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Harmonic minor rule?


StratKat

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Posted

Hey guys,

 

what is the formal rule of the harmonic minor scale and can you back it up with a reference in a book? I need to verify mine for a net friend who said i may be wrong... If so i need to change it...

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Posted

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 #7

The 7th tone is raised to be a leading tone to the tonic (the 7th is the MAJOR third of the dominant chord in the key...that 3rd resolves UP a semitone to the root of the tonic chord).

Sorry I haven't got a book citation to give you on hand...maybe someone else will.

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Posted

Originally posted by StratKat

Hey guys,


what is the formal rule of the harmonic minor scale and can you back it up with a reference in a book? I need to verify mine for a net friend who said i may be wrong... If so i need to change it...

 

 

Yeah, its minor with a raised 7th. That's all.

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Harmonic minor was a derivation of natural minor, by altering the 7th scale degree. to create a leading tone to the tonic, as the natural lacked this. Melodic minor same concept, but the raised 6th was used more often for ornamentationin passages than harmonic usage (with a few obvious voice leading exceptions).

Kostka & Paine. Diatonic chords in major and minor keys, chapter 4, p. 60-70. Tonal Harmony. 4th edition. 2000

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Posted

Another way to explain it, using the key of C:

C Major Scale (Ionian Mode) = C D E F G A B C

A Natural Minor (Aeloian mode) = A B C D E F G A
(same notes as C major, only A to A)

A Harmonic Minor = A B C D E F G# A (the seventh tone of A Natural Minor, G, is raised by a 1/2 step to G#)

In sheet music, for the keys of C Major, A Natural Minor, and A Harmonic Minor, they all look the same: No sharps, no flats in the key signature.
The easiest way to spot A Harmonic Minor if you're looking at sheet music: No sharps or flats, the last chord in the piece is an A Minor chord, and the G notes all have sharps next to them.

Also E major or E7 chords are often found in A Harmonic Minor, because they contain G#, so you can get an E chord resolving to Am while a G# note resolves to A.

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Yep! Im in error.... I have it wrong on my lessons so i'll have to fix it this week! And thanks to whoever the email was from if you hang here!

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Posted

I love the sound of the minor 3rd from the b6 to the 7. Not many scales (regular 7 note ones) have a minor 3rd interval for two consecutive notes.

If anyone knows any more that have that minor 3rd interval, can you post them?

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