Building Blocks: What's A Scale?

[@balloonman8796]

This video is exactly what I look for when researching: It's short. It's sweet. It's informative.

[@adonaiyah2196]

That sounds like a euphemism

[@MatEnAlks]

I love how we discuss obscure topics in some videos e.g. serialism, enigmatic scales or chords inspired by the Chopin chord like Prometheus one and then I switch to building blocks and understand things that weren't clear to me. I started learning music theory maybe 3 months ago (I haven't had any musical education before sadly) so I'm grabbing everything I can and this channel is a perfect channel for me, because I can be both ambitious and humble, you provide both elemental teaching and things that cause some people to be forever outsiders or mad scientists in music. Thank you 12tone so much. Even though I understand and remember minor and major scale, only now I can see that there is a way and point in calling intervals major/minor. They create basic scales for European music! I feel dumb but also blessed. Thank you so much.

[@12tone]

Thanks! Yeah, that's definitely been a goal of mine with Building Blocks, trying to include some things that might be helpful even if you already know about the subject. And I have to say, it's really impressive that you've only been studying for 3 months and can already hold your own in discussions about things like the Enigmatic Scale! Not many people 3 months into a music education would have much to say on something that advanced.

[@KlareAudio]

This channel is amazing! I wish you had more subscribers! This is one of the best music channels I've found. Good job! I was watching the video about dominant functions and I came to the conclusion that you've never done a video on cadences! Looking at how you keep asking us to request topics, cadences are something I'd love to see a video about. Asking questions is easy, but finding a good answer is an art in itself!

[@12tone]

Thanks! We actually did do a video about cadences here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6famHSqqaZrZq8 although it's a little old now, and they're definitely on the list of things we'd like to revisit with this Building Blocks series!

[@scottgray4623]

0:12 "In practice, most songs don't really use all twelve notes; you can if you want to, but it tends to sound chaotic and weird." J.S. Bach: "Hold my beer." Stravinsky: "Hold my absinthe." 😁😁😁

[@sanjaliroy1563]

You’re amazing!! I love these videos! Despite being in choir I’m learning so much

[@Khae.]

Loving the channel! I do have a question though, what's modality? It's a phrase I've heard a lot lately, but I can't really make sense of it.

[@12tone]

The best way to think of modality is as the difference in feeling between major and minor. It's the tone color that a certain scale provides. (Some people describe it emotionally. I tend to avoid that because emotions are subjective and sound is flexible, but if thinking of it as happy vs. sad helps, that's a fairly common technique too.) Generally, modality is most strongly defined by the 3rd degree of the scale, which is responsible for determining the quality of the scale's tonic triad. (A fancy name for a chord built from the root of the scale.) If the third is major, the scale will likely sound fairly bright and consonant, while a minor third gives you a darker, more brooding scale. The second most important note is probably the 6th, which provides color and decoration. It gets more complicated when you're dealing with more advanced scales, but the basic idea remains the same no matter what. Thanks for asking!

[@Khae.]

Awesome, thanks for the response!

[@yumnaapta]

Superb video!

[@whiskymylove]

I've watching you for a while now and just realized your left handed. I feel dumb

[@SnoMan1818]

what is the significance for labeling a major scale as M1, M2 , M3, Perfect 4, Perfect 5, M6, M7 and minor scale as m1, M2, m3, P4, P5, m6, m7??? could you maybe elaborate or give some more context to how this may be useful knowledge??

[@mafalda9812]

Dennis P. want to know too

[@easternhills1329]

If anyone's confused by the labeling, it's mentioned in the video Major scale has the "root" note (starting) and then all the major intervals (major 2nd, major 3rd, major 6th and major 7th) + the perfect intervals Major intervals denoted by "M" Perfect intervals denoted by "P" minor intervals denoted by "m" So your minor scale will be: root note (m1), major 2nd (M2), minor 3rd (m3), perfect 4th (P4), perfect 5th (P5), minor 6th (m6), minor 7th (m7).

[@nahblue]

Great video but a bit too fast

[@godnotavailable2094]

If you were to take the minor scale and drop the major 2nd down by a half step to create a minor 2nd, would you have the Phrygian scale?

[@user-sc8co1xp7k]

Yes. That's if the minor you're working with is a natural minor (Aeolian). Aeolian and Phrygian are already related modes, the 6th and 3rd of a major scale respectively (In 12-TET at least). The only difference between them is the first interval: Major 2nd for Aeolian, and minor 2nd for phyrygian. On the other hand, If you drop the major 2nd of a Harmonic minor scale a half step, you get phrygian dominant with its raised major 7th. I don't really understand why he called the minor 2nd gross....Phrygian is the most beautiful scale...Well, to my mediterranean ears at least.

[@FiredrygonXIII]

Amazing video, I was just wondering if diminished and augmented scales exists as well?

[@alexr3912]

Not in the same way that major or minor scales exist. There are augmented and diminished scales, though neither are even 7 note scales like major or minor. The diminished scale is octatonic, and the augmented scale is hexatonic.

[@tetsusiega2]

Learning music from the outside is so frustrating because there is concepts I understand and concepts I don’t. What makes something major? What makes something minor? How do you know what a second/third/fourth/fifth is? What is a degree? I’ve been playing guitar and bass for years, but have only learned from tabs and the like…I really want to understand this

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

I have watched all of your Building Blocks videos and tried to take in as much as I could. This was the one where I began to quickly lose the thread for the series and Western music theory in general. I can understand notes and ratios, I recognize that some combinations can sound more consonant or dissonant. What seems impenetrable is how these then become functions and expectations based upon... something. Suddenly you are jumping around describing concepts like rest, collapse, home, resolution as if they are completely obvious. I guess that they must seem generally meaningful, because every music theory book I have ever seen does the same thing. But I can't take it for granted as convention, because since it doesn't mean anything to me, I can't use it in any significant way. I discovered the channel because I was looking for videos about serial music, and I enjoyed those quite a bit. But after decades, I still don't understand why anybody would expect any pitch or group of pitches to follow another.

[@bijitsonowal3359]

very ver good please upload more stuff like this :)

[@colinpadilla4625]

You sir are amazing

[@progbean]

the third and seventh define tonality

[@c0mpuipf]

what is a major interval?

[@Seanitzel]

Thanks!

[@anonymouskitten4715]

Me relating this to conlanging “so it’s like a phonetic inventory”

[@michellet1730]

I am going to audition for a trumpet quartet and I'm required to play the 12 major scales and I am not sure which scales those are, can you tell me thank you. Awesome vids by the way🎺⚡️

[@12tone]

Good question! So, those would be the major scale starting on each of the 12 different notes. So, like, C major would be C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, and then Db major would be the same pattern but with everything a half step higher, so Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-C-Db, then D major would be D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D, and so on. Just keep taking all the notes up a half-step. Hope that helps!

[@michellet1730]

12tone Thank you!

[@jdavis6650]

Thanks for your contribution to music.education, and I'm hoping your aim was true. But I'm guessing this one was made without enough prep.

[@aidenhayward1]

CADENCES VIDEO?