The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
Lesson 6 from: Music Theory for Electronic Musicians 2: Minor Keys and MoreJ. Anthony Allen
The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
Lesson 6 from: Music Theory for Electronic Musicians 2: Minor Keys and MoreJ. Anthony Allen
Lesson Info
6. The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
Lessons
Welcome and Overview
04:15 2Analysis: Shame on Me (Avicii)
22:25 3Minor Scales
06:27 4Relative Keys
11:03 5Minor Diatonic Chord Progressions
12:09 6The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
05:26 7Analysis: Ghosts N Stuff
26:08 8The Circle of Fifths
09:48Changing Keys Within Your Track
14:00 10Analysis: Get Lucky (Daft Punk)
26:06 117th Chords in Minor
16:38 129ths and 13ths
09:08 13Suspended Chords
05:03 14Reading a Chord Chart
11:02 15ster and Unnamed Chords
03:47 16Analysis: Everything You Do is a Balloon (Boars of Canada)
21:14 17Writing Melodies for Chord Progressions
14:32 18Writing Chord Progressions for Melodies
13:54 19Counter Melody with Apreggiators
12:24 20Analysis: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Skrillex)
28:26 21Bass lines: Follow the Root Note
13:23 22Bass Riffs
08:49 23Get Muddy
03:02 24Analysis: Windowlicker
12:44 25Chromaticism
03:43 26Thanks and Bye!
01:15Lesson Info
The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
Okay, So one more thing to talk about before we move on to actually using these things to make some music and listen to some music. Um, I talked about before something called the natural minor scale that's we've been working with. We've been working with the natural minor scale. Um, there are two other variations of the minor scale that we often used as well. Um, now, these terms, I don't really care if remember these terms. I'm not big on terms. Just remember that they're kind of exceptions to the minor scale and things that we've kind of, uh, dense. We've banged into the minor scale to make it serve. Our purpose is a little bit better. Um, the 1st 1 is called the Harmonic Minor Scale. Now all the harmonic minor scale is is it's the minor scale. So I haven't a minor scale here. I'm gonna go to seventh scale degree the G in this case, I'm gonna raise it up by 1/2 step. Now we have a harmonic minor scale. Why would I do that? Why would I need to alter this? Um, the reason is I have a le...
ading tone now leading tone means a note that feels like it pushes into another note. It leads into another note, and in most cases, probably all cases it leads into the root, the name of of the scale or the quarter whatever. So when I add this G sharp when I raised the seventh, that note is gonna feel like it pushes back into a. That really helps it establish that we are in the key of a because we feel this push into a, um let's hear this harmonic minor scale. Okay, so you could feel on this note this g sharp this like at this, like leading in to a If I stopped it right on that g sharp, you would feel very unfulfilled. You would feel like we were going somewhere, and now it just stopped. So let's let's actually try that. I'm going to stop it right on the G sharp. So you like your hearing in your head. The next note, right? It's like leading you into it. That's why it's called leading toe, so that helps us just establish the the tonic of a minor. Whereas if we don't have that, just have the G in the natural minor scale, then we don't have that push of a leading tone. So sometimes we do use that that leading to push It also gives the scale a little bit different quality, right? Like it sounds different. It's got this kind of like, I don't wanna like stereotype, but it's like kind of like older Gypsy kind of sound. Um, from this this gap and the leading tone. So there's a minor third in here, and there's also a leading tone, though uh, right, So it's got that that leading tone in their feels good. Sometimes there's another variation of the of the minor scale, and it's called melodic minor scale, and all that one is is raising the sixth and the seventh. So thistles are natural minor scale to go to a melodic minor scale. We raised the sixth and the seventh, and that gives us kind of more of a leading tone. It also makes it so that, um, some of our cords turnout major, which is important sometimes. So let's hear this one thought this one, if you remember what we did to make the minor scale out of the major scale, is we from a major scale. We lowered the 3rd 6th and the seventh, right? So now we've raised the six in the seventh, but kept the third low. So I've sort of made this like hybrid. The first half is minor. The second half is major, but that's a melodic minor scale. It feels like it leads into two A. Very well, um, it it does sound like a minor scale that evolves into a major scale over the course of it. You don't hear that? Kind of, Ah, that minor third gap that I talked about a second ago. Um, it's just different. But sometimes we use these in a minor scale, especially. We're working on melodies. We'll talk more about this kind of stuff. When we get into working on melodies that you know these notes, they're fine, you can. The thing to remember is that if you are working on something on your in a minor key and you're like, man, it really sounds like that should be a g sharp. Then it's cool. You can totally do that. You're using a different kind of minor scale, but that's fine. It exists. Um, so don't ever let the theory dictate what you write? Um, you should always let your ear dictate what you write. But that being said, um, this particular theory can account for when you say, man, I really wish that was a g sharp. You could do it. Um, so that's the harmonic and melodic minor scales. Okay, moving on.
Ratings and Reviews
MikeD
Well, I slobbered all over you after your first class and this one is as good or better. I realize people don't go to college for 12 years and learn what you shared in a few hours and you didn't earn your doctorate with just this stuff. I mean Julliard must offer a lot more, but you have advanced my knowledge by miles and I've got to say thank you. Make some more of these simple, common talk courses - I'll buy them all.
Ben Küstner
Real Great Course. I learned a lot about Music Theory and now am jamming better than ever on my keyboard. Thanks Allen
Nick van Lochem
This course its so good he makes it al sound so easy. that ists easy to remember and use in your creations.