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Wednesday, February 20, 2019

158. SOME HARMONIC PERSONALITIES (SCALES OF CHORDS) MET IN GREEK REBETIKA SONGS

(This post has not been written completely yet)

The concept of harmonic personality is a concept of chromatic tonal music and not a concept of multi tonal or atonal music. (See post 263 )

It is usual to study the Greek rebetika songs through their scales , that almost all of them are modes of the harmonic minor (including its reverse order) and double harmonic minor scales.

But in practice something which is more stable in these songs is not the scale of the notes but scales of chords as alterations or perturbations of a diatonic scale of chords.

One of the most common such Rebetika harmonic personality is the next 7-steps scale of chords

D Minor reberiko 1st (harmonic) minor personality (3rd step chord is major instead of minor):

Dm , Edim, FM , Gm , AM , BbM, CM

6m , 7dim , 1M , 2m , 3M , 4M, 5M

(the roots have the interval distances 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 which is the minor mode of the diatonic scale still the chords in this harmonic personality is not that of the natural minor mode chords of the diatonic scale here it would be the D minor mode of the F major diatonic)


G Minor reberiko 2nd (double  harmonic ) minor personality ( 3rd step chord is major instead of minor, 7nth is major instead of diminished and 5th is minor instead of major):
:

Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, EbM, Fm
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4M,   5m

(the roots have the interval distances 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 which is the minor mode of the diatonic scale still the chords in this harmonic personality is not that of the natural minor mode chords of the diatonic scale here it would be the G minor mode of the Bb major diatonic)


G Minor reberiko  3rd (double harmonic ) minor personality ( 3rd step chord is major instead of minor, 7nth is major instead of diminished)::

Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, EbM, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4M,   5M

(the roots have the interval distances 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 which is the minor mode of the diatonic scale still the chords in this harmonic personality is not that of the natural minor mode chords of the diatonic scale here it would be the G minor mode of the Bb major diatonic)

G Minor reberiko  3rd (double harmonic ) minor personality ( 3rd step chord is major instead of minor, 7nth is major instead of diminished)::

Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, EbM, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4M,   5M

(the roots have the interval distances 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 which is the minor mode of the diatonic scale still the chords in this harmonic personality is not that of the natural minor mode chords of the diatonic scale here it would be the G minor mode of the Bb major diatonic)


G Minor reberiko  3rd B   (  double harmonic) minor personality:

G(m or M), AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, EbM, FM
6(m or M)  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4M,  5M

(the roots have the interval distances 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 which is the minor mode of the diatonic scale still the chords in this harmonic personality is not that of the natural minor mode chords of the diatonic scale here it would be the G minor mode of the Bb major diatonic)

G Minor reberiko  5th  (harmonic ) minor personality:

Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, Edim7, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4dim7,  5M


G Minor reberiko  6th  (double harmonic ) minor personality:

Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, DM, Ebm, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3M, 4m,  5M

G Minor reberiko  7th  (double harmonic ) minor personality:

Gm, AM, BbM ,C#m, DM, Ebm, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2#m, 3M, 4m,  5M

G minor rebetiko 8th  (Neopolitan scale and also country Blues scale) minor personality 


Gm, AM, BbM ,Cm, Dm, EbM, FM
6m,  7M, 1M, 2m, 3m  4M,  5M


See also post 245 about the 4 Blue notes of the diatonic scale. Because the use of wind instruments in Bb, the minor scale is the G minor so the chromatic minor scales of G are where these rebetica ae played (Similarly for the New Orlean jazz which is in Bb major but utilizes the 4 blue notes ofthe Bb)

The first 4 blue notes of the diatonic scale are  by definition the neighboring by one semitone notes to the interval of 5th c-g thus g# f# around g and c# around c and the same with the best next interval of major 3rd c-e thus d# or c# again . This gives the maximum shift from an harmonic interval to one with dissonance thus chromaticity. 

There cannot be other as first 4 notes other than the above 4 blue notes for the first 2 bet intervals (5th and major 3rd) around the roor note .

Notice also the important fact that the 4 blue notes make the 4 nono-major chords of the scale major chords!

7dim 3m , 6m, 2m to major chords!

The 5# makes the 3m to 3M , 
the 2# makes the 7dim to 7M, 
the 4# makes the 2m to 2M and 
the 1# makes the 6m to 6M 




In general starting from a diatonic harmonic personality 

1M, 2m 3m 4M 5M 6m 7dim 1M

the next are the effects of turning the natural minor to harmonic minor or double harmonic minor.

The effect of the 1st blue note 5# of the harmonic minor on the harmonic personality is that 

the 3m  turns in to 3M and the 5M may turn  into  5b5  or better sounding  5#m or 5#dim or 5aug,  or  1dim  

Also the 7dim may turn in to 7m7b5 as 4 notes chord.

While the effect of  the 2nd blue note of the double harmonic minor 2# (or 3b) is that the 7dim turns in to 7M  or 7b5  and , the 1M may become 1aug and also the 2m may become 2#dimb3 or  better sounding 2#dim or 2#M. 


Notice that by accepting the 2nd blue note ofthe double harmonic minor d#=2# but not the first g#=5# we get a mode of the Neapolitan scale 

A-B-C-D#-E-F-G-A  (2-1-3-1-1-2-2) with corresponding harmonic personality


1M 2#m 3m 4M 5M 6m 7M 1M.


On the other hand an  inverse of  the harmonic minor having the 1-3-1 in the same place as the harmonic minor is the next (here starting from A)

A B C# D E F G# A with intervals 2-2-1-2-1-3-1 and harmonic personality


1#m 2m 3M 4aug (or 4M)  5#m 6M  7d 


While if we add the D# we get a mode of the inverse Neapolitan


 A B C# D# E F G# A with intervals 2-2-2-1-1-3-1 and harmonic personality


1#m 2#m 3M 4M 5#m 6M  7M 


And in Country music the next two harmonic personalities appear

1M7 2M7 3M7 4m7 5m7 6m7 7m7 1M7 

which comes from the chord progression of chord in successive harmonic relations and alternating minor and major character

7m7->3M7->6m7->2M7->5m7->1M7->4m7

and 

1m7 2m7 3m7 4M7 5M7 6M7 7M7 1m7

which comes from the chord progression of chord in successive harmonic relations and alternating minor and major character

7M7->3m7->6M7->2m7->5M7->1m7->4M7


MORE HARMONIC PERSONALITIES BY PERTURBING  THE DIATONIC HARMONIC PERSONALITY

Starting from the diatonic harmonic personality in a sequence of chords in harmonic transitions (as if an arc of the wheel by intervals of 4 )we may create more harmonic personalities e.g.

1M->4M
2m ->5M
3m ->6m
4M ->7dim
5M ->1M
6m ->2m
7dim ->3m

We substitute all seconds parts with all minors and diminished or all majors and diminished 
The general rule is that we change the major to minor (or vice versa) but if the sound is better with a diminished or #diminished we prefer the 2nd choice.
e.g

1M->4M
2m ->5M or 5#dim
3m or 3M  ->6M or 6dim
4M ->7dim
5dim  or 5M ->1M
6m ->2M (or 2dim)
7dim ->3M

or

1M->4dim (or 4m)
2m ->5#dim
3m ->6m
4M ->7dim
5M ->1#dim
6m ->2m or (2dim)
7dim ->3m or 3dim

Which is in accordance with what we wrote in post 148 ,145 etc ,to obtain new scales of chords from connected arcs in the wheel by intervals of 4 and changing minors to majors or vice versa. Here the first column of chords remain with choices minors or majors as in the diatonic scale.



Triads of chromatic tonality that are often met and are based in one of the chromatic 7-notes scales the harmonic minor, the meapolitan and the double chromatic minor are the next

3M7-6m-2m  (harmonic minor)

7M7-3m-6m (Neapolitian)

6M7-2m-5m (harmonic minor)

All the three above triads (double harmonic minor)

2M7-5m-1m

5M7-1m-4m

1M7-4m-7m

4M7-7m-3m

Chromatic shifts of them by an interval of 2nd are e.g. the next

7M7-3m-6m->
1M7-4m-7m

Or 

1M7-4m-7m->
2M7-5m-1m

Or 

6M7-2m-5m->
1M7-3m-6m

Etc

Cycles of 6 chords in harmonic relations are the next 7

1M7-4m-7m->
3M-6M-2M

2M7-5m-1m->
4M-7M-3M

3M7-6m-2m->
5M-1M-4M

4M7-7m-3m->
6M-2M-5M

5M7-1m-4m->
7M-3M-6M

6M7-2m-5m->
1M-4M-7M

7M7-3m-6m->
2M-5M-1M



WE MAY COMPARE THE ABOVE WITH WHAT HAPPENS IN JAZZ



IN SUMMARY BOTH EARLY WESTERN AND EASTERN (GYPSY) JAZZ MAY MAKE THE NEXT 7 TEMPORARY CHANGES IN THE CHORDS OF THE DIATONIC SCALE DUE TO THE 4 FIRST BLUE NOTES 

3m becomes 3M
7dim becomes 7M
5M becomes 5#dim
2m becomes 2M
6m becomes 6M
4M becomes 4m or 4dim
1M becomes 1#dim

Obviously not all of these changes occur necessarily simultaneously in a single song. maybe only few of them. And usually at least 50% of the time the chords are the normal of the diatonic scale. Other ways to organize them and perceive them are as triads of harmonic pairs of chords (see post 215  
IMPROVISATION OVER A PAIR OF CHORDS . TRIADS OF HARMONIC PAIRS OF CHORDS. ). This awareness of these alterations of the normal chords of a diatonic scale (by blue notes) allows for a consistent and rich system of harmony for composing and improvising early jazz type of jazz.

1ST CHROMATIC TONALITY 7-CHORD-SCALE OR 7-CHORD CYCLE  

THEREFORE IT IS A VERY COMMON IN WESTERN JAZZ GYPSY JAZZ CLASSICAL MUSIC ANDEAN MUSIC ETC THE NEXT CYCLE OF CHORDS OR SCALE OF CHORDS THAT CAN BE CALLED  1ST CHROMATIC TONALITY 7-CHORD-SCALE OR 7-CHORD CYCLE  THE NEXT

6m->2m->5M->1M->4M->7M->3M->6m

or with 7nths in Jazz

6m7->2m7->5maj7->1maj7->4maj7->7M7->3M7->6m7

There are even pocket chord-harmonicas (e.g. tombo pocket-chord harmonica) designed to play exactly this cycle of chords

AS WE MAY NOTICE THIS SYSTEM OF HARMONY WITH THE FIRST 4 BLUE NOTES (AND  5TH BLUE NOT 6#=7b  MAY BE ADDED) IS ESSENTIALLY A METHOD TO PLAY SOONER OR LATER IN THE MELODY ALL THE 12 NOTES OF THE FULL CHROMATIC SCALE STARTING FROM THE 7 NOTES OF THE DIATONIC SCALE AND RETURNING TO THEM AGAIN.



Steps of the chromatic scale/Harmonic Personality
1
1#
2
2#
3
4
4#
5
5#
6
6#
7

JAZZ PERSONALITY
1M(ajor) or 1m
1#Dim or 6M
2m(inor) or 2M(ajor)7
7M
3or 3M(ajor)7
4or 4m or 4Dim
2M7
5M7 or 5m
5#Dim or 3M7
6or 6M7
5m
7Dim or 7Major7

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