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#1 2003-02-22 3:46 pm
Jazz scales from their keys(music)
ok, from the key signature, how do I find the root notes of the following scales;
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Locrian?
thanks a lot.
are they just intervals, or is each different.
thanks
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#2 2003-02-23 2:10 am
- KeilwerthSX90
- Member
- From: Somewhere around Barstow
- Registered: 2000-04-07
- Posts: 3041
Re: Jazz scales from their keys(music)
You can find all of the standard monastic modes (you use them in jazz, but they date back to ancient greek tribes, were adopted by monks, and have been used in western music for centuries) from the white keys on the piano, to get a better understanding of what they are.
Just playing on the white keys (start from the note and play on the white keys through the scale), it goes like this
Ionian (Major), C to C on the white keys
Dorian, D to D
Phrygian, E to E
Lydian, F to F
Mixolydian, G to G
Aeolian (natural minor), A to A
Locrian, B to B
Ionian is the major scale.
Dorian is a minor mode, it has a flatted third and seventh.
Phrygian is a minor mode, it has a flatted second, third, sixth, and seventh.
Lydian is a major mode, it has a sharp fourth.
Mixolydian is a major mode, it has a flatted seventh.
Aeolian is the natural minor scale, it has a flatted third, sixth, and seventh.
Locrian is a minor, or rather, diminished mode, as it has a flatted second, third, fifth, sixth, and seventh. The flatted fifth makes a tritone, so it is pretty much avoided in tonal music. It freaks out the normals.
The easiest way to do this would be to memorize the order IDPLMAL (say, id-pull-mal) and think of it this way.
Think of the major key you'd be in for the key sig. Then, for whatever mode you're given, go up to that scale degree (if it's Ionian, tonic; if it's Dorian, the second; if it's Phrygian, the third; etc), and that's your root.
Say there's two sharps and it's Dorian. Two sharps is D major. You're given Dorian, so go to the second scale degree. Second scale degree is E. E is the root. E dorian is two sharps.
Why do you need to do this?
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.
- HST
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#3 2003-02-23 9:59 am
- kman
- Member
- Registered: 2002-02-03
- Posts: 1355
Re: Jazz scales from their keys(music)
Yep - what he said.
I'll just add that, if you're new to this, there's nothing better you can do for yourself than to memorize the key sigs for all of the major keys and master them on your instrument. Also, learn to recognize ii-V-I progressions.
In "C", a ii-V-I progression is Dm7 - G7 - CMaj7. Rather than improvising with a dorian scale over the Dm7, Mixolydian over G7, etc., you can just use the C Major scale over all three chords. Being able to see all of the ii-V and ii-V-I progressions will make improvising a lot easier.
I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it.
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#4 2003-02-24 8:33 am
Re: Jazz scales from their keys(music)
great
that helps a lot.
I really needed to know that scale degree thing.
I already new the 2 5 1 thing but it wasn't explained to me like that and that really cleared things up.
thanks again,
david
P.S-Keilwerth, I am guessing you play sax, but what about you kman?
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