A powerful composition and improvisation idea is to transform a melody by playing it in a different tonality…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
Lesson Goal
To illustrate what tonality means and how different tonalities can be used to creative various moods by playing a familiar Irish Jig in the same key center D but in three different tonalities: Major, Mixolydian, and Dorian….
Irish Jig Played in D Major
Music Theory for the D Major Scale…
Notice that the key signature for D Major is two sharps (F# & C#)…
Do you hear and feel the bright major quality created by the note F# (Mi) and the harmonic tension created by the leading tone C# (Ti) in the A7 chord?
Irish Jig Played in D Mixolydian
Music Theory for the D Mixolydian Scale…
Notice that the key signature for D Mixolydian is one sharp (F#)…
Do you hear and feel the bright major quality created by the note F# (Mi) and the more primitive harmonic tension created by the note C (Te)?
Irish Jig Played in D Dorian
Music Theory for the D Dorian Scale…
Notice that the key signature for D Dorian is no sharps or flats…
Do you hear and feel the dark minor quality created by the note F (Me) and the primitive harmonic tension created by the note C (Te) in the C chord?
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