Diatonic modes and their application in Russian music. Major and minor scales

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Frame is one of the paramount concepts in Russian music, which has several meanings at once. Let's take a closer look.

Most often, the word refers to the major or minor scale. In addition, the so-called sound rows. This is also a musical concept. This is the name given to a series of consecutive sounds that are located in height and follow each other up or down. Each key individually is called a step.

Diatonic modes

Diatonic is a system of intervals, which consists of seven steps. All sounds in it can follow pure fifths. She is able to compose various modes, depending on the location of the foundations in the scale. This is a specific concept. Stabilization is a subjective name, a stable stage towards which an unstable one gravitates.

Diatonic modes used to be called church or folk. They consist of seven steps. In their structure, they are very similar to the natural major or minor. Therefore, they are also called natural.

But you should consider the following. The diatonic mode is independent and does not depend on the natural major or minor. The difference between themlies in the fact that another, not the 1st step becomes the tonic.

Diatonic modes are used in solfeggio (a discipline aimed at developing musical ear). This improves intonation and helps to feel and remember the features of each scale.

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There are such frets:

1. Ionian. Natural Major. Named after the Ionian tribe in ancient Greece. It belongs to the major mood group, just like Lydian and Mixolydian.
2. Phrygian. Minor with a lowered 2nd step. Comes from the historical region of Phrygia.
3. Aeolian. Natural Minor. The Aeolians are the main ancient Greek tribe. Previously, this scale was called Hypodorian.
4. Lydian. Major with raised 4th sound. It was named so in honor of the territory called Lydia, which was located next to Ancient Greece. Musicologists call it the lightest of the diatonic scales.
5. Dorian way. Minor with an elevated 4th step. Widely used in the Middle Ages and antiquity. The name comes from an ancient Greek tribe. The Dorian mode has a minor mood, as do the Aeolian and Phrygian.
6. Mixolydian. Major with reduced 7th sound. The name comes from the Lydian mode with a prefix that translates as "mixing". In the ancient Greek system, it was called Hypolydian (and also Hypophrygian).
7. Locrian. Natural minor with the 2nd and 5th steps lowered.

Diatonic modes in music

Seven-step scaleshave a variety of coloring sound and are extremely popular in folk music. Composers in their work use them to create a folk flavor and achieve a specific style of expressiveness that distinguishes diatonic modes from minor and major. For example, in the opera The Snow Maiden by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, as well as in M. Mussorgsky's operas Khovanshchina and Boris Godunov.

"The Song of the Gypsy" by P. Tchaikovsky vividly illustrates the harmonic colors of the Phrygian minor.

The diatonic modes of the minor mood helped create many beautiful examples of Russian music. Arrangements of folk songs, choral polyphonies, tunes are present in the masterpieces of world classics, the works of the greatest Russian composers: M. Glinka, A. Borodin, A. Dargomyzhsky, S. Taneyev and many others. Of course, the success of works does not directly depend on the use of diatonic modes. Only the composer's skillful ability to apply the basics of modal intonation and organically "weave" them into the music makes it unique.

Diatonics in Russian musical works is complex and multifaceted, based on an endless change of modes and a deep connection with the past.

Gammas

This is a series of consecutive sounds that go up or down within one or two octaves.

An octave is a gap between two keys with the same name (for example, from "re" - to "re"), which covers 8 sounds.

All scales are divided into two groups: majorand minor.

Major

Let's consider this concept in more detail. Major scales are built according to the following principle:

• two tones;
• semitone;
• three tones;
• halftone.

Harmonic - a major scale in which the 6th degree is lowered. For convenience, it is worth explaining in the form of intervals:

• tone;
• tone;
• semitone;
• tone;
• semitone;
• one and a half tones;
• halftone.

Melodic - in it the 6th and 7th steps are lowered. When the scale goes up, these sounds are lowered, and in the opposite direction, they are canceled, and the scale sounds in its natural form.

The C major (C major) scale is rightfully considered the easiest to play on the piano, since it does not contain signs at the key and consists only of white keys (in its natural form).

Minor

Consists of sequential order:

• tone;
• semitone;
• two tone;
• semitone;
• two tones.

Harmonic - the 7th step rises.

Melodic - the 6th and 7th steps rise. In it, the first 4 notes are in minor, and the next 4 in major.

The elementary minor scale for piano playing includes A minor (A moll).

Worth considering the following. There are chromatic scales that consist only of semitones.

Don't forget the following. Minor and major scales, in turn, are of two types:

1. Sharp. These are the keys that have a sharp in the key - a symbol that needs to be raised.sound by a semitone.
2. Smooth. Scales that have a flat key sign - a symbol that means lowering the sound by a semitone.

Let's consider why this is needed. Major and minor scales are used to develop the pianist's technique, improve hand coordination and finger fluency. Used as exercises, warm-up before the game. With constant practice, they increase muscle endurance.

Divergent scales play for the same purpose: after ascending, the hands diverge, and then reconnect and go down together. This complicates the exercise and prolongs it.