D# natural minor passage where the other image reveals the E#, which spelling again bears out a regular alphabetic sequence. Reliance on the piano roll in a DAW with no prior experience with (for instance, [use of] sheet-) music is fraught with this particular problem. As cryo points out, the circle of fifths reveals the relationships of notes in key, where the actual spelling of notes in scale/key is revealed. Do obtain a depiction of circle or cycle of fifths forthwith...

[Michael L]

Behold, a circle of fifths that changes thusly with the scale:
http://randscullard.com/CircleOfFifths/

[jancivil]

The interactive thing is great, but this is kind of peculiar, to take the circle out to "Tonic B#"; that as a key has five of the seven notes as double sharps. The probability of that in usage is kind of vanishing.. IE: As a key signature, well, it isn't done. Hopefully we've gotten the drift before this. Typically the circle shows the enharmonic equivalence where they happen to overlap, F# = Gb and so forth, additionally.

[Michael L]

double sharps. The probability of that in usage is kind of vanishing.. IE: As a key signature, well, it isn't done.

Good point. I emailed the dev with that question.
On that page is a button linking to a Users Guide that is friendly and quite practical IMHO, and also suggests the reason for double sharps (and a double flat with Fb tonic) is to consistently follow a rule of "more sharps go clockwise, more flats go counterclockwise."
But, as the Asaro 'mudmen' of Papua New Guinea say, “Knowledge is only rumour until it is in the muscle”.

[cryophonik]

double sharps. The probability of that in usage is kind of vanishing.. IE: As a key signature, well, it isn't done.

Good point. I emailed the dev with that question.
On that page is a button linking to a Users Guide that is friendly and quite practical IMHO, and also suggests the reason for double sharps (and a double flat with Fb tonic) is to consistently follow a rule of "more sharps go clockwise, more flats go counterclockwise."
But, as the Asaro 'mudmen' of Papua New Guinea say, “Knowledge is only rumour until it is in the muscle”.

I agree that some of those keys (e.g., B#) are not likely to be used in practice, but I do think that they help in understanding the theory, particularly the function of double sharps/flats, so I actually like seeing them there for that reason alone. In my experience, keys like B# orFb (or any use of double-sharps or double-flats) are usually only encountered as brief excursions from a related key or secondary dominants and are usually notated with accidentals, rather than a change in key signature. I'm not sure that I've ever actually encountered a score that had a key signature with double flats/sharps, to be honest, outside of maybe a theory textbook.

That's the coolest interactive circle of fifths I've seen, btw. Thanks for sharing!

[jancivil]

Yeah, I can kind of imagine the person who made that wanting to really hammer the point home, having now seen such as someone saying 'D# F# A# in the key of Eb minor' . I am def. not saying double sharps are improbable per se, but tonic = B#? I would be surprised to see it at all. One is way, way out on a limb to land there, and I think anybody would have checked themselves before writing that thing .

[ImNotDedYet]

Read up no counterpoint and you'll see you can indeed jump notes as opposed to playing notes next to each other.

And what everyone else said about G Minor's key signature having sharps instead of flats.

[Atza]

I think jumping steps is not against the law




Chords and Scales