Primary Music Theory
  Melodic Diatonicism
 


 
This part is basically written for future reference or for the development of an ear for music. There is no point in entering the university and then starting school. This is an approximate relation between the Diatonicism and the Melodic Diatonicism. In other words, to learn the Melodic Diatonicism without mastering the natural Diatonicism by ear is, to put it mildly, an unpromising work. There are three kinds of scales in music. These are: diatonic scales (the music basis), the conditional diatonic scales and non-diatonic scales. Diatonic scales are divided into natural diatonic (based on the natural Diatonicism) and melodic diatonic (based on the Melodic Diatonicism). There are only two ways of arranging five whole tones and two half tones (which the Diatonicism consists of) to preserve diatonic principles (absence of chromaticisms and augmented seconds). The first and the fundamental one is two tones, halftone, three tones, halftone (the major scale formula) and the second way - tone, halftone, four tones, halftone (the formula for the melodic minor scale). The natural and melodic Diatonicisms possess the notion of relative modes. In the natural Diatonicism the Natural Minor mode is built on the VI sixth degree of the Natural Major mode; in the Melodic Minor the relative Melodic Major is built on its V fifth degree. In general, the situation is that, the Melodic Minor scale should be named conditionally conditional Diatonicism, so as it possesses all diatonic principles. There are only four non-diatonic scales: a Chromatic scale, two kinds of a Diminished scale and a Whole tone scale. All other scales are conditionally diatonic, for example, the Harmonic Minor or the Harmonic Major and other which have a major-minor basis, but contain chromaticisms or augmented seconds in their structure.     
     Look at the Melodic Minor scale, its lower tetrachord is minor, and upper tetrachord is major. This is also a polytonal situation. That's why modes of the Melodic Diatonicism are suggested here for the development of the melodic ear.
Having known the diatonic structure, it is very easy to remember peculiarities of modes built on the Melodic Minor degrees, so as melodic modes can be conceived as diatonic ones with additional alteration. This additional alteration conforms to a simple rule. Moving through diatonic modes, the altered degree comes one degree closer to the tonic, beginning from the VII seventh Dorian Minor degree.
We can envisage the Melodic Minor scale as a Dorian Minor with the risen VII degree, then the Phrygian Minor scale with the risen sixth degree will be located on the second Melodic Minor degree;
the Lydian Major with the risen V fifth degree will be on the third Melodic Minor degree;
the Mixolydian Major with the risen IV degree -  on the fourth Melodic Minor degree;
the Natural Minor with the risen III third degree, which is actually a relative Melodic Major, is built on the fifth degree;
the Locrian Minor with the risen II second degree is built on the sixth Melodic Minor degree. This circumstance turn it to the minor mode with the lowered V fifth degree - half diminished. And, at last, the Natural Major scale with the risen I first degree will be located on the VII seventh Melodic Minor degree. The last definition sounds strange, though, if you have a good look at a fingering, it is as it is.


  
Conditional Diatonicism
Harmonic Minor and Major modes are the Conditional Diatonicism. So as, firstly, these have augmented seconds in their structure, and, secondly, there is no related key in those modes.
The VII seventh degree is risen in the Harmonic Minor as compared with the Natural Minor. The VI sixth degree is lowered in the Harmonic Major as compared with the Natural one.
All modes apply to the Conditional Diatonicism, if these maintain general diatonic indications (the relative key), but have tetrachords, complicated with chromaticisms and augmented seconds.


   Two octaves Melodic Minor scale (Minor-Major)
  Two octaves Phrygian-Dorian Minor scale
  Two octaves Major scale with the risen fifth degree
  Two octaves Lydian-Mixolydian Major scale
  Two octaves Melodic Major scale (Major-Minor)
  Two octaves Half-diminished Minor scale
  Two octaves Altered scale
Two octaves Harmonic Minor scale
  Two octaves Harmonic Major scale
Melodic Minor symmetry
  Top
Names of modes are made according to general indications. Some have their own names - the Melodic Minor, the Melodic Major; some are named by tetrachords they are composed from - the Phrygian-Dorian Minor and the Lydian-Mixolydian Major. Other, actually the "symmetry centre" of a melodic Diatonicism, - a Major with the risen IV fourth and V degrees, the Half-diminished mode (a minor with the lowered V fifth degree), and the Altered mode (the Phrygian Minor with the lowered IV fourth and V fifth degrees) - have the risen or lowered (altered) V fifth degree. That's why, these are only conditionally minor or major modes.
   Melodic Minor modes
    © musicsch.com 2010-2012 GennadiyKlyuevskiy
 
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