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Thread: Using all the notes (even the ones in between)

  1. #1
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    Using all the notes (even the ones in between)

    There are 7 different notes in a major scale. There are 12 different notes in an octave. So in any major scale there are 5 notes that are not played. (12-7=5) The 5 unplayed notes rest between the notes that are played. There is a subtle but very interesting relationship that can be shown between the notes that are played and the notes that are not played.

    The notes (and chords) for the C major scale are:

    Cmaj7-Dm7-Em7-Fmaj7-G7-Am7-Bm7b5-Cmaj7

    The 5 unplayed notes (Db-Eb-Gb-Ab-Bb) form the pentatonic (Ebm) relative minor scale of Gb major. Likewise, the notes (and chords) for the Gb major scale are:

    Gbmaj7-Abm7-Bbm7-Bmaj7-Db7-Ebm7-Fm7b5-Gbmaj7

    These 5 unplayed notes (G-A-C-D-E) make up the pentatonic (Am) relative minor scale of C major.

    (This is where you pause, stroke your chin and go "Hmmm….")

    This relationship alone is quite interesting. The 5 unplayed notes in each major scale is the pentatonic relative minor scale for the other key!

    Now, starting with C, combine all of the chords from both scales sequentially:

    Cmaj7-Db7-Dm7-Ebm7-Em7-(Fm7b5/Fmaj7)-Gbmaj7-G7-Abm7-Am7-(Bm7b5/Bmaj7)-Cmaj7

    Notice that the subsequent progression fits together rather nicely and makes for some very nice transitions from one chord to the next traveling either up or down.

    The only two notes common to both keys are F and B, which are also separated by the same interval (#4/b5) as C and Gb. That F is Lydian in the key of C and Locrian in the key of Gb, and that B is Lydian in the key of Gb and Locrian in the key of C also points to another interesting and useful relationship.

    Plus, the 5th chord from each scale (G7/Db7) if played as its alt. version, that is G7#9 and Db7#9, becomes what is called a "Neopolitan" 5th for the other key.

    Thus we glimpse yet another potential way to use every single note when writing songs, soloing, changing keys, moving from one chord to another, etc.

    Now run along and play nicely children . . . . . .

    Things only seem difficult until we find a way of thinking about them that makes them seem easy.

    Guitar Jazz


  2. #2
    Forum Member Bolero's Avatar
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    hey, that's pretty interesting, thx for the link too.

    I'm still trying to understand this theory stuff myself, nice to see some of it laid out like that. I'll be looking around that site
    Last edited by Bolero; 07-15-2003 at 06:59 PM.
    "evil men make you kill me,
    evil men make me kill you;
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  3. #3
    Forum Member fusion58's Avatar
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    I noticed two other interesting things in your example:

    1) The tritone relationship between the roots of the two scales (C MA and Gb MA Pent.)

    2) When taken in reverse order, the composite scale (the harmonized scale whose roots include all the notes of the chromatic scale) generates multiple II-bII7-I progressions in which the bII7 chord is (you guessed it) the tritone substitute for the V chord in a standard ii-V-I progression. For example, take the first three chords in the scale: C MA7, Db7, and Dmi7. Reverse the order (Dmi7 Db7 C MA7) and you have a progression in which Db7 functions as the tritone substitute for G7 in a standard ii-V-I progression.

    This same thing happens more than once (e.g., Gbmaj7-G7-Abm7) when looking at the scale in reverse order. Also, you can interpret some of the progressions within the composite scale as ii-bII-I progressions wherein the quality of various chords has been changed, e.g., from minor to dominant.

    Example: Take the progression Ebm7-Em7-Fm7b5, reverse the order (Fmi7b5-Emi7-EbMA7) and you have another ii-bII7-I progression--except that the quality of the bII chord has been changed from dominant to minor. This is a device which was routinely used by Charlie Parker and other jazz musicians of the bebop era.

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