Quote:
Originally Posted by Fong
I put it like this Monk, because I don't seem to be getting the point across very well. Mainly due to only wanting to make short comments.
A great way of explaining this is the melodic minor scale.
When going down the scale you use an unsharpened 6th and 7th, but when going up, you sharpen the 6th and 7th.
Chords have nothing to do with this, the Minor chords do not sharpen the 7th.
The only reason they are sharpened is because Musically when playing melodies it 'sounds' better.
Again, the theory is adapted to what we do naturally. Not the other way around. The theory fits what sounds good, not mathematically what is correct, because if we did that, the Melodic Minor scale would not sharpen the 6th AND 7th notes while ascending.
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The Melodic Minor scale was developed for the ease of singers. Melodies composed from the Harmonic Minor scale were awkward to sing due to the minor third leap from 6 to 7 ascending and descending. However, while singers found the ascending melodic minor easy to sing, descending downward proved problematic and the more easily sung natural minor was used when descending. Later this "rule" was adopted by the composers of instrumental music.
This rule is disregarded in modern improvising and the scale is practiced the same ascending and descending.
The Harmonic Minor scale was devised specifically to provide a major third for the Dominant chord which was a minor chord when harmonized from the Natural Minor.
Theory is not adapted to what sounds good or natural. Theory explains how music works.
Regards,
Monk