The diminished (whole/half) scale is usually viewed as a series of consecutive whole steps and half steps:
A diminished whole/half scale = A, B, C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab
Playing the diminished scale in this manner usually yields mechanical patterns and sequential licks.
If we look closely at the first 4 notes of the A diminished scale we'll notice that they spell out the first 4 notes of an A minor scale, namely A, B, C, D.
The next 4 notes, Eb, F, Gb, Ab spell out the first 4 notes of an Eb minor scale.
Using Barry Greene's concept, a diminished (whole/half) is made up of 2 partial minor scales a b5 apart! Which should make for more melodic lines when playing diminished ideas.
Note #1: The whole/half diminished scale is used to improvise over diminished chords.
Note #2: Over dominant 7th chords resolving to a 4th above, eg. G7 to C, play the half/whole diminished scale. Or use the Barry Greene concept and play your partial minor scales a half step higher than the dominant chord you're playing over. Eg. for G7 think Abm/Dm partial scales.
Pretty useful stuff.
I think these partial scales are also known as tetrachords
ReplyDeletefor example, a scale with tones A B C D, or rather, a set of notes arranged in this manner - ie. whole step half step whole step, would be known as a dorian tetrachord. If you put two dorian tetrachords together, you get a dorian scale. if you put a dorian tetrachord followed by a phrygian tetrachord, you get an aeolian mode, or natural minor scale.
You're right. But this is more of an exercise in how to see the diminished scale from a different, hopefully more melodic viewpoint rather than WHWHWHWH or HWHWHWHW.
ReplyDeleteYeah i guess it's much more practical for a guitar player if he actually wants to play those things, the tetrachord thing is more useful for writing though when it comes down to pen and paper.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, 5 years ago, when I was studying for my O levels in SJI, I saw you jamming at the Tanglin CC underground studio, that's when I was still just a few months into picking up my first instrument. It was some fusion/rock thing you were playing, and I was bamboozled by the twin reverb in that room and your playing haha.
Where do you play now? I'd love to go and watch again.