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harmonicminor

April 18, 2022 By Aron Bernstein 2 Comments

Weekly Music Challenge: 4/18/22

Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.

This Week’s Challenge:

Within the context of common practice music, the harmonic minor scale solves one problem but creates another. This week’s challenge is in three parts:

a) What problem does the harmonic minor scale solve?

b) What problem does it create?

c) How is this problem solved?

The red bracket is your clue!

Post your reply and come back Friday, April 22nd for the answer!

ANSWER for 4/18/22

a) Harmonic minor exists for––you guessed it––harmonic purposes. It solves the problem of a natural minor scale, from which you can only build a minor V chord. This makes the authentic cadence, which requires a major V chord, impossible. By raising the seventh note of the natural minor scale, this gives the scale a leading tone, which changes the V chord to a major triad, thus making a true V–I authentic cadence possible.

b) By raising that 7th note to create the harmonic minor scale, we leave a large “gap” between the 6th and 7th notes, an augmented 2nd. To 18th-Century composers and theorists, this interval was just a bit too awkward, too difficult to sing, and (as befitting a rather ethnocentric West-European mentality) too “exotic” for a diatonic scale.

c) To “correct” the problem and smooth out the scale, we add a third type of minor scale: melodic minor. Raise the 6th note a half-step, and we iron out that large augmented 2nd and make the scale easier to sing, with just half-steps and whole-steps to contend with.

Want to Learn More?

With Breaking Barlines you learn music theory the right way: fun, holistic, and with a personal touch! Have a look at the complete Breaking Barlines Course! Then sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. New lessons are always added, so stay tuned!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: breakingbarlines, classicalmusic, harmonicminor, harmony, music, musiceducation, musiclessons, musictheory, musicvideo, popmusic, scales

April 19, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 2 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge: 4/19/21

Show off your music theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question posted here every Monday, and you can comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

How do you spell the notes of a D Sharp Harmonic Minor Scale?

CHECK BACK on Friday, 4/23 for the answer!

ANSWER for 4/19/21

Like any diatonic scale, D sharp harmonic minor has seven consecutive letter names, none skipped and none repeated. The seventh note of D sharp natural minor, C sharp, is raised a half-step in harmonic minor. Keeping the same letter name, it must be called C double sharp.

Want to learn more?

Sign up for a membership and get full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys! Brush up on your scales and get some excellent video instruction in the Scales Module!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: harmonicminor, musictheory, scales

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