What scale/scales to use for this prog?

[downtown]

Dm F G

 

Lead experts, your advice please. I've been using Dm. Any other recommendations, especially to give it something unique?

[Snork]

F lydian, F major, D melodic minor, D harmonic Minor, importantly G mixolydian. G altered.

[Poparad]

C major.


D minor has a Bb in the scale, which doesn't fit the G major chord (well, it can, but not simply a G traid like you've written). C major is just one note different, with a B natural in it, which then fits the G major chord too.

[downtown]

Thanks. I've tried the rec's for C major, F major, and G myx and will give the others a run also.

[Poparad]

Originally posted by downtown Thanks. I've tried the rec's for C major, F major, and G myx and will give the others a run also.

 

 

 

Remember that F major has the same notes as D minor, and G mixolydian has the same notes as C major.

 

I would just play a C major scale over the entire thing.

[downtown]

I'll sit down some more and play against the track with these. I had been floating from Dm and F major as I tried this up and down the neck.

Utilizing C major, is it important to use any particular starting note or ending note on the phrases?

This is valuable input and probably where I'm beginning to stretch alot. At this stage I didn't envision C major as an option. Can you help me understand how you selected it as the best fit? I can hear the Bb you mentioned above in Dm.

thx

[Poparad]

Originally posted by downtown I'll sit down some more and play against the track with these. I had been floating from Dm and F major as I tried this up and down the neck. Utilizing C major, is it important to use any particular starting note or ending note on the phrases?

 

 

Each note of the scale has a certain sound against each chord. Some notes will sound better on the Dm chord, some will sound better on the G major chord, etc. This is no note that you have to start or end on. Which note you choose will be from personal preference.

 

 

This is valuable input and probably where I'm beginning to stretch alot. At this stage I didn't envision C major as an option. Can you help me understand how you selected it as the best fit? I can hear the Bb you mentioned above in Dm. thx

 

 

 

The reason I chose C major is because it contains all three chords of the progression. Progressions tend to be all within one key, so it's usually just a matter of figuring out which has all the chords, and almost always the progression will only fit in one key.

 

 

The reason I knew it was C major was because I know my harmonized scales well.

 

To harmonize a scale, take each degree and build a traid off of it. For C major you get:

 

C E G - C major

D F A - D minor

E G B - E minor

F A C - F major

G B D - G major

A C E - A minor

B D F - B diminished

 

 

You'll see above that Dm, F and G are all in that key.

 

The reason why F major/Dm doesn't work as well is because of that Bb. The G major traid is spelled G B D, not G Bb D. However, the F major scale works on the Dm and F chords, so it has 2/3rds of the progression, but not all of it.

 

The thing that probably threw you off is that your progression doesn't start on, end on, or even include the chord C major or A minor (since the scale is C major/A minor).

 

In fact, your progression is actually kind of modal, but don't sweat that just now. It doesn't change the fact that the notes of C major are the notes that fit the progression. The thing that makes it modal is that a chord other than C major or A minor is the 'home' chord, in this case Dm. Nothing more to it than that really.

[downtown]

This is really good stuff and I've learned more from this exchange than I had planned for. I've printed this out and will practice with it.

Thanks again.

[LosBoleros]

Yes it is the key of C major but since there is no C chord, you may be using the Dm as the Tonal Center. You can play the C major scale as D Dorian.

[Robert Reis]

Originally posted by LosBoleros Yes it is the key of C major but since there is no C chord, you may be using the Dm as the Tonal Center. You can play the C major scale as D Dorian.

 

 

Yeah, I'd think D Dorian in this case. Same notes, as C Major, but a different way of thinking.