Natural Minor Scale


icecool
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Joined: 01/04/02
Posts: 118
icecool
Registered User
Joined: 01/04/02
Posts: 118
12/02/2003 8:54 am
My college teacher in music has tried to tell me there isn't such thing as a natural minor scale. I'm pretty damn sure there is, but I'm having trouble in making him see that there is.

Is there something I could possibly show him to prove him wrong and explain why it is there or something?

The imbolsil,HA! (jk)
Cheers!
# 1
JSV
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Joined: 11/05/03
Posts: 63
JSV
Member
Joined: 11/05/03
Posts: 63
12/02/2003 11:40 am
Unless there's a 'trick question' here, I don't get it??

There certainly is a NATURAL MINOR! There isn't a "written minor key SIGNATURE" if THAT's what he meant?? Seeing that there are only 15 written major key sig's in common use.

The Natural Minor (as I'm sure most every member here knows) starts from the 6th degree (a.k.a. aeolian mode) of its Realative major key sig. (Sometimes refered to as the "corresponding minor key" to a written key signature.)
For instance;
Key of C-Maj = a-relative minor
Key of G-Maj = e-relative minor
Key of D-Maj = b-relative minor, etc.

In diatonic terms, you might say;
Natural minor = flat 3rd, 6th, & 7th
Melodic minor = (ascending)flat 3rd; (descending)flat 3rd, 6th, & 7th
Harmonic minor = flat 3rd & 6th

Does THAT help??

...Is there something I could possibly show him...

YES!! Just copy/print [this post] and virtually EVERY other response you get in this thread! lol!

Frankly, I'm surprised? There must've been a misunderstanding in usage of 'terms' in your discussion w/him, no??

Anyway, GOOD LUCK buddy!


~JSV
# 2
JSV
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Joined: 11/05/03
Posts: 63
JSV
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Joined: 11/05/03
Posts: 63
12/02/2003 1:02 pm
Right-on, aiwass!
aiwass
...If he still says it doesn't exist, he's on crack...

That's ALL you need to know, icecool!


~JSV
# 3
icecool
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Joined: 01/04/02
Posts: 118
icecool
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12/02/2003 11:24 pm
Ha, I'm pretty sure he's not on crack...well I hope not anyway.

Yeah, I was wondering if it was context sensitive, by for example, country? As I'm in England. Different terms for different countries or something? I'm not really sure.

But it is stupid, it came up when we were analysing this piece and saw that the tonal centre was pretty much the aeolian mode, so I said as a passing comment whilst he explained some mode stuff that the aeolian will be the same as the A Natural Minor, and he just said he's never heard of it before, and that he's only ever come across Harmonic and Melodic minor scales, which, to be honest, I was slightly suprised by.

I've shown him an explanation of a natural minor scale from my published music theory book, but he still won't completely accept it. It's pretty annoying.



# 4
chris mood
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chris mood
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12/03/2003 5:34 am
Does he accept the term "relative minor"?
# 5
iamthe_eggman
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iamthe_eggman
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Joined: 05/09/00
Posts: 2,233
12/03/2003 6:46 pm
Hey chris, I've always been told as well that it's called the relative minor... It makes sense, since it isn't a proper scale on it's own, but rather a mode of a major scale. Never heard of "natural minor" until I read this thread.
... and that's all I have to say about that.

[U]ALL[/U] generalizations are [U]WRONG[/U]

[/sarcasm]
# 6

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