Jazz scale

Last updated July 11, 2023

One chord-scale option for an augmented dominant seventh chord (+7th) is the whole tone scale.^[1]

A jazz scale is any musical scale used in jazz. Many "jazz scales" are common scales drawn from Western European classical music, including the diatonic, whole-tone, octatonic (or diminished), and the modes of the ascending melodic minor. All of these scales were commonly used by late nineteenth and early twentieth-century composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, often in ways that directly anticipate jazz practice.^[2] Some jazz scales, such as the bebop scales, add additional chromatic passing tones to the familiar diatonic scales.

Theory

Four scales compatible with G^7♭5

One important feature of jazz is what theorists call "the principles of chord-scale compatibility": the idea that a sequence of chords will generate a sequence of compatible scales. In classical major-mode harmony, chords typically belong to the same scale. For example, a ii–V–I progression in C major will typically use only the notes of the C diatonic collection. In jazz, a four-chord progression may use four different scales, often as the result of chordal alterations.

For instance, in C major, a jazz musician may alter the V chord, G⁷ (G–B–D–F), with a flattened fifth, producing the chord G^7♭5 (G–B–D♭–F). An improviser might then choose a scale containing these four notes, such as the G whole tone scale, the G octatonic scale, or a mode of either D or A♭ melodic minor ascending. In each case, the scale contains the chord tones G–B–D♭–F and is said to be compatible with it. This notion of "chord scale compatibility" marks a fundamental difference between jazz harmony and traditional classical practice.

An avoid note is a note in a jazz scale that is considered, in jazz theory and practice, too dissonant to be played against the underlying chord, and so is either avoided or chromatically altered.^[3] For example, in major-key harmony the 4th, and thus the 11th, is an avoid note and is therefore either treated as a passing tone or is augmented (raised a semitone).^[4] Avoid notes are often a minor second (or a minor ninth) above a chord tone^[5] or a perfect fourth above the root of the chord.^[6]

[One] can get a good sense of the difference between classical and non-classical harmony from looking at how they deal with dissonances. Classical treats all notes that don't belong to the chord (i.e., the triad) as potential dissonances to be resolved. ... Non-classical harmony just tells you which note in the scale to avoid ["what is sometimes called an avoid-note"] (because it's really dissonant), meaning that all the others are okay.^[6]

Modes of the major scale

The number of scales available to improvising musicians continues to expand. As modern techniques and musical constructions appear, jazz players find the ones they can put into compositions or use as material for melodic exploration. Prominent examples are the seven modes of the diatonic major scale and added-note scales.

Modes of the major scale
Mode	Name	Scale on C	Associated chord^[7]
I	Ionian	C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C	C^maj7 (9, 13)
II	Dorian	C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B♭–C	Cm⁶ or Cm⁷ (9, 11, 13)
III	Phrygian	C–D♭–E♭–F–G–A♭–B♭–C	C^7sus (♭9)
IV	Lydian	C–D–E–F♯–G–A–B–C	C^maj7♯11 (9, 13)
V	Mixolydian	C–D–E–F–G–A–B♭–C	C⁷ (9, 13)
VI	Aeolian	C–D–E♭–F–G–A♭–B♭–C	Cm⁷ (9, 11)
VII	Locrian	C–D♭–E♭–F–G♭–A♭–B♭–C	Cm^7♭5 or C^ø⁷ (11, ♭13)

Compare each of the modes to the major scale for clues as to the subtle differences between them. Ionian is based on the 1st degree of the major scale, Dorian on the 2nd, Phrygian on the 3rd, etc.

Modes of the C major scale (White-note scales)
Name	Scale	Associated chord^{[ citation needed ]}
C Ionian	C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C	C^maj7 (9, 13)
D Dorian	D–E–F–G–A–B–C–D	Dm⁶ or Dm⁷ (9, 11, 13)
E Phrygian	E–F–G–A–B–C–D–E	Em⁷ (♭9)
F Lydian	F–G–A–B–C–D–E–F	F^maj7♯11 (9, 13)
G Mixolydian	G–A–B–C–D–E–F–G	G⁷ (9, 13)
A Aeolian	A–B–C–D–E–F–G–A	Am⁷ (9, 11)
B Locrian	B–C–D–E–F–G–A–B	Bm^7♭5 or B^ø⁷ (11, ♭13)

Bebop scales

Bebop scales add a single chromatic passing tone to the seven-note major scale (Ionian and Mixolydian modes). The added passing tone creates an eight-note scale that fits rhythmically evenly within a ⁴
₄ measure of 8 eighth notes, thus making it useful in practicing. When an eighth note bebop scale run starts on the beat from a chord tone (i.e. the root, third, fifth or seventh) the other chord notes will also fall on the beat. As a result, all of the nonchord tones will fall on upbeats.

There are two commonly used types of bebop scale:

The dominant bebop scale, which adds a chromatic passing tone between the 7th and the root.
The major bebop scale, which adds a chromatic passing tone between the 5th and 6th notes.

Modes of the melodic minor scale

The ascending melodic minor scale built on A

A great deal of modern jazz harmony arises from the modes of the ascending form of the melodic minor scale, also known as the jazz melodic minor scale.^[8] This scale is essentially a diatonic major scale with a lowered third, for example C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B–C. As with any other scale, the modes are derived from playing the scale from different root notes, causing a series of jazz scales to emerge.^[8]

Modes of the ascending melodic minor scale on C
Mode	Name	Scale on C	Associated chords^{[ citation needed ]}
I	Ascending melodic minor	C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B	Cm^maj7 (9, 11, 13) or Cm⁶ chords (functions as i minor)
II	Dorian ♭2 or Phrygian ♯6	C–D♭–E♭–F–G–A–B♭	C^7sus (♭9, ♯9, 13) chord, with ♭2 as a non-chord tone producing a minor ninth
III	Lydian augmented	C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A–B	C^maj7♯5 (9, ♯11) chord (functions as a III+)
IV	Acoustic scale, Lydian dominant, Mixolydian ♯4, or Overtone	C–D–E–F♯–G–A–B♭	C⁷ (9, ♯11, 13) chord (functions as a dominant, secondary, or substitute dominant)
V	Aeolian dominant, Mixolydian ♭6, Descending melodic major, or Hindu	C–D–E–F–G–A♭–B♭	C⁷ (9, ♭13) chord (functions as a dominant with ♭13 as a non-chord tone or the fifth avoided in the chord voicing as they produce a minor ninth)
VI	Half-diminished, Locrian ♯2, or Aeolian ♭5	C–D–E♭–F–G♭–A♭–B♭	Cm^7♭5 (9, 11, ♭13) (functions as a ii chord in the fifth mode of melodic minor)
VII	Altered scale, Super Locrian, or Altered dominant scale	C–D♭–E♭–F♭–G♭–A♭–B♭	C⁷ (♭9 or ♯9, ♯11, ♭13) chord (functions as a dominant with the fifth of the chord replaced by ♯11 or ♭13, may also be used to harmonize a vii^ø chord in melodic minor)

Mode	Name	Scale	Associated chords^{[ citation needed ]}
I	Ascending melodic minor	C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B	Cm^maj7 (9, 11, 13) or C minor 6 chords The B note (as maj7 note) distinguishes C dorian and C ascending melodic minor.
II	Phrygian ♯6 or Dorian ♭2	D–E♭–F–G–A–B–C	D^7sus (♭9, ♯9, 13) chord, with ♭2 as a non-chord tone producing a minor ninth. B note brings Dorian taste on a normal D phrygian.
III	Lydian augmented	E♭–F–G–A–B–C–D	E♭^maj7♯5 (9, ♯11) chord (functions as a III+). E♭ chord usually acts as the IV chord in the parent of C dorian (B♭ ionian)
IV	Lydian dominant	F–G–A–B–C–D–E♭	F⁷ (9, ♯11, 13) chord (functions as a dominant, secondary, or substitute dominant). The dominant function is held by F⁷ in C Dorian (or B♭ Ionian)
V	Mixolydian ♭6	G–A–B–C–D–E♭–F	G⁷ (9, ♭13) chord (functions as a dominant). Thanks to B♮ (major third) rather than B♭, the likely G Aeolian now has the dominant function as what G is expected in C Sorian (as V⁷). This is one of rare cases when the VI chord (in B♭ Ionian, as the parent of C Dorian scale) are major/dominant rather than normal minor.
VI	Half diminished	A–B–C–D–E♭–F–G	Am^7♭5 (9, 11, ♭13) (functions as a ii chord in the fifth mode of melodic minor).
VII	Super Locrian or altered scale	B–C–D–E♭–F–G–A	B⁷ (♭9 or ♯9, ♯11, ♭13) chord (functions as a dominant with the fifth of the chord replaced by ♯11 or ♭13, may also be used to harmonize a vii^ø chord in melodic minor). This scale is the same as B♭ Ionian (as the VII scale of I (C) dorian), but the root itself raised a half-step to B♮.

Diminished scale

The three octatonic scales

Sometimes called the octatonic scale because it contains eight tones, the diminished scale is composed of a series of alternating half and whole steps. There are two types of diminished scales, one starts with a half step and the other starts with a whole step. The two scales are modes of one another.

Because of the repetition of the interval pattern after only two notes, each note in the scale can be the root in another symmetric diminished scale. For example, the C diminished scale of the half-step-first type, has the same notes as the half-step-first E♭ diminished scale as well as the whole-step-first D♭ diminished scale. All three are composed of the same eight pitches: C–D♭–E♭–E♮–F♯–G–A–B♭–C.

Because of the symmetry of the diminished scale, there are only three distinct diminished scales (shown to the right). The others are all modes of these three.

Whole tone scale

The whole tone scale built on C

The whole tone scale, consisting exclusively of whole steps, is often used on V^7♯5 chords.

Pentatonic scales

The white-note major and minor pentatonic scales

Two pentatonic scales common to jazz are the major pentatonic scale and the minor pentatonic scale. They are both modes of one another.

The major pentatonic scale begins with a major scale and omits the fourth and the seventh scale degrees. The minor pentatonic scale uses the same notes as the major pentatonic scale, but begins on the sixth scale degree of the corresponding major scale. In this nomenclature, minor is employed in the sense of relative key, as the diatonic A minor scale is the relative minor of the diatonic C major scale.

Jazz improvisers, particularly bassist and guitarist, use these scales in a number of interesting ways. For example, over B♭maj^7♯11, one can use a major pentatonic based on the 2nd scale degree of B♭ (C–D–E–G–A) to imply 9–3–♯11–13–7, respectively. Similarly, over a fully altered F♯⁷ chord, one can use the same major pentatonic, this time based on the tritone (C–D–E–G–A) to imply ♭5–♭13–♭7–♭9–♯9, respectively.

Blues scale

Two types of blues scales

The term blues scale refers to several different scales with differing numbers of pitches and related characteristics. The six-note blues scale consists of the minor pentatonic scale plus a chromatic passing tone between the 4 and 5. This added note can be spelled as either ♭5 or ♯4. Guitarists often mix the major and minor pentatonics together along with the blues scale.

Another common blues scale has nine notes (shown to the right). Winthrop Sargeant defines this scale as "a definite series of tones within an octave used as the basis of a musical composition," compiled instead from multiple compositions and improvisations (according to Stearns: "a great many jazz records") and is hypothesized as displaying the influence of African music.^[9] The E♭ and B♭ are blue notes.^[10]

Harmonic minor scale

The harmonic minor scale built on A

The harmonic minor scale is also of value to many improvisors, as it provides an alternative color for many common chords and chord progressions. The A harmonic minor scale can be used on the chords of a piece in A minor, especially on the minor ii–V–i chord progression.

One of the most common uses of the harmonic minor scale is its fifth mode, which is a frequently heard sound over dominant chords.

Altered dominant scale

The altered dominant scale built on C

The altered dominant scale, also loosely called the altered scale, is so named because all the scale members that can be altered relative to the basic dominant scale (the Mixolydian mode), without losing the dominant quality, are altered. The scale includes both altered fifths (♭5 and ♯5) and both altered ninths (♭9 and ♯9).

Starting on G, it contains the notes: G, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭ and F.
Starting on C, it contains the notes: C, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭.

The altered fifths coincide enharmonically with the ♯11 and the ♭13 which would also be considered altered relative to their Mixolydian forms. The tonic, major third (as a diminished fourth), and dominant seventh are retained as essential to the dominant quality.

The scale can also be understood as a mode of the ascending melodic minor scale starting from the 7th scale degree. For a C⁷ chord, the C♯ melodic minor scale starting from B♯ (C enharmonically) produces the C altered dominant scale enharmonically.

This scale is also called the super-Locrian scale, as it is indeed reminiscent of a Locrian scale with a ♭4, but it is usually regarded as that of major quality. Another name for this scale is the diminished whole-tone scale because the first tetrachord is that of a diminished scale and the second tetrachord is whole-tone.

Related Research Articles

In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale.

In music theory, a leading-tone is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively. Typically, the leading tone refers to the seventh scale degree of a major scale, a major seventh above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the leading-tone is sung as ti.

An altered chord is a chord that replaces one or more notes from the diatonic scale with a neighboring pitch from the chromatic scale. By the broadest definition, any chord with a non-diatonic chord tone is an altered chord. The simplest example of altered chords is the use of borrowed chords, chords borrowed from the parallel key, and the most common is the use of secondary dominants. As Alfred Blatter explains, "An altered chord occurs when one of the standard, functional chords is given another quality by the modification of one or more components of the chord."

An octatonic scale is any eight-note musical scale. However, the term most often refers to the symmetric scale composed of alternating whole and half steps, as shown at right. In classical theory, this symmetrical scale is commonly called the octatonic scale, although there are a total of 43 enharmonically non-equivalent, transpositionally non-equivalent eight-note sets.

In jazz, the altered scale, altered dominant scale, or Super Locrian scale is a seven-note scale that is a dominant scale where all non-essential tones have been altered. This means that it comprises the three irreducibly essential tones that define a dominant seventh chord, which are root, major third, and minor seventh and that all other chord tones have been altered. These are:

In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. Chord progressions are the foundation of popular music styles, traditional music, as well as genres such as blues and jazz. In these genres, chord progressions are the defining feature on which melody and rhythm are built.

A chord, in music, is any harmonic set of pitches/frequencies consisting of multiple notes that are heard as if sounding simultaneously. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and other types of broken chords may also be considered as chords in the right musical context.

Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. In simple terms, within each octave, diatonic music uses only seven different notes, rather than the twelve available on a standard piano keyboard. Music is chromatic when it uses more than just these seven notes.

Modes of limited transposition are musical modes or scales that fulfill specific criteria relating to their symmetry and the repetition of their interval groups. These scales may be transposed to all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, but at least two of these transpositions must result in the same pitch classes, thus their transpositions are "limited". They were compiled by the French composer Olivier Messiaen, and published in his book La technique de mon langage musical.

A heptatonic scale is a musical scale that has seven pitches, or tones, per octave. Examples include the major scale or minor scale; e.g., in C major: C D E F G A B C—and in the relative minor, A minor, natural minor: A B C D E F G A; the melodic minor scale, A B C D E F♯G♯A ascending, A G F E D C B A descending; the harmonic minor scale, A B C D E F G♯A; and a scale variously known as the Byzantine, and Hungarian, scale, C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B C. Indian classical theory postulates seventy-two seven-tone scale types, collectively called melakarta or thaat, whereas others postulate twelve or ten seven-tone scale types.

In music theory, the harmonic major scale is a musical scale found in some music from the common practice era and now used occasionally, most often in jazz. In George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept it is the fifth mode (V) of the Lydian Diminished scale. It corresponds to the Raga Sarasangi in Indian Carnatic music.

Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of Western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and minor scales as a basis for chordal construction. In jazz, chords are often arranged vertically in major or minor thirds, although stacked fourths are also quite common. Also, jazz music tends to favor certain harmonic progressions and includes the addition of tensions, intervals such as 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths to chords. Additionally, scales unique to style are used as the basis of many harmonic elements found in jazz. Jazz harmony is notable for the use of seventh chords as the basic harmonic unit more often than triads, as in classical music. In the words of Robert Rawlins and Nor Eddine Bahha, "7th chords provide the building blocks of jazz harmony."

In music, the acoustic scale, overtone scale, Lydian dominant scale, or the Mixolydian ♯4 scale is a seven-note synthetic scale. It is the fourth mode of the ascending melodic minor scale.

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. For example, the half-diminished seventh chord built on C, commonly written as Cm7(♭5), or C^ø⁷, has pitches C–E♭–G♭–B♭:

In music, the major Locrian scale, also called the Locrian major scale, is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third notes of the diatonic Locrian mode. With a tonic of C, it consists of the notes C D E F G♭ A♭ B♭. It can be described as a whole tone scale extending from G♭ to E, with F introduced within the diminished third interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the Locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.

Bebop scale is a term referring to the practice of adding a note to any common seven tone scale in order to make it an eight tone scale. Having eight notes enables the primary chord tones to continuously fall on the strong beats (downbeats) of the rhythm when the scale is played sequentially. This is unlike common seven note scales in which the chord tones do not all naturally fall on the downbeats due to an odd number of notes. These bebop scales are frequently used in jazz improvisation. Jazz educator David Baker nicknamed these scales the 'bebop scales' because they were used often by jazz artists from the Bebop Era. These artists include Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few.

Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance of jazz music. It is one of the defining elements of jazz. Improvisation is composing on the spot, when a singer or instrumentalist invents melodies and lines over a chord progression played by rhythm section instruments and accompanied by drums. Although blues, rock, and other genres use improvisation, it is done over relatively simple chord progressions which often remain in one key.

Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, especially when applied to contrasting features of the common practice music of the period 1600–1900.

The chord-scale system is a method of matching, from a list of possible chords, a list of possible scales. The system has been widely used since the 1970s.

The jazz minor scale or ascending melodic minor scale is a derivative of the melodic minor scale, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in jazz. It may be derived from the major scale with a minor third, making it a synthetic scale, and features a dominant seventh chord on the fifth degree (V) like the harmonic minor scale. It can also be derived from the diatonic Dorian mode with a major seventh.

References

↑ Hatfield, Ken (2005). Jazz and the Classical Guitar Theory and Applications, p. 121. ISBN 0-7866-7236-6.
↑ Tymoczko, Dmitri (1997). "The Consecutive-Semitone Constraint on Scalar Structure: A Link Between Impressionism and Jazz", Integral 11:135–79.
↑ Humphries, Carl (2002). The Piano Handbook. Backbeat. p. 262. ISBN 0-87930-727-7.
↑ Humphries (2002), p. 128.
↑ Nettles, Barrie (1987). Harmony 1. Berklee College of Music. p. 34.^{[ full citation needed ]}
1 2 Humphries (2002), p. 126.
↑ "Jazz Modes Chart". www.apassion4jazz.net. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
1 2 Baerman, Noah (1998). Complete Jazz Keyboard Method: Mastering Jazz Keyboard, p. 34. ISBN 0-88284-913-1.
↑ Sargeant, Winthrop (1946). Jazz: Hot and Hybrid. New York, Dutton. Cited in Marshall Winslow Stearns (1970). The Story of Jazz, ^{[ full citation needed ]} p. 278. ISBN 0-19-501269-0.
↑ Metfessel, Milton, cited in Stearns (1970), p. 278.