For our purposes in this chapter, the words scaleand modemean pretty
much the same thing: a particular selection of successive notes within an
octave. You will encounter both terms, so we use both here, too.Major and Minor Modes and the Circle of Fifths .......................................
Different modes and scales can evoke different moods. Major scales are good
for happy, lively, calming moods. The minor ones are great communicators of
sadness, seriousness, and introspection.Figures 6-1 and 6-2 show two examples of nearly identical melodies in terms
of directional movement.Figure 6-1 is in a major mode, and Figure 6-2 is minor.Play those pieces on an instrument, and you can easily hear the difference in
mood between these two examples without even knowing what written key
they’re in (we deliberately left out the key signature). The melody in Figure
6-1 is actually in the key of F major, and the one in Figure 6-2 is in F minor.&4
(^4) œb.
J
œb œ
œ œ œ œ œ
œb œ
̇b. Œ
Figure 6-2:
Here’s the
same
melody in
minor mode.
&4
(^4) œ.
J
œb œ
œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
̇. Œ
Figure 6-1:
This simple
melody is in
major mode.
56 Part II: Melody and Development