{"id":15381,"date":"2016-11-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-17T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hearandplay.com\/main\/?p=15381"},"modified":"2024-10-07T15:08:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T23:08:27","slug":"who-else-wants-to-learn-about-symmetrical-scales-and-chords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearplaymain.wpenginepowered.com\/who-else-wants-to-learn-about-symmetrical-scales-and-chords\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Else Wants To Learn About Symmetrical Scales And Chords?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today’s lesson, we’ll be learning about symmetrical scales and chords.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, most top gospel and jazz pianist do not limit themselves to the natural major and minor scales, the pentatonic scales, and other traditional scales. They incorporate a lot of exotic scales and chords that make their their playing stand out.<\/p>\n

Symmetrical scales and chords are one out of the several elements that the top players are doing. A vast majority of musicians don’t know what symmetrical scales and chords are, and how they can be applied.<\/p>\n

If you belong to that league, invest the next 10 minutes or so in reading this post.<\/p>\n

A Note On Scales<\/h2>\n

Although there are so many definitions of a musical scale out there, according to Jermaine Griggs<\/strong>, “…a scale is a regular succession of notes in ascending or descending order, based on a fixed intervallic formula.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Permit me to emphasize on a few of the keywords in this definition for clarity sake.<\/p>\n

“…Regular Succession Of Notes…”<\/em><\/h3>\n

There’s something you must know about this keyword – a regular succession of notes. <\/em>It exposes the melodic <\/strong>nature of a scale.<\/p>\n

In a previous lesson, we learned that the relationship between notes produces either melody or harmony. Melody <\/strong>is the relationship between notes that are heard successively (one after the other), while harmony<\/strong> is the relationship between notes that are heard simultaneously (at the same time).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A scale is a melodic element of music, and this is because when a scale is played, the notes are played\/heard successively (one after the other).<\/p>\n

Playing all the white notes on the keyboard from C to C:
\n
\n…successively, produces the C natural major scale.<\/p>\n

“…Ascending Or Descending Order…”<\/em><\/h3>\n

Musical scales are bidirectional. Hence, every scale can be played in ascending and descending order.<\/p>\n

“The Ascending<\/strong> Form Of The C Natural Major Scale”<\/em><\/p>\n

From C:
\n
\n…to C:
\n
\n…in ascending order:<\/p>\n

C:
\n
\nD:
\n
\nE:
\n
\nF:
\n
\nG:
\n
\nA:
\n
\nB:
\n
\nC:
\n
\n“The Descending<\/strong> Form Of The C Natural Major Scale”<\/em><\/p>\n

From C:
\n
\n…to C:
\n
\n…in descending order:<\/p>\n

C:
\n
\nB:
\n
\nA:
\n
\nG:
\n
\nF:
\n
\nE:
\n
\nD:
\n
\nC:
\n<\/p>\n

“…Fixed Intervallic Formula…”<\/em><\/h3>\n

Every musical scale has its intervallic formula, <\/em>which is derived from the distance between successive scale tones.<\/p>\n

“Let’s Quickly Derive The Intervallic Formula Of The C Natural Major Scale…”<\/em><\/p>\n

From C to D:
\n
\n…is a whole step.<\/p>\n

From D to E:
\n
\n…is a whole step.<\/p>\n

From E to F:
\n
\n…is a half step.<\/p>\n

From F to G:
\n
\n…is a whole step.<\/p>\n

From G to A:
\n
\n…is a whole step.<\/p>\n

From A to B:
\n
\n…is a whole step.<\/p>\n

From B to C:
\n
\n…is a half step.<\/p>\n

Altogether, we have:<\/p>\n