Color notes, and symmetrical scales · Scales for improvising · Music theory
What sets one scale apart from another is its characteristic note: the major 6th in Dorian, the ♯4 in Lydian, the ♭2 in Phrygian. To make the scale sound…
Color notes, and symmetrical scales
What sets one scale apart from another is its characteristic note: the major 6th in Dorian, the ♯4 in Lydian, the ♭2 in Phrygian. To make the scale sound as such, lean on that note rather than passing over it. Then put the 3rd and 7th of the chord, the guide tones, on strong beats.
Symmetrical scales go with equally symmetrical chords. The whole-half diminished goes over °⁷ chords; the half-whole diminished, over dominants with ♭9 and 13; and the whole-tone, over augmented chords. And the pentatonic or blues scale, over almost anything, gives an immediate and safe color.