English For Music Students

(Marvins-Underground-K-12) #1


  1. unique
    a. popular b. special
    c. normal d. usual




  2. primary
    a. main b. subtle
    c. particular d. popular




III. Reading Passage


Minor Scales


n the simplest terms, there are two primary emotional qualities in
music: major and minor. The major quality, as heard in the major scale,
is almost universally perceived as bright or happy and forms the basis
of a large number of melodies in a great variety of styles. The minor
quality, on the other hand, is usually perceived as dark or sad, a quality
reflected in minor scales. There are several different versions of minor
scales, but the essential difference between the major and minor qualities
comes down to a single note: the third scale degree. The major scale has a
major third degree, while all minor scales have a minor third degree. This
small difference in interval quality, and its resulting emotional effect, is
one of the most powerful in music.
Like the major scale, the natural minor scale is made up of a series of
whole steps and half steps arranged in a particular order. The interval
formula for the natural minor scale is as follows:


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
W H W W H W W
(W = whole step, H = half step)


Notice that in this formula, the half steps are between the second and third,
and the fifth and sixth degrees. Applying this formula from the tonic note
A, the scale looks like this:


I

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