SECTION 6 64 The alterations made to the natural minor scale are not included in the key signature of a minor key and therefore have to be written as accidentals in the music. There are twelve melodic and twelve harmonic minor scales. 6.6 THE WHOLE-TONE SCALE ‘The whole-tone scale, as its name implies, comprises whole-tone intervals between each note. Unlike the major and minor scales it has no tonal centre and it has a floating quality which was exploited by Impressionist composers like Debussy. There are two such scales: 6.7. THE CHROMATIC SCALE ‘The chromatic scale is formed by playing all twelve notes within the octave. ‘The scale is the same wherever it starts, so in reality there is only one scale. In writing chromatic scales itis the usual practice to sharpen the notes going up and flatten the notes coming down. 6.8 THE DIMINISHED SCALE The diminished scale comprises alternate tones and semitones and commences with a tone. If the scale is started with a semitone it is said to be an auxiliary diminished or inverted diminished There are only three diminished scales, each one having four possible starting notes. Likewise there are only three auxiliary diminished scales. DIMINISHED ‘C AUXILIARY DIMINISHED‘Cf DIMINISHED (C# AUXILIARY DIMINISHED, D DIMINISHED D AUXILIARY DIMINISHED 6.9 THE ALTERED SCALES The altered scale is a combination of diminished and whole-tone scale segments, ALTERED SCALE Its primary use is in connection with a dominant seventh chord for it contains all the alterations possible within such a chord, Choe en ee ee ee ere (ALTERED SCALE. J poiscate ———}—— note tose ——— Ifthe diminished and whole-tone segments are reversed, an auxiliary scale is produced in which the only altered note of the chord is a raised eleventh. a or cauxiishy aNveRrED) NLHERED SCALE WHOLE TONE po scare —— ‘These altered scales are also ‘displaced’ versions of the ascending melodic minor. (ALTERED SCALE Cf ASCENDING MELODIC SECTION 6 65SECTIOVE 6.10 THE MODES ‘The modes are of Greek origin, being named after tribes, and they are the basis for the European scale system. All the modes can be conveniently described by relating them to the major scale. Consider, for example, the scale of C major: © to C’ is the IONIAN MODE D to D’ is the DORIAN MODE E to E is the PHRYGIAN MODE | F to F is the LYDIAN MODE G to G’ is the MIXOLYDIAN MODE A to A’ is the AEOLIAN MODE. B to B’ is the LOCRIAN MODE The lonian mode is the same as the major scale. The Aeolian mode is the same as the descending melodic minor scale. Each mode has a different tonal centre and because of this they each have a different character even though they all use the same aggregate of notes. IONIAN MODE DORIAN MODE. PHRYGIAN MODE LYDIAN MODE MIXOLYDIAN MODE AEOLIAN MODE LOCRIAN MODE 6.11 ALTERED MODES ‘The modes can be combined or modified. For example, the following mode is known as a Lydian/Mixolydian ‘CLLYDIAN/MIXOLYDIAN Note that itis one of the altered scales already referred to and itis also a displaced ascending melodic minor scale.