CHROMATIC GENDRE: MORE 6-NOTES SCALES THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL FOR HARMONICAS. COMBINING PARTS OF THE PENTATONIC WITH CHROMATIC PARTS.
We noticed in the previous post that the Blues-country scale with interval structure 2-1-1-3-2-3, (and any cyclic permutation of it, is still the same scale although a different mode of it) sounds partially as the pentatonic scale 2-2-3-2-3 and partially with chromatic part 1-1-3 which was identified as the ancient Greek tonal tetrachord of the chromatic family. By writting the Blues scale in a different 5th mode of it (cyclic permutation) makes it more clear: 2-3-2-1-1-3 . The 2-3-2 part is inherited from the pentatonic scale 2-2-3-2-3 and the 1-1-3 is the ancient Greel tonal tetrachord of the chromatic family (that exist also in the Byzantine emperor parachromatic 7-notes scale). Such scales may be obviously be used in Gypsy jazz, but in ordinary western jazz too.
Other parts of the pentatonic sacle are also the 2-2-3,
1) Thus we may discover the next hexatonic scale that should sound similarly 2-2-3-1-1-3 and it is not a different mode of the Blues-country scale. In the tables below we show this tuning , when starting from the root D . Thus D-E-F#-A-Bb-B-D. It is still a 6-notes version of the Byzantine parachromatic scale of the previous post but different from the Blues-country scale, still sounding in a similar way.
2) There are the invesres of course of the previous hexatonic scales a) the inverse ofthe Blues-country in the mode 2-3-2-1-1-3, which is the 2-3-2-3-1-1 (after inverting and taking a cyclic permutation of it). b) The inverse of the 2-2-3-1-1-3, which is the 3-2-2-1-1-3 ((after inverting and taking a cyclic permutation of it). We write them always so as to separate the pentatonic part, and the chromatic part.
3) If we combine now the pentatonic part 2-3-2 (of the Blues scale) with the chromatic part 1-3-1 (which exists in the harmonic minor) we get a hexatonic scale 2-3-2-1-3-1, that sounds partially as pentatonic and partially as chromatic (harmonic minor). It is a 6-notes version of the harmonic minor scale,perfect for harmonicas that favor in the cyclic tuningthe hexatonic scales. Some times it is also called the
Erik Satie hexatonic scale . (See e.g. the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okU96j6ThIM&t=8s ) We give below the tuning table when starting from the root D. And of course there is the inverse of it again which is not a different mode of it. D-E-G-A-Bb-C#-D.
4) If we combine now the pentatonic scale part 3-2-2 with the chromatic part 1-3-1 (which exists in the harmonic minor) we get a hexatonic scale
3-2-2-1-3-1, or at a different mode as 2-1-3-1-3-2 that sounds partially as pentatonic and partially as chromatic (harmonic minor). It is a 6-notes version of the Neapolitan scale 2-1-3-1-1-2-2 (e.g. from D it would be D-E-F-G#-A-Bb-C-D), perfect for harmonicas that favor in the cyclic tuning the hexatonic scales. We give below the tuning table when starting from the roor D thus D-E-F-G#-A-C-D , with interval structure at the mode 2-1-3-1-3-2 .And of course there is the inverse of it again which is not a different mode of it.
5) If we start with the double harmonic minor, e.g. from A, it is A-B-C-D#-E-F-G#-A which has interval structure 2-1-3-1-1-3-1 , we may derive an appropriate hexatonic which contains a part ofthe pentatonic scale ,which here is the 3-2-3. The resulting scale is the 3-2-3-1-2-1, or in a different mode the 2-1-3-2-3-1. Starting from the root D it is D-E-F-G#-Bb-C#-D. The mode 1-2-1-3-2-3 would give at the Blow row a single minor chord and at the Drow row again a single minor chord.
6) There still another Hexatonic version of the harmonic minor scale which belongs to the enharmonic gendre of the next posts. the 2-1-2-2-4-1
E.g. Blow=6m=G Bb D Draw=5#dim=A C F# , in total G A Bb C D F# , whci is a Hexatonic version of the harmonic G-minor.
There are also similar hexatonic scales that are symmetric like 3-2-1-3-2-1 or 3-1-2-3-1-2 or 1-2-3-1-2-3. The latter when placed to an harmonica tuning it gives at the blow row a single chord and at the draw row again a single chord as most of the examples of hexatonic tuning here E.g. A-Bb-C-D#-E-F#-A.
MOST OF THE HEXATONIC TUNINGS IN THIS DISCUSSION HAVE A SINGLE CHORD AT THE BLOW ROW AND ANOTHER SINGLE CHORD AT THE DRAW ROW.ACTUALLY ANY TWO SUCCESIVE CHORDS IN THE DIATONIC SCALE (E.G. 7DIM-1M, OR 4M-5M, 3M-4M, 5M-6m , 6m-7dim) CAN BE USED FOR AN APPROPRIATE TWO-CHORD HEXATONIC TUNING HARMONICA.