How to use the Melodic Minor?

R

readytowok

New member
I do not understand how to put notes in the sequencer, because we have 9 notes to use(natural minor + 2 sharps).
QUOTE: " In the melodic minor scale, both the sixth and the seventh notes of the natural minor are raised by a semitone each when ascending up the scale, but when descending the scale, it returns to using the natural minor scale."

Thank you for reply
 
Edited because I can't delete the reply. The OP hasn't come bakc to tell us exactly what he's doing or equipment he is using.
 
Last edited:
Understand your dilemma. The key changes depending on the direction of the scale. Love melodic. It's got a great sound. Anyway, one of two things. Easiest would be to score the music or flip flop the sequencers.
Automation between two sequencers. One on for ascending, the other for descending and automate between the two. You will have your ascending melodic and your descending natural. Then automate the Bypass or whatever to turn one on and the other off to differentiate.
If you can just score what you want to play and skip the sequencers, that would be a lot easier. If you're using some random generator to "riff" you'll be automating.
 
I know it doesn't help but a lot
of composers have abandoned this theory all together and simply play it the same ascending/descending. I think its a lot like serialism and just paints you into a rough corner. I mean really the melodic minor has more in common with the maj scale than the minor. I'm no expert but explaining it as "raising the 6th and 7ths" as opposed to just sayin "play Cmaj but lower the 3rd" is just confusing. But then again i can't tell ya the difference between 12/8 and 6/8...(from a theoritical point of veiw yes but practical pov no) I'm probably the last person you should listen to about music theory just ranting...
 
Just thought to add that the melodic minor is still a 7-note scale, it's the same as the natural minor (aeolian) with the 6th and 7th notes played sharp, not adding those sharpened notes to the existing seven to get a 9-note scale. Or as David Cooke said its probably simpler to look at it as a major scale (ionian) with a flat 3rd, again substituted not added. The classical convention was to revert to the natural minor descending, but in most modern theory Melodic Minor describes this scale with the flat 3 minor quality, either ascending or descending. At the risk of sounding obvious, use it when it's harmonically appropriate to the chord structure of your song, which is a pretty subjective thing. I'll add that i'm no music theory master either, and probably just ranting too.
 
Let's look at a specific example. We'll use pitch correction. Some pitch correction either allows 12 notes (chromatic scale) or up to seven. Reason allows you to add/subtract at will on the 12 tone, so it would not be a problem. But if you were limited to seven notes in the scale, you would have to choose a major with flatted third (melodic) or aeolian, but could not use both. Even if you could use both, you'd have semitones from 5th through root. at which point, you may as well use chromatic. And that of course is the real answer here. You would use chromatic and try to get close enough on 5th through root notes for the correction to apply correctly (correct correction :)) :cool:
OTOH, if you are sequencing notes and are limited to seven in your sequencer? :confused: I've never heard of that limitation on a sequencer. But if you did, you'd have to get really jiggy wid it (awesome use of technical terms).
But this is kind of what I thought the original post was about--automated riff generator running only a seven note scale. Thus my suggestions. I don't think wok has a problem with the theory, but with the application of the theory.
 
With a good 'listening' knowledge of a wide variety of music, you probably already have heard all the modes. When you are experimenting with harmony and melody you have a set of rules to follow - as you're doing, but when something makes you cringe - you probably broke a rule. Although sometimes you can't quite work it out. There's also the problem of everything having multiple descriptions, so Am being used as a key, when it's really C - so one type of scale is another one anyway. In my music I seem to rather like Major7th's and minor7th's. However these also have different names too, so Dm7 becomes F6, and all the chords can be morphed into new ones. moving one note in a chord often does really nice things. Playing a melody over these chords gives you one of the Greek 'names' - but do you actually need to know this name? I'm not really sure it matters.

when you study music theory, very often it just makes the links between what you did musically and why it worked. My friend plays all the modes as practice, and very often when you hear one, you immediately think of a song that used it. I like those really bizarre complex jazz chords you often see in the books, but when you look at it, the chord is almost something much simpler, but the one extra note turns it into some really weird.
 
It's like any other school. You learn a lingo. Anyone can know how to do IT, but there is a language that you learn so that you can actually "master" the craft. The use of the names helps, but is not important to actually "doing". Music, art, sculpture all have "theory" monikers that help you remember how things work, but really anyone can paint (or sculpt or sing or play drums). It's just a matter of how well.

That said, there's no correlation between good artists and college trained artists. Many great artists (music/art/whatever) have been classically trained, but just as many have been self-taught. :D
 
Oh lawd lets not
Go this route were all brainwashed into using certain diatonic scales/common time anyways. That breaks down even further with pentatonic scales. Most cats hear the word pentatonic and only think of maj/min pentatonic. Not many dive into different pentatonic scales. Its just conditioning like mc Donald's and taco bell shit doesn't taste good we're just used to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top