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February/March |
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HOPEFULLY, I will update this site every month and put some interesting information about music or composers that we are studying, or something about current events in music that might relate to us, or who knows what! If you have ideas for me, let me know! |
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(The Medieval Church Modes) |
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Medieval church music was based on one of eight scales or modes. Certain of the modes were used for joyful music, others for meditative chant and still others to tell sad stories. All of these modes were built from the notes in the C major scale (white keys on the piano). For example, the first mode was D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D. The third mode began on E and used only the naturals: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E. The fifth mode went from F to F, and the seventh mode from G to G. These odd numbered modes were called the authentic modes. Created from each of the authentic modes was a plagal mode. The plagal mode was related to the authentic mode in that it used the same notes and ended on the same "finalis" (final note), but the range of the melody was different. (Click here to find out why chanting rather than singing or speaking) Huh?? The range of the melody? In Gregorian Chant (medieval church music), the melody stayed within about an octave. So, if you were singing a Chant in the first mode, you could only use one octave of notes and they would have to be D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D.
(If the play bar shows below, click on it to hear the above example.) HOWEVER, that could be changed slightly by using the second mode (a plagal mode related to the first). The second mode would use the same series of notes, but instead of going from D to D, you would have a range of A to A -- with one big, huge "BUT" -- but, you have to end on D (the finalis).
(If the play bar shows below, click on it to hear the above example.) Most liturgical texts (church texts) refer to the modes by number, but somewhere along the line, the music theorists confused the medieval church modes with the Greek scales and the modes ended up being referred to by the Greek names. (How come this got messed up!??) Therefore, the modes are most often called:
In the 16th century, the eight-mode system of the Gregorian Chant was expanded to include four more modes - two beginning on A and two beginning on C. Notice that in their authentic form, these are like our major and minor scales!
Did you catch that the medieval & middle ages musicians skipped the mode that begins on B? They just didn't like the way it sounded - the fifth above the finalis was a diminished fifth instead of a perfect fifth and that was illegal in their music! Later, modern composers added the 13th & 14th modes based on the B:
Modern composers often use the modes to create a particular feel to their music, but we don't have any octave restrictions on our music! So now when composers refer to the modes, it is usually only the authentic modes or:
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Now, this is not all just ancient history!Quite the contrary! Modern composers use the modes frequently in their writing and jazz musicians use the modal scales to improvise with! Read on... |
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DORIAN & MIXOLYDIAN SCALESNow, DORIAN and MIXOLYDIAN scales.... as we saw above, both spin off of the major scale. Dorian ScalesA dorian scale is the scale that begins on the second step of the major scale and keeps the major scale key signature. Ex: d dorian is related to C major and has no sharps and flats, but it starts on D.
Another way to think of the d dorian scale (and this is how a lot of jazz players think of it), is that it is a D major scale, but you lower the 3rd and 7th scale steps. (D major has F# and C#; they are the 3rd & 7th, so they are lowered a half step.) Either thought process gets you to the same result. Try a couple:
Key signatures are the same as the related major scale, or whatever sharps or flats show up in the scale. See key signature chart below. By the way, Dorian scales are kind of minor sounding with the flat third, so we usually use a lower case letter: d dorian, eb dorian, f# dorian... Dorian scale in jazz:Jazz players use the dorian scales to improvise on minor seventh chords when they are built on the second note of the scale. Example: dm7 in the key of C - use the d dorian scale. If you outline the chord, you can see that the d dorian scale fits right into it and the notes in between become passing tones! dm7 = D, F, A, C Ah, HA! So THAT'S why these scales are important to jazzers! Yes, they practice many types of scales, in all keys, every day!!! If you would like to listen to some jazz tunes based in the dorian mode, check out:
And ready for this? "Thriller" by Michael Jackson is also in the dorian mode! Here is Scarborough Fair written in G dorian. Notice that it is written as if it were in the key of F, but it starts and ends on G. If the play bar shows below, click it to hear this piece, otherwise, play it on the piano. (click here for an easy to print copy)
MIXOLYDIAN SCALESA mixolydian scale is the scale that begins on the fifth step of the major scale and keeps the major scale key signature. Ex: g mixolydian is related to C major and has no sharps and flats, but it starts on G.
Another way to think of the G mixolydian scale (and this is how a lot of jazz players think of it), is that it is a G major scale, but you lower the 7th scale step. (G major has F# and that is the 7th step, so it is lowered a half step.) Either thought process gets you to the same result. Try a couple:
Key signatures are the same as the related major scale, or whatever sharps or flats show up in the scale. See key signature chart below. By the way, mixolydian scales are kind of major sounding until you get to the seventh, so we use upper case letters: G mixolydian, Eb mixolydian, B mixolydian. Mixolydian scale in jazz:Jazz players use the mixolydian scales to improvise on dominant seventh chords. Example: G7 - use the G mixolydian scale. If you outline the chord, you can see that the G mixolydian scale fits right into it! G7 = G, B, D, F Some songs in Mixolydian mode are:
Here is the Appalachian folk song, Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair, in D mixolydian. Notice that the key signature is one sharp (often G major), but it ends on and centers around the D, thus making it D mixolydian. If the play bar shows below, click it to hear this piece, otherwise, play it on the piano. (click here for an easy to print copy)
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Some other sites to explore:http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kal/agm/ Ancient Greek music and instruments, Homeric Singing and even early Greek pronunciation.http://www.davesabine.com/Music/Articles/PythagorasMathematicalTheoruminMusic/tabid/169/Default.aspx A discussion of Pythagoras' discoveries of the mathematics of music and how the intervals of our scale work mathematically. |
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Click here to see past month's Tidbits. There is information on the musical Oklahoma! and Robert and Clara Schumann and the Renaissance period of music, major & minor scales & the history of the clarinet. |
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