Music Composition DUMmIES

Notice that although these two scales have a different tonicnote, they share

the same five notes: G, A, B, D, and E (which are the first, second, third, fifth,

and sixth tones of the diatonic scale). Many of the other scales and modes

around the world seem to revolve around this simple scale formula. Every

rock-and-roll guitar soloist on the planet can play a pentatonic scale without

even thinking about it (though many of them might not know what it is

called). There is a pentatonic scale lurking behind most tonal music.

Harmonic and Melodic Minor.......................................................................

Two commonly used scales that aren’t listed in the above modes and scales

are the harmonic minorand the melodic minorscales. These scales differ

from the natural minorscale (Aeolian mode) — which is basically a scale

taken directly from a relative major — in small, but important ways.

Harmonic minor sharps the seventh note in the scale (Figure 6-15). This note

brings the scale a little closer to the A major scale, but other notes in the

scale prevent it from sounding too happy.

&4

4

œ œ

œ œ œ

œ œ œ

œ œ

̇w

Figure 6-14:

The E minor

pentatonic

scale, G’s

relative

minor.

&4

4

œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ ̇w

Figure 6-13:

The

pentatonic

scale is

found all

over the

world.

Chapter 6: Scales and Modes, Moods and Melodies 65