Questions tagged [scales]
For questions about playing, understanding, or studying scales.
1,005
questions
4
votes
2answers
501 views
Chords available in a certain Key?
I am a total beginner here so please bear with me.
When you have a certain key, let's take C, we have
C D E F G A B C
Looking at the wheel of fifths, my available chords are
F C G major
D A E ...
0
votes
4answers
518 views
If a song is in a certain key, can you add an instrument or vocal to the song / track as long as they are in the same scale of that key [duplicate]
If a song is in a certain key, can you add an instrument or vocal to the song / track as long as they are in the same scale of that key.
So for example, if a song is in key D major, you can add any ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
Looking for the name of this scale?
I'm looking for the name of the scale or rag using the following notes:
A B C C# D E F G# and possibly a G when descending the scale.
It's coming from this song:
...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
What kind of musical scales did the ancient “pagan” tribes use before Roman/Greek contact?
As far as I know, the "western musical scale" is a greek invention. In Indian and Arabic music you find other scales (and time signatures as well).
What sort of scales and time signatures did the ...
2
votes
1answer
147 views
Lydian chromatic concept [closed]
I have heard much talk anout the lydian chromatic concept however i find it very confusing i have heard people talk about a lydian chromatic scale and all kinds of lydian scales but idk how they are ...
0
votes
2answers
171 views
Box scale patterns vs intuition?
I know there's 7 box patterns for the major scale on the guitar. I think some people have it as 5 patterns.
I've never done scales that way though. I've only done it by ear where I can go up and down ...
0
votes
1answer
810 views
Characteristic chords of a mode/scale
What makes a chord a characteristic chord of a mode? Apparently, the characteristic chords of Lydian is I and II, why is that? Why not, for instance, vii, as Lydian is the only mode that contains a ...
3
votes
2answers
112 views
Is Mother by Pink Floyd in G Mixolydian mode? [closed]
(I'd like to clarify that this is the first time that I'm approaching scales and modes)
I was searching for the key of this song when I've found that it's in G major, but if it's from G major where ...
0
votes
2answers
77 views
Common scale tones when transiioning to a new chord
Yesterday I was practicing scales variation over a jazz progression, in particular
Am - G#°7 - Gm7 - C7sus4
Using respectively
1)A melodic minor
2)G# whole-half
3)G dorian
4)C mixolydian
I ...
4
votes
5answers
154 views
Major scales are used to build harmonized chords, so what about the other scales?
Harmonized chords are made from major scales, right ?
I stumbled on this page : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_scales_and_modes
there seems to be a a lot of other scales out there, so....
0
votes
3answers
216 views
“When The Sun Goes Down” by Arctic Monkeys Chords
Where do these chords come from in "When the Sun Goes Down" by Arctic Monkeys?
The chords do not line up with the key of B. I am confused.
Here are the song chords used: B, D#7, Emaj7, D#m, C#m, F#...
1
vote
5answers
110 views
Any ideas for soloing on guitar?
So far I have known 3 pentatonic shapes, I don't just run it up and down when soloing but I don't think it's a good solo. I've heard about harmony, target notes, chords, one pentatonic per chord but I ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
Does this progression have a name?
I discovered that if I play a major scale, i.e. Ionian mode, then move through the modes with the same root note in the following order:
Ionian
Mixolydian
Dorian
Aolian
Phrygian
Lochrian
At this ...
0
votes
4answers
82 views
What is the difference between being in key and improvising solo on scale? [closed]
This might be a stupid question but started learning Music theory just now and went making Chord Progressions in a key.
What I don’t understand is the difference between Key and Scale ?
Let’s say a ...
1
vote
3answers
91 views
Music recomendations to get my ear used to non-western scales
As the title says: I’d love to know about bands, orchestras, artists, etc. that use non-Western scales [1]. The reason is that whenever I try to listen to examples of music out of the 12-note ...
1
vote
2answers
190 views
What is wrong with this homemade modes chart?
What may you see right or wrong with this homemade modes chart? This chart is supposedly read vertically. There are definitely some parts I don’t understand I’m just wondering about if it’s Accuracy.
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Avoid Notes in scales [closed]
In my understanding, an 'avoid note' in the context of a scale is practically a particular note we should not play , for example during an improvisation, because of the clash (minor 9th interval) it ...
2
votes
4answers
625 views
I have the following chord progression. But not scale exists. Is this okay?
I have the following progression (using F-minor scale): Cmajor > D# Sus2 > A# sus2 > F sus2 > D# Sus2.
Initially, the Cmajor was a Cmin...but I didn't like how it sounded or transitioned. So I ...
4
votes
2answers
147 views
How can Alkan's Allegro Barbaro be and sound in the key of F major, when all the B's are natural?
I don't know much about chords and scales, so sorry if this question sounds misinformed. This just seems like witchcraft to me. Here's playable sheet music for this 1848 composition by Charles-...
3
votes
7answers
712 views
A Dorian and what about it
Is A Dorian a G major scale? I’m not a theory guy at all, just looking for some help.
19
votes
6answers
2k views
What makes the tonic the tonic and when do I know it changed?
What makes a note the tonal center of a scale other than forcing the listener to come from and go back to the selected note as the center? Or is that what makes that note the tonal center?
Also at ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
Why is the tonic so important for melodies?
I made a simple melody in FL studio that was in C Major. The melody consisted of two phrases both of which started on D. The only difference between the two is the second phrase ended on C (the tonic ...
2
votes
3answers
99 views
How was this chord progression created?
The song is "Let me love you" by Mario, which is in the key of G minor. In the verse and the chorus,
Cm7 - Gm7 - F
chords are used, which is the iv, i and VII of the G minor natural scale. However, ...
4
votes
8answers
915 views
Problem with 2nd degree in minor scale
Generally I get what transposing from major to minor is about, I know I have to flatten by a half step a 3rd, 6th and 7th degree.
However if I have a chord progression in C major that goes like that: ...
11
votes
2answers
705 views
Can this Arabic scale be described in Western terms?
Does anyone know what scale this is? I know it may be a scale that's not used in Western countries and also uses quarter tones...but can it be described in Western music terms? It sounds similar to ...
5
votes
4answers
251 views
Chords and pentatonics
I am trying to learn music theory, and I got stuck on pentatonics and I was wondering if you can help me out.
What I don't really understand: is it correct to mix pentatonic scale with its scale ...
2
votes
5answers
127 views
Learning minor scale notes on guitar
this is a basic question but I can't wrap my head around it : when you are using the interval formula for the minor scale (or any scale) how do you know if you should use flat or shaps as the ...
0
votes
3answers
102 views
Why do we use geometric Progression?
It seems what's important in the progression of the frequencies in notes is...the difference in frequency of any two notes is not the same, but the ratio between any two notes of the same distance is ...
0
votes
1answer
348 views
Transition between scales
I'm new to music theory and I've been learning quite a bit but still have many questions. I would like to know how I could transition between scales on the piano. For example there is a song (a slow ...
0
votes
2answers
66 views
Help analyzing a few bars in a piano piece
I have a few questions about a passage in a piano piece I'm trying to analyze. I would look these questions up elsewhere but I don't even know how to word the search queries.
Measure 65 starts with a ...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
Why harmonize non-diatonic notes with major 3rds above, in a “minor key” context?
I just got a TC Quintessence harmony pedal, and I was surprised to learn how it creates third-above harmony notes when set to the natural minor scale. The idea of the effect pedal is to create harmony ...
0
votes
2answers
255 views
Standard 12 bar blues shuffle
In a standard 12 bar blues shuffle, “A” Major, on a six string guitar, in standard tuning. When you get to the IV, I know... I can play the pentatonic major/minor, I know I can do some mode positions ...
2
votes
1answer
179 views
Do Lydian and Locrian Pentantonic Scales Exist?
As far as I am aware, there are two ways to construct the five modes of the pentatonic scale.
The first is to go to the major diatonic, remove the fourth and seventh scale degrees (as these are a ...
0
votes
1answer
72 views
Identifying a key [closed]
My girlfriend is not a Stack Exchange community member, but she's struggling with identifying a key for a given chord progression and I've offered to relay her question to the community here at large.
...
3
votes
5answers
328 views
Efficient exercises to Learn Scales
I'm 66 years old, have some health problems so I don't know how long I'll be around, I've been learning music theory for some film-making projects. I have a MIDI keyboard attached to a DAW and I use ...
2
votes
3answers
446 views
Are the Scales which use double-flats and double-sharps in the key signature just theoretical scales? Why?
I've just found this information on a page I use to practice my scales. Is it true?
What's the difference between a theoretical scale and a real one???
https://www.musicteacherguide.com/piano-melodic-...
3
votes
1answer
80 views
Eb harmonic minor scale fingers?
Can anyone help me with Eb harmonic minor piano scale fingering, please?
For both hands if possible.
12
votes
6answers
3k views
Is chord scale theory an unhelpful starting point for players?
Do others on here find the chord scale theory approach is detrimental to many guitar players learning jazz? I spent a long time learning all my scales and arpeggios but I could never get the hang of ...
4
votes
6answers
3k views
Piano scales and bpm
It's been a few weeks since I've stuck with trying to learn the piano (after a few unsuccessful tries over the years). I'm doing the scales, and I'm wondering what speed I should be doing them at, and ...
1
vote
1answer
688 views
How do I play do re mi fa sol la si on my soprano recorder?
I am confused about there being different lowest notes for different sizes.
My soprano recorder says descant B. it is an average sized recorder(yamaha yrs 24b).
What will the fingering be like if I ...
0
votes
3answers
97 views
Scale Recommendation for Tricky Key Change
I'm playing a pretty tune, which calls for a solo on the following chords:
Cm G7 C Fm
A♭ Cm G Cm
As you can see, the key temporarily changes, shifting the tonic chord to major before its ...
0
votes
4answers
200 views
What's the point of using different keys when creating music? [duplicate]
Ok hear me out.
I see some songs written in the key of C and some in Ab and some in Bb and so on and so forth.
But why not use C for all? Since no pitch alone has any inherent quality on their own, ...
0
votes
4answers
66 views
Why is the octatonic scale described as a equal interval chromatic scale?
I read a dissertation in which the author describes the octatonic scale as 'equal interval chromatic'. I thought that the octatonic was a mixture of semitones and tones?
Moreover the dissertation is ...
6
votes
4answers
791 views
harmony with 24 note scales
has anyone tried writing music with 24 notes in the scale? so for each of the usual 12 notes an extra note is inserted between it and the next one 1 semitone above. I don't understand why people stop ...
1
vote
3answers
88 views
How to play a lower sounding Eb mixolydian than classic mixolydian shape starting on 6th fret of A string?
I’m learning to play a song on bass. By ear, I can hear the verse riff uses the Eb mixolydian scale.
However, I feel playing Eb mixolydian that high up on the fretboard, starting on Eb on the A ...
-1
votes
3answers
288 views
Do C major and B-flat major have a deep connection?
I decided to research where I can "easily" modulate from C major using dominant seventh chord (modulating to a major key we are). In this case I define the word "easily" in the following way - There ...
-4
votes
1answer
64 views
What minor key siganture has 6 double flats? [closed]
I have read Wiki-pedia, the theorethical key page however does not list if there's a key signature with 6 double flats and 1 flat. The max that that page lists are key signatures with 3 double flats.
5
votes
5answers
4k views
The musical scale E-sharp major is fake? [duplicate]
WikiPedia has an article about E-sharp minor scale (that is a scale relative to G-sharp major) there is no article of E-sharp major, instead it redirects to F major that is a scale using flats instead ...
4
votes
6answers
815 views
How do I contextualize chords from different keys that sound good together?
For instance, an E major triad followed by an A minor sounds really good to me. I don't believe these can belong to the same key, because you can't have a sharp g and a natural C in the same scale as ...
-2
votes
2answers
42 views
Does the diatonic scales D major, A major, E major and B minor implement the same notes used by the pentatonic F-sharp minor scale?
The F# minor pentatonic scale notes are:
F# A B C# E.
Now I want to know if the D major, A major, E major and B minor scales (all diatonic) implement all the notes used by the F# pentatonic ...
