Posts Tagged ‘scale’

Major 7th b5

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Lydian and Phrygian Scales, Major 7th b5 chords

The lydian mode is the 4th mode in the major sale family and contain the same notes as the major scale a perfect 4th below.

Lydian mode may also be thought of as a major scale with the 4th note raised a half step.

Like the major scale, the lydian mode maybe used in improvising over major triads, major 7th chords and major 9th chords.

Because of its raised 4th degree, the lydian mode may also be used over the following chods:

–major 7th b5,

–major 7th #11,

–and major 13#11 (which  can also be written as a slash chord: G/F M7)

FM7b5    — F, A,  C or Bb, E

FM7#11  — F  A  C  E  G  B

FM13#11  (G/FM7) —  F A C E G B D

Major 7 b5  consists of:

— a root, M3, dim5,M7

Maj 7 #11

— root, M3, P5, M7, M9, Aug 11

— a major 13 may be added to this chord resulting in the lydian scale stacked in 3rds.

—————

In major key, M7 functions as either I (tonic) or IV (subdominant) chords.

Lydian scale is genearally the best scale choice when the major chord is functioning as a IV chord or is altered, while the major scale works best over the I chord in a  ii-V-I progression.

Major 7 b5 chord — may occurs as bII chord in a progression in which the i chord is colored by the phrygian scale and the bII chord by the lydian scale.

— Em  –  FM7b5
Phrygian scale

— consists of the ascending pattern:

HWWWHWW

E F G A B C D E (in C scale)

The phrygian scale is the 3rd mode in the major scale family and contains the same notes as the major scale a major 3rd below.

Phrygian scale may also be thought of as an aeolian (natural minor) scale with the 2nd note lowered one half step.

Although phrygian scale is a type of minor scale, it is occasionally used independently from a specific chord with the word ‘phrygian’ appearing in place of a chord symbol.

It can also be expressed harmonically as a minor 7 sus4 b9 chord, a slash chord consisting of a major 7b5 chord a half-step above the root, or as a progression consisting of a minor chord moving up a half-step to a major 7b5 chord.

E phrygian — Em7sus4 (b9) — Fmaj7(b5)/E —  Em7  — Fmaj7b5

Spanish Phrygian

It is a variation of the phrygian scale

–replaces the minor 3rd with a major 3rd

–it is hte 5th mode in the harmonic minor scale family

E Spanish Phyrgian:

E F G# A B C D E  (in C sale)

–can be used to color  all the chords in a  I –  bII –  bIII progression.

E  –  F  –  G  –  F –  E

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Mixolydian and Dominant 7th

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

The mixolydian scale — known as the dominant scale consists of ascending pattern:

WWHWWHW

Mixolydian scale is the 5th mode in the major sacle family and contains the same notes as the major scale a perfect 5th below.

You m ay think of the mixolydian scale as a major scale with the 7th note lowered a half step.

This scale is typially used when improvising over unaltered dominant chords, such as dominant 7th, dominant 9th, dominant 13th and dominant7th suspended 4th chords.

G7  —     1 3 5 b7

G9  —    1 3 5 b7 9

G13  —  1 3 5 b7 9 13

G7sus4 — 1  4 5  b7

When the 11th is used (4th degree) it is suspended in place of the 3rd creating a dominant 7th sus4 chord.

Sometimes an aug 11th is added to the Dom7, but this color is derived from the dominant scale.

In Major and minor keys —

a.  dominant chord usually functions as a V chord

— a strong tendency to resolve to the I (tonic) chord.

b. it may also function as a secondary dominant chord acting as a V chord to a chod other than the I chord.

— eg. in major keys — we find:

  • secondary dominants built on the first scale degree of the major scale (V7 of IV)
  • the second degree (V7 of V)
  • the third degree (V7 of  vi)
  • the sixth degree (V7 of ii)
  • the 7th degree (V7 of iii)

— eg in minor keys, we find:

  • secondary dominants built on the first natural scale (V7 of vi)
  • the second degree (V7 of V)
  • the third degree (V7 of VI)
  • the fourth degree (V7 of VII)
  • and lowered 7th or subtonic degree (V7 of III)

although a dominant chord typically functions as wither a V7 chord or a secondary dominant, in jazz it can occasionally act as a tonic chord as in the case of the blues progression.

With the exception of V7sus4, the 4th note in the mixolydian scale is best used as a passing tone over V7 chords.

–the 2nd, 3rd, 6th 7th scale degrees have the richest color.

Common variant of the mixolydian scale — the bebop 7th scale

— it inserts the major 7th as a passing tone between the b7 and the octave.

Bebop 7th scale — can be used over unaltered dominant chords as well as the minor 7th chord a perfect 4th below the first note of the scale.

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