Lesson with luderart

Thanks. Now I understand it. But it was the most tricky one, wasn't it?

I actually thought that the C# Major would have been the trickiest.

Ok, lets do another.

1) A minor
2) D dminished
3) B Major
4) Eb minor
5) Ab Augmented
6) Gb Major
7) C diminished

Here, at last, are my answers. This time I am quite confident that I have them all correct.

1) A minor – A-C-E
a) i in A Minor (Natural, Harmonic & Melodic Ascending and Descending)
b) iv in C Major
c) iv in E Minor (Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Descending)
d) ii in G Major
e) iii in F Major
f) v in D Minor (Natural, Melodic Ascending and Descending)
g) ii in G Minor (Melodic Ascending)

2) D diminished – D-F-Ab
vi in F Minor Melodic Ascending (only one)

3) B Major – B-D#-F#
a) V in E Major
b) VII in C# Minor (Natural and Melodic Descending)
c) III in G# Minor (Natural and Melodic Descending)
d) I in B Major
e) IV in F# Major
f) IV in D# Minor (Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Descending)

4) Eb minor – Eb-Gb-Bb
a) ii in Db Major
b) vi in Gb Major
c) iii in Cb Major
d) iv in Bb Minor (Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Descending)
e) i in Eb Minor (Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Ascending and Descending)
f) v in Ab Minor (Natural and Melodic Descending)

5) Ab Augmented – Ab-C-E
III in F Minor (Harmonic and Melodic Ascending)

6) Gb Major – Gb-Bb-Db
a) IV in Bb Major
b) I in Gb Major
c) V in Cb Major
d) VI in Bb Minor (Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Descending)
e) III in Eb Minor (Natural and Melodic Descending)
f) VII in Ab Minor (Natural and Melodic Descending)

7) C diminished – C-Eb-Gb
a) vii in Db Major
b) ii in Bb Minor (Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Descending)
c) vi in Eb Minor (Melodic Ascending)

Just to get some perspective, how quickly do you give the answers to these questions? Is it automatic for you, or do you still have to figure them out taking some time, or even as I do, consult a list of the sharps and flats of each scale?

What's the benefit of knowing all this? Mind you, I am not questioning the benefit. I just want to know how it might be used in composition or elsewhere so that I can better take advantage of my newly acquired knowledge.

When giving the answers it becomes automatic because one learns hte nature of various scales and triads. So, you really only need to "see" the scale mentally and plug in the triads. In a way, its almost learned and memorized.

The benefit to these exercises is that you begin to understand the relationship between triads and scales. It will be useful in expanding you ability to use harmonies when applying counterpoing, to suggest keys, use surpise or jarring modulations. As you already mentioned, it is forcing you to really get a better understanding on constructing scales and being at home with them. Of course this idea and techinique has a stronger application in a more tonal setting but can be useful in a less tonal work as well.

Now for the answers:

1) A minor - 1 error
2) D diminished - missing keys
3) Correct
4) Correct
5) Correct
6) Gb Major - 1 error
7) Correct

Here are my corrections:

1) A minor: 1 error (I found 2!)
b) vi in C Major (not iv, probably a typo)
f) v in D minor (Natural & Melodic Descending, not Ascending)

2) D diminished - missing keys:
a) ii in C minor Natural, Harmonic, & Melodic Descending
b) vii in Eb Major

6) Gb Major - 1 error
Error = a) IV in Bb Major

Yes,

for 1) a minor it is Descending and not ascending. I guess my eyes glanced over that too quickly.

2) you forgot vii in Eb minor as well.

6) you found the error but did not give the correct response...

Now that I'm back from my long layoff we can resume or lesson.

So, if you need no review of what we went over I'd like for us to continue on with The Dominant 7th chord (V7).

The Dominant 7th chord is very easy to understand. The chord is built on the Dominant degree of the scale (V) and is there for a Major chord. The added ingredient is a minor 7th. Therefore in the key of C Major the Dominant 7th chord is spelled: G-B-D-F. "F" is a mionr 7th away from the root of the chord "G". So the dominant 6th can be described as a Major chord with a minor 7th added. The chord is a very unstable sound to the ears and has a sense that it needs resolution. There are a few reasonson that cause this sensation to the ears. You have the tritone interval between the 3rd of the chord and the 7th, or in this case the notes "B" and "F". So the occurance of the tritone to the ears calls for resolution. Therefore have the sense that 3rd of this chord (the leading tone), in this case the note "B" wanting to resolve up to the tonic while the 7th of the chord which would be the 4th scale degree has a strong desire to resolve down by half step. Keep in mind that this resolution is a traditional resolution and of course not the only option or occurance.

I have included an attachment of the Dominant 7th and its resolution for you to see.

Let me know if you have any questions before we continue.

Welcome back!

First let me close the file of the old lessons by giving my answers to the last lesson:

A) (No. 2) D diminished chord: You said I had missed vii in Eb minor. You meant to say vii in Eb minor harmonic and melodic ascending only, didn't you?

B) (No. 6) G b minor chord: You said I did not give the correct response in place of my error which I identified. My correct response: IV in Db Major.


Now for some questions from the new lesson which is pretty clear:

1) Perhaps I don't know my intervals well. What is the difference between the minor 7th and the major 7th? Minor is 5 tones, Major 5.5? Also, in general, are the Major intervals found in the Major scales and the minor intervals in minor scales; or doesn't it have to do anything with the nature of the scale (whether it is Major or Minor)?

2) You refer to a few reasons that cause the Dominant 7th chord to sound unstable, and mentioned the tritone interval as one. What are the other reasons?

3) Are there other unstable chords in need of resolution? Which ones are they (unless I am jumping into the next lessons)?

Originally Posted by luderart

Welcome back!

First let me close the file of the old lessons by giving my answers to the last lesson:

A) (No. 2) D diminished chord: You said I had missed vii in Eb minor. You meant to say vii in Eb minor harmonic and melodic ascending only, didn't you?


B) (No. 6) G b minor chord: You said I did not give the correct response in place of my error which I identified. My correct response: IV in Db Major.


Now for some questions from the new lesson which is pretty clear:

1) Perhaps I don't know my intervals well. What is the difference between the minor 7th and the major 7th? Minor is 5 tones, Major 5.5? Also, in general, are the Major intervals found in the Major scales and the minor intervals in minor scales; or doesn't it have to do anything with the nature of the scale (whether it is Major or Minor)?


2) You refer to a few reasons that cause the Dominant 7th chord to sound unstable, and mentioned the tritone interval as one. What are the other reasons?

3) Are there other unstable chords in need of resolution? Which ones are they (unless I am jumping into the next lessons)?

A) Yes, correct.
B) I believe the chord I gave you was Gb MAJOR and not MINOR. I think that is why you made the error. Therefore, you still have an error with this answer but can easily be corrected one you make the mental adjustment from Gb minor to Gb Major.

1) Yes, you are correct regarding the number of step for the minor and Major 7th. A minor 7th is 5 Whole steps while the Major 7th is 5 Whole steps and one half step.

When the term "minor" or "Major" is used to identify an interval is has to do with the number of whole and half steps that creat the interval and not whether or not the scale is Major or minor. Although in we are talking about a specific chord (the Dominant 7th), it can exisit in any key, Major or minor. You just have to remember that this particular chord will be built on the Dominant scale degree (V), it will be a Major chord, and that the additional note (the 7th) will be an interval of a minor 7th from the root (scale degree V). Therefore, in the key of C, the Dominant 7th chord is G-B-D-F. G is the root as it is scale degree V. Therefore the chord built on this degree will be a Major chord. The added note "F" is an interval of a minor 7th from the root note "G".

2) The tritone is one reason. Another reason is the interval of the minor 7th that also calls for resolution.

3) We will eventually get to the other "unstable" chords.

B) I seem to have mistyped 'minor' instead of 'Major'. So my response is still the same: IV in Db Major.

Thanks for the other answers and explanations.