The minor scale has three main varieties: natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor.

Today we will talk about the features of each of the named frets and how to obtain them.

Natural minor – simple and strict

The natural minor is a scale built according to the formula “tone – semitone – 2 tones – semitone – 2 tones.” This is a common scheme for the structure of a minor scale, and in order to quickly obtain it, you just need to know the key signs in the desired key. There are no changed degrees in this type of minor; accordingly, there cannot be any random alteration signs in it.

The natural minor scale sounds simple, sad and a little strict. This is why the natural minor is so often found in folk and medieval church music.

An example of a melody in this mode: "I'm sitting on a pebble" - a famous Russian folk song, in the recording below its key is natural E minor.

Harmonic minor – the heart of the East

In the harmonic minor, compared to the natural mode, the seventh degree is increased. If in a natural minor the seventh degree was a “pure”, “white” note, then it is raised with the help of a sharp, if it was flat, then with the help of a bekar, but if it was a sharp, then a further increase in the degree is possible with the help of a double -sharp. Thus, this type of mode can always be recognized by the appearance of one random one.

For example, in the same A minor the seventh step is the sound G; in harmonic form there will be not just G, but G-sharp. Another example: C minor is a key with three flats in the key (B, E and A flat), the seventh step is the note B-flat, we raise it with a bekar (B-bekar).

Due to the increase in the seventh degree (VII#) in the harmonic minor, the structure of the scale changes. The distance between the sixth and seventh steps becomes as much as one and a half steps. This ratio causes the appearance of new ones that were not there before. Such intervals include, for example, an increased second (between VI and VII#) or an increased fifth (between III and VII#).

The harmonic minor scale sounds intense and has a characteristic Arabic-Oriental flavor. However, despite this, it is the harmonic minor that is the most common of the three types of minor in European music - classical, folk or pop. It received its name “harmonic” because it manifests itself very well in chords, that is, in harmony.

An example of a melody in this mode is Russian folk "Song of the Bean"(the key is A minor, the type is harmonic, as the occasional G-sharp tells us).

A composer can use different types of minor in the same work, for example, alternating a natural minor with a harmonic one, as Mozart does in the main theme of his famous Symphonies No. 40:

Melodic minor – emotional and sensual

The melodic minor scale is different when moving up or down on it. If they go up, then they increase two levels at once - the sixth (VI#) and the seventh (VII#). If they play or sing downwards, then these changes are canceled, and an ordinary natural minor sounds.

For example, the A minor scale in a melodic ascending movement will be a scale of the following notes: A, B, C, D, E, F-sharp (VI#), G-sharp (VII#), A. When moving downwards, these sharps will disappear, turning into G-bekar and F-bekar.

Or the C minor scale in a melodic ascending movement is: C, D, E-flat (in the key), F, G, A-becare (VI#), B-becare (VII#), C. The notes raised by the bekars will turn back into B-flat and A-flat when moving down.

From the name of this type of minor it is clear that it is intended to be used in beautiful melodies. Since the melodic minor sounds varied (variably up and down), it is capable of reflecting the most subtle moods and experiences when it appears.

When the scale ascends, its last four sounds (for example, in A minor - E, F-sharp, G-sharp, A) coincide with the scale (A major in our case). Consequently, they can convey light shades, motives of hope, and warm feelings. Movement in the opposite direction along the sounds of the natural scale absorbs the rigor of the natural minor, and, perhaps, some kind of doom, and maybe also the strength and confidence of the sound.

With its beauty and flexibility, its wide possibilities for conveying feelings, the melodic minor is very much loved by composers, which is probably why it can be found so often in famous romances and songs. As an example, let us remind you of the song "Moscow Evenings" (music by V. Solovyov-Sedoy, lyrics by M. Matusovsky), where a melodic minor with elevated degrees sounds at the moment when the singer talks about his lyrical feelings (If you knew how dear I am...):

Let's repeat it again

So, there are 3 types of minor: the first is natural, the second is harmonic and the third is melodic:

1. A natural minor can be obtained by constructing a scale using the formula “tone-semitone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone”;
2. In the harmonic minor scale the seventh degree (VII#) is raised;
3. In melodic minor, when moving up, the sixth and seventh degrees (VI# and VII#) are raised, and when moving back, a natural minor is played.

To practice this topic and remember how the minor scale sounds in different forms, we highly recommend watching this video by Anna Naumova (sing along with her):

Exercises for training

To reinforce the topic, let's do a couple of exercises. The task is this: write, speak or play on the piano scales of 3 types of minor scales in E minor and G minor.

SHOW ANSWERS:

The E minor scale is sharp, it has one F-sharp (parallel tonality of G major). In the natural minor there are no signs other than the key ones. In harmonic E minor, the seventh degree is raised - this will be a D-sharp sound. In melodic E minor, in an ascending movement, the sixth and seventh degrees - the sounds C-sharp and D-sharp - are raised; in a descending movement, these increases are canceled.

The G minor scale is flat, in its natural form there are only two key signs: B-flat and E-flat (parallel scale - B-flat major). In harmonic G minor, raising the seventh degree will lead to the appearance of a random sign - F sharp. In a melodic minor, when moving up, the raised steps give the signs E-becar and F-sharp, when moving down - everything is as in its natural form.

Table of minor scales

For those who still find it difficult to immediately imagine minor scales in three varieties, we have prepared a hint table. It contains the name of the key and its letter designation, an image of the key signs - sharps and flats in the required quantity, and also names the random signs that appear in the harmonic or melodic form of the scale. There are fifteen minor keys used in music:

How to use such a table? Let's look at the example of the B minor and F minor scales. There are two in B minor: F-sharp and C-sharp, which means the natural scale of this key will look like this: B, C-sharp, D, E, F-sharp, G, A, B. A harmonic B minor will include an A sharp. In melodic B minor, two degrees will already be changed - G-sharp and A-sharp.

In the F minor scale, as is clear from the table, there are four key signs: B, E, A and D-flat. This means that the natural F minor scale is: F, G, A-flat, B-flat, C, D-flat, E-flat, F. In harmonic F minor - E-bekar, like an increase in the seventh degree. In melodic F minor there are D-bekar and E-bekar.

That's all for now! In future issues, you will learn that there are other types of minor scales, as well as what the three types of major scales are. Follow the updates, join our VKontakte group to stay updated!

Semantic (mode-phonic) unity

Multi-level units of classical harmony.

A.L. Ostrovsky. Methods of music theory and solfeggio. L., 1970. p. 46-49.

N.L. Vashkevich. Expressiveness of tones. Minor. (Manuscript) Tver, 1996.

The choice of tonality by the composer is not accidental. To a large extent it is associated with her expressive capabilities. The individual colorful properties of tonality are a fact. They are not always in unity with the emotional coloring of a musical work, but they are always present in its colorful and expressive subtext, as an emotional background.

Analyzing the figurative content of a large range of major works, the Belgian musicologist and composer François Auguste Gevart (1828-1908) presented his own version of expressiveness major keys, revealing a specific interaction system. “The color characteristic of the major mood,” he writes, “takes on shades that are light and brilliant in tones with sharps, strict and gloomy in tones with flats...”, essentially repeating the conclusion of R. Schumann made half a century earlier. And further. “Do - Sol - Re - A major, etc. - getting lighter and lighter. C – F – B-flat – E-flat major, etc. “It’s getting darker and darker.” “As soon as we reach the tone F sharp major (6 sharps), the ascent stops. The shine of tones with sharps, brought to the point of hardness, is suddenly erased and, through an imperceptible transfusion of shades, is identified with the dark color of the tone G-flat major (6 flats),” which creates a semblance of a vicious circle:

C major

Firm, decisive

F major G major

Courageous Funny

B flat major D major

Proud Brilliant

E-flat major A major

Majestic Glad

A flat major E major

Noble Shining

D flat major B major

Important Powerful

G flat major F sharp major

Gloomy Hard

Gewart's conclusions are not completely indisputable. And this is understandable; It is impossible to reflect in one word the emotional coloring of a tonality, its inherent palette of shades, its distinctive nuance.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the individual “hearing” of tonality. For example, Tchaikovsky’s D-flat major can be confidently called the tonality of love. This is the tone of the romance “No, only the one who knew”, the scenes of Tatyana’s letter, P.P. (love themes) in Romeo and Juliet, etc.

And yet, “despite some naivety” (as Ostrovsky noted), for us the characteristics of Gewart’s tonalities are valuable. We have no other sources.

In this regard, the list of names of “tonal characteristic theorists” “whose works were in Beethoven” is surprising: Matteson, L. Mitzler, Klineberger, J.G. Sulzer, A.Hr.Koch, J.J. von Heinze, Chr. F. D. Schubart (Romain Rolland reports this in the book “Beethoven’s Last Quartets.” M., 1976, p. 225). “The problem of characterizing tonalities occupied Beethoven until the end of his life.”

Gevart's work “Guide to Instrumentation,” which contains material on tonality, was translated into Russian by P. Tchaikovsky. The great composer's interest in this speaks volumes.

"Expressiveness minor keys“,” wrote Gevart, “is less varied, dark and not so defined.” Are Gevart's conclusions correct? What makes me doubtful is the fact that among the tonalities that have undeniably specific and vivid emotional characteristics, minor ones are no less than major ones (it’s enough to name B minor, C minor, C sharp minor). Answering this question was the task of the joint course work of first-year students T.O. Tver Music School (1977-78 academic year) Inna Bynkova (Kalyazin), Marina Dobrynskaya (Staraya Toropa), Tatyana Zaitseva (Konakovo), Elena Zubryakova (Klin), Svetlana Shcherbakova and Natalya Yakovleva (Vyshny Volochek). The work analyzed pieces of instrumental cycles that involve all 24 keys of the circle of fifths, where the randomness of the choice of key is minimal:

Bach. Preludes and Fugues of HTC, Volume I,

Chopin. Preludes. Op.28,

Chopin. Sketches. Op.10, 25,

Prokofiev. Fleetingness. Op.22,

Shostakovich. 24 preludes and fugues. Op.87,

Shchedrin.24 preludes and fugues.

In our course work, the analysis was limited only to the first exposed topic according to a pre-agreed plan. All conclusions about the emotional and figurative content had to be confirmed by an analysis of the means of expressiveness, intonation features of the melody, and the presence of figurative elements in the musical language. Seeking help from musicological literature was mandatory.

The final stage of our analytical work was a statistical method of multi-stage generalization of all the results of the analysis of plays of a specific tonality, a method of elementary arithmetic counting of repeated words-epithets and thereby identifying the dominant emotional characteristic of the tonality. We understand that it is not at all easy to describe in words the complex, colorful flavor of tonality, especially in one word, and therefore there were many difficulties. The expressive qualities of certain keys (A minor, E, C, F, B, F-sharp) were revealed confidently, in others - with less clarity (D minor, cm-flat, G-sharp).

Uncertainty arose with D sharp minor. Its characterization is conditional. Of the 8 analyzed works in a key with 6 signs, in 7 the composers preferred E-flat minor. D-sharp minor, “very rare and inconvenient to perform” (as Y. Milstein noted), was represented in our country by only one work (Bach HTC, Fugue XIII), which made it impossible to characterize it. As an exception to our methods, we proposed to use the characteristic of D sharp minor by Ya. Milshtein as high pitch . This ambiguous definition contains both inconvenience for performance, psychological and physiological tension of intonation for string players and vocalists, and something sublime, and something harsh.

Our conclusion: there is no doubt that minor keys, like major keys, have specific individual expressive qualities.

Following the example of Gevart, we offer the following, in our opinion, acceptable version of the monosyllabic characteristics of the minor:

A minor - easy

E minor - light

B minor - mournful

F sharp minor - excited

C sharp minor - elegiac

G sharp minor - tense

D-sharp - “high key”

E-flat minor - severe

B-flat minor - gloomy

F minor - sad

C minor - pathetic

G minor - poetic

D minor - courageous

Having received an affirmative answer to the first question (do minor keys have individual expressive qualities), we began to solve the second: is there (like major keys) a system of interaction of expressive characteristics in minor keys?, and if so, what is it?

Let us recall that such a system in Gevart’s major keys was their arrangement on the circle of fifths, which reveals a natural brightening of their color when moving towards sharps and darkening towards flats. Denying the minor key individual emotional and colorful properties, Gevart, naturally, could not see any system of interconnections in minor keys, considering as such only the gradualness of emotional transitions: “their expressive character does not represent, as in major tones, such a correct gradualism” (5 , p.48).

Challenging Gevart in the first, we will try to find a different answer in the other.

In search of a system, various options for the arrangement of minor keys were tried, comparing them with major keys, options for connections with other elements of the musical system, namely, the location

on the circle of fifths (similar to major ones),

at other intervals,

according to the chromatic scale;

arrangement according to emotional characteristics (identity, contrast, gradualness of emotional transitions);

comparisons with parallel major keys,

with the same name,

analysis of the color of tonalities based on their pitch position on the steps of the scale relative to the sound C.

Six term papers – six opinions. Of all those proposed, two patterns found in the works of Dobrynskaya Marina and Bynkova Inna turned out to be promising.

The first pattern.

The expressiveness of minor keys is directly dependent on the major keys of the same name. The minor is a softened, darkened (like light and shadow) version of the major of the same name.

Minor is the same as major, “but only paler and vaguer, like any “minor” in general in relation to the “major” of the same name. N. Rimsky Korsakov (see p. 31).

C major firm, decisive

minor pathetic,

B major mighty

mournful minor,

B flat major proud

gloomy minor,

A major joyful

minor minor,

G major cheerful

poetic minor,

F sharp major hard

minor excited,

F major courageous

sad minor,

E major radiant

minor light,

E-flat major majestic

severe minor,

D major brilliant (victory)

minor is courageous.

In most major-minor comparisons the relationship is obvious, but in some pairs it is not. For example, D major and minor (brilliant and courageous), F major and minor (courageous and sad). The reason may be the inaccuracy of the verbal characteristics of tonality. Assuming that ours are approximate, we cannot fully rely on the characteristics given by Gevart. For example, Tchaikovsky characterized the key of D major as solemn (5. p. 50). Such amendments almost eliminate contradictions.

We do not compare A-flat major and G-sharp minor, D-flat major and C-sharp minor, since these pairs of keys are opposite. The contradictions in their emotional characteristics are natural.

Second pattern.

The search for brief verbal characteristics of tonality could not help but remind us of something akin to the “mental effects” of Sarah Glover and John Curwen.

Let us remember that this is the name of the method (England, 19th century) of personifying the degrees of the mode, i.e. verbal, gestural (and at the same time both muscular and spatial) characteristics of them, which is intended to provide a high effect (“mental effect”!) of modal ear training in the system of relative solmization.

MU students are introduced to relative solmization from the first year both in music theory (mental effects are an indispensable opportunity to explain the topic “Modal and phonic functions of mode degrees”), and in solfeggio from the first lessons. (Relative solmization is mentioned on page 8)

Let's compare the characteristics of Sarah Glover's steps with our pairs of keys of the same name, placing them on the white key C major:

major mode in

MINOR "mental effects" MAJOR

B minor - VII, B - piercing, B major -

Mournful sensitive - powerful

A minor - VI, A – sad, A major –

Lightly plaintive - joyful

G minor - V, G - majestic - G major -

Poetic, bright - cheerful

F minor V, F – sad, F major -

Sad Awesome - Courageous

E minor - III, E – even, E major -

Light calm - shining

D minor - II, D – motivating, D major –

Courageous, full of hope - brilliant (victorious)

C minor - I, C – strong, C major –-

Pathetic decisive - firm, decisive

In most horizontals, the similarity of emotional characteristics (with some exceptions) is obvious.

The comparison of the IV degree and F major, VI art is not convincing. and A major. But, let us note, it is precisely these steps (IV and VI) in the quality as “Kerwen heard” them, according to P. Weiss (2, p. 94), that are less convincing. (However, the authors of the system themselves “do not consider the characteristics they give to be the only possible ones” (p. 94)).

But a problem arises. In relative solmization the syllables Do, Re, Mi, etc. - these are not specific sounds with a fixed frequency, as in absolute solmization, but the name of the degrees of the mode: Do (strong, decisive) is the 1st degree in F-dur, Des-dur, and C-dur. Do we have the right to correlate the tonalities of the circle of fifths with the degrees of C major only? Can C major, and not any other keys, determine their expressive qualities? We would like to express our opinion on this matter in the words of Y. Milstein. Bearing in mind the significance of C major in Bach's CTC, he writes that this “tonality is like an organizing center, like an unshakable and solid stronghold, extremely clear in its simplicity. Just as all the colors of the spectrum, collected together, give a colorless white color, so the C-dur tonality, combining elements of other tonalities, to a certain extent has a neutral, colorless-light character” (4, p. 33-34) . Rimsky-Korsakov is even more specific: C major is the tonality of white (see below, p. 30).

The expressiveness of tonalities is in direct connection with the colorful and phonic qualities of the degrees of C major.

C major is the center of tonal organization in classical music, where scale and tonality form an inextricable, mutually defining mode-phonic unity.

“The fact that C-dur is felt as the center and basis seems to confirm our conclusions Ernst. Kurt in “Romantic Harmony” (3, p. 280) is a consequence of two reasons. Firstly, the sphere of C-dur is, in a historical sense, the birthplace and the beginning of further harmonic development into sharp and flat tonalities. (...) C major has always meant - and this is much more significant than historical development - the basis and central starting point of the earliest musical studies. This position is strengthened and determines not only the character of C-dur itself, but at the same time the character of all other tonalities. E-dur, for example, is perceived depending on how it initially stands out against C-dur. Therefore, the absolute character of tonality, determined by the attitude towards C-dur, is determined not by the nature of the music, but by historical and pedagogical origins.”

The seven steps of C major are just seven pairs of the same keys closest to C major. What about the rest of the “black” sharp and flat keys? What is their expressive nature?

There is already a path. Again to C major, to its steps, but now to the altered ones. Alteration has a wide range of expressive possibilities. With the overall intensity of the sound, alteration forms two intonationally contrasting spheres: increasing alteration (ascending introductory tone) is the area of ​​emotionally expressive intonations, bright hard colors; descending (descending tone) – the area of ​​emotional-shadow intonations, darkened colors. Expression of the color of keys on altered degrees and the reason for the emotional polarity of sharp and flat keys in the same pitch position

tonic on the steps of C major, but not natural, but altered.

MINOR altered MAJOR

B-flat minor – SI B-flat major -

Gloomy - proud

A A-flat major –

Noble

G sharp minor – SALT

Tense

sol G-flat major –

Gloomy

F sharp minor – FA F sharp major -

Excited - hard

E-flat minor MI E-flat major –

Severe - majestic

D sharp minor - D

High tone.

C sharp minor - C

Elegiac

In these comparisons, at first glance, only C-sharp minor does not justify. In its coloring (in relation to the pathetic C minor), in accordance with the increasing alteration, one would expect emotional clarification. However, let us inform you that in our preliminary analytical conclusions, C sharp minor was characterized as sublimely elegiac. The coloring of C-sharp minor is the sound of the 1st movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Borodin’s romance “For the Shores of the Fatherland...”. These amendments restore balance.

Let's add our conclusions.

The coloring of tonalities on chromatic degrees C major is directly dependent on the type of alteration - increasing (increasing expression, brightness, hardness) or decreasing (darkening, thickening of colors).

This completed the course work of our students. But her final material on the expressiveness of tonalities quite unexpectedly provided an opportunity to consider semantics of triad(major and minor) and tones(essentially, individual tones in the chromatic scale).

PONALITY, TONE, TONE –

SEMANTIC (MOD-PHONIC) UNITY

Our conclusion (about direct connection between the expressiveness of keys and the colorful and phonic qualities of the degrees C major) discovered the unity of two units, - tonality, tone, having essentially united two independent systems: C major (its natural and altered degrees) and the tonal system of the circle of fifths. Our unification is quite obviously missing another link - chord.

A related phenomenon (but not the same thing) was noted by S.S. Grigoriev in his study “Theoretical Course of Harmony” (M., 1981). Tone, chord, tonality presented by Grigoriev as three multi-level units of classical harmony, which are carriers of modal and phonic functions (pp. 164-168). In Grigoriev's triad, these “units of classical harmony” are functionally independent of each other; but our triad is a qualitatively different phenomenon, it is elementary, our units of harmony are the constituent elements of mode-tonality: tone is the 1st degree of the mode, the chord is the tonic triad.

We will try to find, if possible, objective mode-phonic characteristics chords(major and minor triads as tonic ones).

One of the few sources that contains the information we need, bright and accurate modal-phonic characteristics of chords (an acute problem in teaching harmony and solfeggio at school) is the above-mentioned work by S. Grigoriev. Let's use the research material. Will our characteristics of consonances fit into the modal-phonic triad of tone-consonance-tonality?

Diatonic C major:

Tonic (tonic triad)– center of gravity, peace, balance (2, pp. 131-132); “logical conclusion from the previous mode-functional movement development, the ultimate goal and the resolution of its contradictions” (p. 142). Support, stability, strength, hardness are the general characteristics of both the tonic triad and the tonality of Gewart's C major, and the 1st degree of Kerven's major.

Dominant– a chord of affirmation of the tonic as a support, the center of modal gravity. “The dominant is a centripetal force within the modal-functional system” (p. 138), “the concentration of modal-functional dynamics.” “Bright, majestic” (Kerven)VThe -th degree is a direct characteristic of the D chord with its major sound, with an active quart move in the bass when resolved in T and an ascending semitone intonation of the introductory tone, the intonation of affirmation, generalization, creation.

Gevart's epithet “cheerful” (G major) clearly does not live up to the coloring of D5/3. But in terms of tonality, it’s difficult to agree with him: it’s too simple for “G major, bright, joyful, victorious” (N. Eskin. Journal of Musical Life No. 8, 1994, p. 23).

Subdominant, according to Riemann, is a chord of conflict. Under certain metrhythmic conditions, S challenges the tonic’s function of foundation (2, p. 138). “S is the centrifugal force inside the modal-functional system.” In contrast to the “effective” D, S– “counteraction” chord (p. 139), an independent, proud chord. Gevart has F major - courageous. According to the characteristics of P. Mironositsky (follower of Kerwen, author of the textbook “Notes-letters”, see about this 1, pp. 103-104) IV-I stage – “like a heavy sound.”

CharacteristicIV-I steps in "mental effects" - "dreary, fearsome"(according to P. Weiss (see 1, p. 94) is not a convincing definition) - does not give the expected parallel with the color of F major. But these are exact sound epithets minor harmonic subdominant and its projections - F minor sad.

TriadsVIth andIIIth steps– mediants, - middle, intermediate both in sound composition from T to S and D, and functionally: VI-I am softS(easy A minor), sad, plaintiveVI-I'm in "mental effects"; III-i - soft D (light E minor, smooth, calmIII-I stage. Secondary triads are opposite in modal inclination to the tonic. “Romantic thirds”, “delicate and transparent colors of mediants”, “reflected light”, “pure colors of major or minor triads” (2, pp. 147-148) - these subtle figurative characteristics are only part of those addressed to the chords III and VI th steps in the “Theoretical Course of Harmony” by S.S. Grigoriev.

TriadIIth stage, which has no common sounds with the tonic (as opposed to the “soft” mediant VI) - as if “hard” subdominant, active and effective chord in S group. Harmony II-th stage, motivating, full of hope(according to Curwen) - this is "courageous" D minor.

“Brilliant” D major is a direct analogy of major harmony onIIth stage, analogy chordDD. This is exactly how it sounds in the cadence DD – D7 – T, strengthening it, forming, as it were, a doubly authentic turn.

C major-minor of the same name:

Same name minor tonic –a softened shadow version of the major triad. Pathetic in C minor.

Natural (minor)d minor of the same name is a dominant, deprived of the “primary feature” (introductory tone) and losing its sharpness towards T 5/3, losing the tension, brightness and solemnity of the major triad, leaving only enlightenment, gentleness, poetry. Poetic G minor!

Medians of the same name in C minor. MajorVI-I(VIth low), - solemn chord, softened by the harsh coloring of the subdominant sound. A-flat major noble!TriadIII-its steps(III low) – major chord with fifth scale in C minor. E-flat major is majestic!

VII-I'm natural(eponymous minor) – a major triad with an archaic flavor of a harsh natural minor (B flat major proud!), the basis of the Phrygian phrase in the bass, - a descending movement with obvious semantics of tragic

Neapolitan chord(by nature it can be the 2nd degree of the Phrygian mode of the same name, it can be an introductory tone S), - sublime harmony with the harsh Phrygian flavor. D flat major in Gevart it is important. For Russian composers this tonality of serious tone and deep feelings.

C major parallel combination (C major-A minor):

Shining E major– direct illustration III-ey major (harmD parallel minor, - bright, majestic).

C major-minor in the chromatic system, represented by side D (for example, A dur, H dur), side S (hmoll, bmoll), etc. And everywhere we will find convincing sound-colorful parallels.

This review gives us the right to draw further conclusions.

Each row of our triad, each pitch level demonstrates the unity of interdependent mode-functional and semantic qualities of the elements of the triad tone, triad, tonality.

Each triad (major or minor), each individual sound (as a tonic) has individual colorful properties. Triad and tone are carriers of the color of their tonality and are capable of preserving it (relatively speaking) in any context of the chromatic system.

This is confirmed by the fact that the two elements of our triad , - consonance and tonality, - in music theory are often simply identified. For Kurt, for example, chord and key were sometimes synonymous. “The absolute action of a chord,” he writes, “is determined by the originality of the character tonality, finding its most distinct expression in the tonic chord that represents it” (3, p. 280). Analyzing the harmonic fabric, he often calls the triad tonality, endowing it with its inherent sound color, and what is important is that these harmonically sound colors are specific and independent of the context, the mode-functional conditions and the main tonality of the work. For example, about A major in “Lohengrin” we read from him: “The flowing enlightenment of the tonality A major, and in particular, its tonic triad, acquires a leitmotif in the music of the work...” (3, p.95); or: “...a light chord E major appears, and then a chord with a more matte, twilight coloring - As major. Consonances act as symbols of clarity and soft dreaminess...” (3, p.262). And indeed, the tonality, represented even by its tonic, is a stable musical color. A tonic triad, for example, F major “masculine” will retain the flavor of its tonality in different contexts: being D5/3 in B-flat major, and S in C major, and III major in D-flat major, and N5/3 in E major.

On the other hand, the shades of its color cannot but change. Gevart wrote about this: “The psychological impression made on us by tone is not absolute; it is subject to laws similar to those that exist in paints. Just as white appears whiter after black, so the sharp tone of G major will appear dull after E major or B major” (15, p. 48)

Of course, the phonic unity of consonance and tonality is most convincing and visual in C major, that original primordial tonality that took upon itself the mission of assigning a certain coloristic personality to other tonalities. It is also convincing in keys close to C major. However, with the removal of 4 or more characters, phonic relationships and harmonic colors become more and more complex. And yet, unity is not violated. In the shining E major, for example, a bright D5/3 is a mighty B major, a firm proud S (as we characterized it) is a joyful L major, a light minor VI is an elegiac C sharp minor, an active II degree is excited F-sharp minor, III – tense G-sharp minor. This is the palette of E major with a range of characteristic hard unique colors of complex shades inherent only to this key. Simple tonalities - simple pure colors (3, p. 283), distant multi-sign tonalities - complex colors, unusual shades. According to Schumann, “less complex feelings require simpler tonalities for their expression; more complex ones fit better into unusual ones, which are encountered less often by hearing” (6, p. 299).

On the phonic “personification” of tone in the “Theoretical Course of Harmony” by S.S. Grigoriev has only a few words: “The phonic functions of an individual tone are more vague and ephemeral than its modal functions” (2, p. 167). To what extent this is true, we are made to doubt the presence of specific emotional characteristics of the stages in the “mental effects”. But the colorful tone is much more complex, richer. The triad - tone, chord, tonality - is a system based on the unity of interdependent mode-functional and semantic qualities. Mode-phonic unity tone-chord-key- self-correcting system . Each element of the triad clearly or potentially contains the colorful properties of all three. “The smallest unit of mode-tonal organization – the tone – is “absorbed” (by the chord) - we quote Stepan Stepanovich Grigoriev, - and the greatest – tonality – ultimately turns out to be an enlarged projection of the most important properties of consonance” (2, p. 164).

Colorful sound palette MI, for example, is the smooth and calm (according to Curwen) sound of the third degree of C major; “pure”, “delicate and transparent colors” of the mediant triad, a special light-shadow “romantic” coloring of triads of the tertian ratio in harmony. In the color palette of the MI sound there is a play of colors in E major-minor, from light to shining

12 sounds of the chromatic scale - 12 unique colorful inflorescences. AND Each of the 12 sounds (even taken separately, out of context, as a single sound) is a significant element of the semantic dictionary.

“The favorite sound of the romantics,” we read Kurt, “is fis, since it stands at the zenith of the circle of tonalities, the arches of which rise above C major. As a result, romantics especially often use the D major chord, in which fis, as a third tone, has the greatest tension and stands out with extraordinary brightness. (...)

The sounds cis and h also attract the excited sonic imagination of romantics with their large tonal stratification from the middle - C major. The same goes for the corresponding chords. Thus, in Pfitzner’s “RosevomLiebesgarten”, the sound fis with its intense, characteristic coloring even acquires a leitmotif meaning (announcement of spring)” (3, p. 174).

Examples are closer to us.

The sound sol, cheerful, poetic, ringing with a trill in the upper voices in the song and dance theme of the refrain of the finale of Beethoven’s 21st sonata “Aurora” is a bright colorful touch in the overall picture of life-affirming sound, the poetry of the morning of life (Aurora is the goddess of the dawn).

In Borodin’s romance “False Note,” the pedal in the middle voices (the same “sinking key”) is the sound of FA, the sound of courageous grief, sadness, a psychological subtext of drama, bitterness, resentment, offended feeling.

In Tchaikovsky's romance “Night” to the words of Rathaus, the same FA sound at the tonic organ point (dull measured beats) is no longer just sadness. This is a sound that “inspires fear”, this is an alarm bell - a harbinger of tragedy, death.

The tragic aspect of Tchaikovsky's VI Symphony becomes absolute in the coda of the finale. Its sound is the mournful intermittent breathing of a chorale against the background of an almost naturalistically depicted rhythm of the dying heartbeat. And all this in the mournful tragic tone of the SI sound.

ABOUT THE CIRCLE OF QUINTS

The contrast in the phonism of the keys (as well as their modal functions) lies in the difference in the fifth ratio of their tonic: a fifth up is dominant brightness, a fifth down is the masculinity of plagal sound. R. Schumann expressed this idea, E. Kurt shared it (“Increasingly intense enlightenment when moving to high sharp keys, the opposite internal dynamic process when descending to flat keys” (3, p. 280)), F. tried to practically implement this idea. Gevart. “The closing circle of fifths,” Schumann wrote, “gives the best idea of ​​the rise and fall: the so-called tritone, the middle of the octave, that is, Fis, is, as it were, the highest point, the culmination, from which - through flat tones - there is a fall again to the artless C-dur" (6, p. 299).

However, there is no actual closure, an “imperceptible overflow,” in Gewart’s words, “identification” of the colors Fis and Ges dur (5, p. 48). The concept of “circle” in relation to tonalities remains conditional. Fis and Ges major are different tonalities.

For vocalists, for example, flat tones are psychologically less difficult than sharp ones, which are harsh in color and require tension in sound production. For string players (violinists), the difference in the sound of these keys is due to the fingering (psycho-physiological factors), - “tight”, “compressed”, that is, with the hand approaching the nut in flats, and, on the contrary, with “stretching” in sharps .

Gevart’s major keys (contrary to his words) do not have that “correct gradualism” in changing colors. (The “cheerful” G major, the “brilliant” D and others do not fit into this series). Moreover, there is no gradualism in epithets, even in our minor keys, although the dependence of the color of the minor on the major of the same name naturally presupposes it (!!! the range of analyzed cyclic works would be too small; besides, the students did not and could not have 1st year of proper analysis skills for such work).

There are two main reasons for the inconclusiveness of the results of Gevart’s work (and ours too).

Firstly. It is very difficult to characterize in words the subtle, subtle emotional and colorful coloring of tonality, and in one word it is completely impossible

Secondly. We missed the factor of tonal symbolism in the formation of the expressive qualities of tonality (about this in Kurt 3, p. 281; in Grigoriev 2, pp. 337-339). Probably, cases of discrepancy between emotional characteristics and mode-functional relationships assumed in connection with T-D and T-S, facts of violation of the gradual increase and decrease of emotional expression are due precisely to tonal symbolism. It is a consequence of composers’ preference for certain tonalities to express certain emotional and figurative situations, and therefore stable semantics have been assigned to some tonalities. We are talking, for example, about B minor, which, starting with Bach (Mass hmoll), acquired the meaning of mournful, tragic; about the victorious D major, which appeared at the same time in figurative contrast to B minor, and others.

The factor of convenience of individual keys for instruments, such as wind instruments and strings, may have a certain significance here. For a violin, for example, these are the keys of open strings: G, D, A, E. They provide timbral richness of sound due to the resonance of open strings, but the main thing is the convenience of playing double notes and chords. Perhaps it was not without these reasons that the open timbre of D minor secured its significance as a tonality of serious, masculine sound, being chosen by Bach for the famous chaconne from the second partita for solo violin.

We conclude our story with the beautiful words expressed by Heinrich Neuhaus, words that have invariably supported us throughout our work on the topic:

“It seems to me that the tonalities in which these or those works are written are far from accidental, that they are historically substantiated, naturally developed, obeying hidden aesthetic laws, and acquired their own symbolism, their own meaning, their own expression, their own meaning, their own direction.”

(On the art of piano playing. M., 1961.p.220)

Music theory includes a huge variety of terminology. Tonality is a fundamental professional term. On this page you can find out what tonality is, how to determine it, what types there are, as well as interesting facts, exercises, and a way to change the tonality in a backing track.

Highlights

Imagine you decide to play a piece of music. You found the notes, and when analyzing the musical text, you noticed that after the key there are sharps or flats. We need to figure out what they mean. Key signs are alteration signs that remain throughout the entire performance of a musical composition. According to the rules, they are placed after the key, but before the size (See Figure No. 1), and are duplicated on each subsequent line. Key signs are necessary not only so as not to constantly write them down near the notes, which takes a lot of time, but also so that the musician can determine the key in which the piece is written.

Figure No. 1

The piano, like many other instruments, has a tempered tuning. In this system, the units of calculation can be taken as tone and semitone. By dividing into these units, each sound on the keyboard can form a tonality, either major or minor. This is how the modal formulas for major and minor were invented (See Figure 2).

Figure No. 2

It is by these formulas of the scale that you can build a tonality from any sound, either in major or minor. The sequential reproduction of notes according to these formulas is called a scale. Many musicians play scales in order to quickly navigate keys and key signs with them.

Tonality consists of two components: the name of the sound (for example, C) and the modal mood (major or minor). To build a scale, you need to select one of the sounds on the keyboard and play from it according to the formula, either major or minor.

Exercises for consolidation

1. Try playing a major scale from the sound “D”. Use the ratio of tones and semitones when playing. Check for correctness.
2. Try playing a minor scale from the sound "E". You must play according to the proposed formula.
3. Try playing scales from different sounds in different moods. First at a slow pace, then at a faster pace.

Varieties

Some tones may have a certain connection with each other. Then they can be included in the following classifications:

• Parallel tones. The peculiarity is the same number of key signs, but different modal inclination. In fact, the set of sounds is absolutely identical, the only difference is the tonic sound. For example, the keys C major and A minor are parallel, they have the same number of key signs, but different modal inclination and tonic sound. There is a parallel-variable mode, which is characterized by the fact that the work has two parallel tonalities, and their mode constantly changes, now to major, now to minor. This mode is typical for Russian folk music.
• The names of the same name have a common tonic sound, but at the same time different modal inclination and key signs. Example: D major (2 key marks), D minor (1 key sign).
• One-thirds have a common third (that is, the third sound in a triad); they are no longer united by the tonic, key signs, or mode. Typically, the one-third minor is located a minor second or semitone higher than the major. Accordingly, the one-third major in relation to the minor is located lower by a small second or semitone. An example is the tonalities of C major and C sharp minor; in the triads of these chords the sound “E” is the same.

Exercises for consolidation

Determine how the two tones relate to each other. Place the appropriate number next to the example:

1. Parallel
2. Same name
3. Single-faced

Questions:

• B-major and H-moll
• A-major and A-minor
• G-major and e-moll

Check your own knowledge.

Answers: 3, 2, 1.

Interesting facts

• As a musical term, it originated in the early 19th century. It was introduced by Alexandre Etienne Choron in his own writings.
• There is “color” hearing, which is characterized by the fact that a person associates a certain tonality with a specific color. The owners of this gift were Rimsky-Korsakov And Scriabin.
• In modern art there is atonal music, which does not take into account the principles of tonal stability.
• English terminology uses the following designation for parallel keys - relative keys. When literally translated, these are “related” or “related”. The same name is designated as parallel keys, which can be perceived as parallel. Often, when translating specific literature, translators make mistakes in this matter.
• The symbolism of classical music has assigned certain tonal meanings to certain keys. So Des-dur is true love, B-dur defines beautiful men, heroes, and e-moll is sorrow.

Key Chart

Sharp

Flat

How to determine the tonality of a piece

You can find out the main tonality for the composition using the plan below:

1. Look for key signs.
2. Find it in the table.
3. There can be two keys: major and minor. To determine which fret you need to look at what sound the piece ends with.

There are ways to simplify the search:

• For major in sharp keys: last sharp + m2 = name of the key. So, if the extreme key sign is C sharp, then it will be D major.
• For flat major keys: penultimate flat = desired key. So if there are three key signs, then the penultimate one will be E-flat - this will be the desired key.

You can use both standard methods and those given above. The main thing is to learn how to correctly determine the tonality and navigate it.

Exercises for consolidation

Determine the tonality by key signs.

Major

Minor

Answers: 1. D major 2. As major 3. C major

1. Cis minor 2. B minor 3. E minor

Circle of quarto-fifths

The quarto-fifth circle is a special diagrammatically presented information in which all keys are located at a distance of a perfect fifth clockwise, and at a distance of a perfect fourth counterclockwise.

Main triads in the key

Let's start with what a major and minor triad are and how they are built. Regardless of inclination, a triad is a chord consisting of three sounds, which are arranged in thirds. The major triad is designated as B 5 3, and consists of a major third and a minor. The minor triad is designated as M 5 3, and consists of a minor and major third.

Triads can be constructed from each note in a key.

The main triads in a key are those chords that indicate whether they are in a major or minor mood. On the first, fourth and fifth triads are built, corresponding to the modal inclination. That is, in major, major triads are built at these steps, and in minor, minor triads are built, respectively. The main triads for each stage have their own names or functions, as they are also called. So the tonic is located on the first stage, the subdominant on the fourth, and the dominant on the fifth. They are usually abbreviated as T, S and D.

Related keys

There is such a thing as tonal affinity. The greater the difference in signs, the further the relationship. Depending on the systems, there are 3 or 4 degrees. Let's consider the most popular system, which divides tones into 3 degrees of relationship.

Degree of relationship
Group
Sign difference
What keys	parallel	S, D and their parallels	S harmonics for major	Keys on b.2 ↓ and their parallels	Major Major– m2, m3, b3 ↓ and Minor ss harm. – on b2↓ and minor of the same name	Minor Minor– m2, m3, b3 ↓ and Major DD on b2 and major of the same name	For major uv1, uv2, uv4 and uv5, for minor the same intervals ↓.	Tritonanta and its parallel

First group divided into 3 categories:

1. This is a parallel tone. The difference in signs is 0. These keys are united by six common chords. Example: F major and D minor.
2. 4 keys. The difference between the main and final tonality is one sign. These are the tonalities of the subdominant and dominant, as well as parallel to S and D. Example, for the key of G major: S - C major, parallel S - A minor, D - D major, parallel D - B minor.
3. Considered only for major keys. A difference of 4 signs is a harmonic subdominant. Example for C major – the harmonic subdominant is F minor.

Second group kinship is divided into 2 subgroups:

1. 4 keys. The difference is two key signs. It is easy to find these keys from the main one; they are located a major second above and below + parallels to those found. Example: the main key is A major. Above and below the major second or tone of the key: B minor and G major. Parallels for the keys found: these are D major and E minor.
2. The difference of signs is from three to five. Finding the key will depend on whether the key is major or minor.

• Dur: 6 major and 2 minor: above and below on m2, m3 and b3; ss is harmonic, located on b2 below, as well as the minor of the same name. Example for G-dur: As-dur, B-dur, H-dur, Fis-dur, E-dur, Es-dur and f-moll and g-moll.
• Moll: 6 minor and 2 major: for minor second, minor third and b3 above and below; DD is a major second higher and the eponymous major.

Third group is divided into 2 groups:

1. 3 keys that do not have a single chord in common, the difference is 3-5 signs in the opposite direction. For a major, you need to find minors higher at the following intervals, and for a minor, majors at lv.1, lv.4 and lv.5 below.
2. Tritonanta and its parallel. The tritone is found from the original tonic, for C-dur - Fis-dur.

Depending on the degree of harmony, there are many methods of modulation.

How to change the key in backing tracks

It happens that the pitch is either too high for the voice or too low. In order for music to sound beautiful, it is necessary to use modern technologies and programs to make the backing track convenient, that is, to transpose it to the required interval lower or higher. Let's look at how to change the key in backing tracks or compositions. We will work in the Audacity program.

• Open the Audacity program

• Click on the “File” section. Select "Open..."

• Select the required audio recording
• Press CTRL+A to select the entire track.
• Click on the “Effects” section and select “Pitch Shift...”

• We set the number of semitones: when increasing, the value is above zero, when decreasing, the value is less than zero. You can choose a specific key.

• We save the result. Open the "File" section, select "Export Audio..."

We hope that the page was useful for reading and now you know what tonality is, understand their types and can transpose a piece of music using a special program. Read other articles on musical literacy and improve your own knowledge.

Let's find out today what tonality is. To impatient readers I say right away: key- this is the assignment of the position of a musical scale to musical tones of a certain pitch, binding to a specific section of the musical scale. Then don’t be too lazy to figure it out thoroughly.

Word " key"You've probably already heard, right? Singers sometimes complain about inconvenient tonality, asking to raise or lower the pitch of the song. Well, someone may have heard this word from car drivers who use the tonality to describe the sound of a running engine. Let's say we pick up speed, and we immediately feel that the engine noise becomes more piercing - it changes its tone. Finally, I’ll name something that each of you has certainly encountered - a conversation in a raised voice (the person simply started yelling, changed the “tone” of his speech, and everyone immediately felt the effect).

Now let's return to our definition. So, we call tonality musical scale pitch . What frets are and their structure is described in detail in the article. Let me remind you that the most common modes in music are major and minor; they consist of seven degrees, the main of which is the first (the so-called tonic).

Tonic and mode - two most important dimensions of tonality

You’ve got an idea of ​​what tonality is, now let’s move on to the components of tonality. For any key, two properties are decisive - its tonic and its mode. I recommend remembering the following point:

This rule can be correlated, for example, with the name of tonalities, which appear in this form: F major, A flat major, B minor, C sharp minor, etc.. That is, the name of the key reflects that one of the sounds has become the center, tonic (first step) of one of the modes (major or minor).

Key signs in keys

The choice of one or another key for recording a piece of music determines which signs will be displayed at the key. The appearance of key signs - sharps and flats - is due to the fact that, based on a given tonic, a scale grows, which regulates the distance between degrees (distance in semitones and tones) and which causes some degrees to decrease, while others, on the contrary, increase.

For comparison, I offer you 7 major and 7 minor keys, the main steps of which are taken as the tonic (on the white keys). Compare, for example, the tones C major and C minor how many characters are in D major and what are the key signs in in D minor etc.

So you see that the key signs in A major- these are three sharps (F, C and G), and in A minor no signs; E major– a key with four sharps (F, C, G and D), and in E minor only one sharp on the key. All this is because in minor, compared to major, low third, sixth and seventh degrees are a kind of indicators of the mode.

To remember what the key signs are in keys and never get confused by them, you need to master a couple of simple principles. Read more about this in the article. Read it and learn, for example, that sharps and flats in the key are not written haphazardly, but in a certain, easy-to-remember order, and also that this very order helps you instantly navigate the whole variety of tonalities...

Parallel and eponymous keys

It's time to find out what parallel tones are and what the same keys are. We have already encountered the keys of the same name, just when we were comparing major and minor keys.

Keys of the same name- these are tonalities in which the tonic is the same, but the mode is different. For example, B major and B minor, G major and G minor, etc.

Parallel keys- these are tonalities in which the same key signs, but different tonics. We also saw these: for example, the tonality C major without signs and A minor too, or G major with one sharp and E minor also with one sharp, in F major one flat (B) and B in D minor also one sign - B-flat.

The same and parallel keys always exist in the “major-minor” pair. For any of the keys, you can call the same name and parallel major or minor. Everything is clear with the names of the same name, but now we’ll deal with the parallel ones.

How to find a parallel key?

The tonic of the parallel minor is located on the sixth degree of the major scale, and the tonic of the major scale of the same name is on the third degree of the minor scale. For example, we are looking for a parallel tonality for E major: sixth stage in E major– note C sharp, which means the tonality is parallel E major – C sharp minor. Another example: looking for a parallel for F minor– we count three steps and get parallel A-flat major.

There is another way to find a parallel key. The rule applies: the tonic of the parallel key is a minor third down (if we are looking for a parallel minor), or a minor third up (if we are looking for a parallel major). What a third is, how to construct it and all other issues related to intervals are discussed in the article.

Let's sum it up

The article examined the questions: what is tonality, what are parallel and eponymous tonalities, what role do tonic and mode play, and how key signs appear in tonalities.

In conclusion, another interesting fact. There is one musical-psychological phenomenon - the so-called color hearing. What is color hearing? This is a form of absolute pitch where a person associates each key with a color. Composers N.A. had color hearing. Rimsky-Korsakov and A.N. Scriabin. Perhaps you too will discover this amazing ability in yourself.

I wish you success in your further study of music. Leave your questions in the comments. Now I suggest you relax a little and watch a video from the film “Rewriting Beethoven” with the brilliant music of the composer’s 9th symphony, the tonality of which, by the way, is already familiar to you D minor.

“Rewriting Beethoven” – Symphony No. 9 (amazing music)

Scale E minor– one of the most popular scales on the guitar. Songs written based on this scale give off a homely warmth and evoke a feeling of comfort and coziness. This is what the E minor scale looks like on the fretboard:

Sounds included in the E minor scale

Guitar Neck Diagram

Names of notes included in the E minor scale

The sounds included in the E minor scale obey the following sequence: Mi(E) – Fa#(F#) – Sol(G) – A(A) – Si(H) – Do(C) – Re(D)

Practical instructions for quickly memorizing and subdividing scales!

To play E minor scale throughout the entire neck of the guitar, it is recommended to divide the scale into separate pieces. Each of these pieces must include three notes, and these notes must be on the same string. This is the shortest way to memorize scales. Three-note fingering is ideal for developing your playing speed and practicing your technique.

Just below you will find E minor scale for guitar, presented in the form of seven small bar diagrams. Each of these diagrams shows you the fingering patterns for each of the three-note positions.

E minor scale, divided into positions. In each of these positions three notes are played on each string

Position No. 1	Position No. 2
Position No. 3	Position No. 4
Position No. 5	Position No. 6
Position No. 7

Major key parallel to E minor

Please note that G major – major parallel to the E minor scale. This means that the sounds that make up the E minor scale are identical to the sounds that make up the G major scale.