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In Pomodoro 5 and Pomodoro 6, we learned about building keys in the diatonic scale, using the Circle Of Fifths and the Circle Of Fourths.
What I didn’t say then was that we were building major keys. In this Pomodoro we will see how to build minor keys.
First, let us establish what we mean with a major and minor key.
And to do that, I need to talk about intervals.An interval is the audible distance between any two notes. If you play a D (4th string) and then a B (2nd string), you’ll hear a distance between them, in this case a sixth. Then, if you play G (3rd string) and then E (1st string), the notes are different, but their relative distance, the interval, remains the same : a sixth.
Hearing the intervals between notes is a fantastic and indispensable tool if you want to play music, and there are plenty of software programs available on the Internet that you can use to train your ears.
Let’s start with the easy part : finding the name of the interval. To find it, you just count the notes that span the interval and you make it an adjective. It doesn’t matter in what order you count : ascending or descending. It also does not matter if the note is sharp or flat.
- The interval between 2 adjacent notes, is called a second (2nd). E.g from C to D, from G# to F#, from D# to E, from Bb to A.
- 2 notes with 1 note in between is a third (3rd). E.g. from E to G, from F# to D, from Ab to F, from B to D.
- 2 notes with 2 notes in between : a fourth (4t). E.g. from G# to C.
- 2 notes with 3 notes in between : a fifth (5th). E.g. from Db to G.
- 2 notes with 4 notes in between : a sixth (6th). E.g. from Gb to Eb.
- 2 notes with 5 notes in between : a seventh (7th). E.g. from C to B.
- 2 notes with 6 notes in between : the octave ! E.g. from C to high C.
and you can go even further with 2 octaves :
- 2 notes with 7 notes in between : a ninth (9th), e.g. from C to high D.
- etc…
(Little secret : to find the name of the interval, I just count on my fingers from one note to another : e.g. from F# to C : F(1) – G(2) – A(3) – B(4) – C = 5 ! So, it’s a fifth ! Notice that I didn’t even bother to take the # into account.)
But all these intervals come with “flavors”. That’s where it’s becoming a bit more difficult, because you do have to take into account all the possibilities. For example : from C to D is a second, and it’s a whole tone apart (2 frets). But from B to C is also a second, but it’s only a half step ! Such a second is called a “minor second”.
I’m not going into details here. If you want to know all the possible intervals, here’s a list (source Wikipedia).
But there is ONE interval that is important to make the distinction.
That interval is the third. Here, you have to make the distinction between a major third, which is 2 steps, and a minor third, which is 1 + 1/2 steps. For example, C – E is a major third (2 steps), but D – F is a minor third (1 + 1/2 steps).
Why is it so important ? Because the third determines the entire “mood” of the key, and thus the song that is written in it ! This interval is so important, that the whole key is called “major” or “minor” according to it !
A major third evokes a happy, optimistic mood, and a minor third a sad, melancholic mood. Wanna hear for yourself ? Well, first, play this major version of “Frère Jacques” in the key of C (no flats or sharps in the key signature) :
Now, play it in minor :
Quite a difference, isn’t there ?
What changed ? Well, in the key of C, the third is E. The only thing that changed was going from the major third E (2 steps) to a minor third Eb (1 step + 1/2 step). This small change makes a whole lot of difference.
So far so good. Now, the bad news. Until now, we’ve seen only 1 major scale, which is the diatonic scale. But there are 3 minor scales.
The first is an easy one, because it’s really the diatonic scale, but starting from another root : the 6th note. So if you start playing the diatonic scale in the key of C, but starting from A (which is the 6th), then you’ll have the A minor scale : A – B – C – D – E – F – G – A. It’s a minor key because it has a minor third A – C.
Another example : in the key of G, the 6th is the E. So, the key of E-minor is :
E – F# – G – A – B – C – D – E.
Why F# ? because the key of G was our base !
I suggest you try some other keys, starting from the 6th note. For instance, what notes would you play in D minor ?
Try to find them on the guitar, I’ll wait a minute…
The answer is : D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C – D. Why Bb ? Because D is the 6th note in the major key of F, and in that key we play Bb !
Because this minor scale is so intertwined with the major diatonic scale, it is called the “relative” or the “natural” minor scale. Moreover, those two scales share the same key signature !
This is really important ! We talked about key signatures, and how we can use them to deduce the key in which the song is written. But in fact, there are always 2 keys linked to it : the major and the minor relative key.
So, if there are no sharp or flats, the song is either in C major or A minor ! Another example : if the key signature is 2 sharps, you’re either in D major or B minor. If the key signature is three flats, then the key is Eb major or C minor. Mind boggling, isn’t it ?
So, how do you know if the song is major or minor ? Well, you don’t. Not by the key signature anyway. A good tip is to look to the end note. If it’s the 1st, 3rd or 5th note of the major key, it’s probably major. If it’s the 6th, it’s probably minor. But the whole “feel” of the song should tell you.
Another interesting little fact is that the natural or relative minor scale is very much used in medieval music. In fact, the notes A – B – C – D – E – F – G suggest that the first scale ever written down was probably the natural minor key.
Okay, let’s move on to the second of the three minor scales. This one is called the “harmonic” minor scale, and it’s only used for, well making harmonics, or chords if you like. The harmonic minor scale is almost exactly like the relative minor scale, but the 7th note is raised.
So, if you take the natural A minor : A – B – C – D – E – F – G – A
The harmonic minor scale would be : A – B – C – D – E – F – G# – A
If you play this scale, you’ll have an “eastern” feel to it, because of the unusual interval of 1+1/2 step between the 6th and the 7th note.
Unless you’re a jazz musician who wants to build chords in minor scales, you shouldn’t pay too much attention to this scale.
The third scale is a bit more interesting for singers. It’s called the “melodic” minor scale, and it has not only the 7th but also the 6th note raised. So in A minor this gives :
A – B – C – D – E – F# – G# – A.
This melodic minor scale is quite close to the major scale of the same root. The only difference is the minor third in stead of the major third. Indeed, for instance the major key of A has 3 sharp notes : F# – C# – G#. In the example above, we detect the F# and the G#, but the major third C# has become the minor third C.
This scale is called melodic, because singers like to stick to the easy “sing-able” notes of the major key, even if the song is in minor.
In reality however, if you listen to songs in minor keys, especially in jazz, you‘ll find that soloists use all three minor scales to develop their solos, often intermixed.
And they’re using a fourth way of getting minor (and major) scales. That fourth way is modes. We’ll talk about them in our next Pomodoro.
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