Whole tone scale

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Pictorial representation of the whole tone scale. ( Explanation )

The whole tone scale (also called "Liszt scale", or "Rimsky-Korsakov scale"; in Russia also "Chernomor scale" (Russian гамма Черномора) after the magician from Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka opera Ruslan and Lyudmila ) is a hexatonic (six-note) scale , the (equidistant =) from an equal-division of the octave into six whole-tone - intervals apparent. Thus, the tone steps consist exclusively of major seconds (or also of an enharmonically diminished third if the octave tone with the starting tone in theNotation should be identical).

particularities

For ears that resemble the diatonic scales commonly used in Western music , e.g. B. major and minor , are used to a whole-tone scale sounds relatively strange because it lacks the semitone steps ; the relationships between the tones of the scale cannot be structured by occasional leading tones . This is why there is no recognizable keynote on the whole- tone scale , which creates a "floating" effect. In other words, a whole-tone scale can be formed on any tone as a root without a mode option. A whole tone scale is neither tonal nor atonal , it only gets its tonal function in the composed context.

In addition, the tritone , which can be formed in a ladder -like manner at each level , is included three times, which corresponds to a tritone content of 3 and thus a characteristic interval of the whole-tone scale, making it relatively difficult to sing. Triads in Terzschichtung arise solely excessive triads , as by the whole steps all thirds are great.

Possible whole-tone scales

If the absolute tone supply of 12 tones is considered, there are only 2 whole-tone scales: the starting whole-tone scale and the same transposed by half a tone (up or down) . Both are shown below for the starting note C and, transposed a semitone down, the starting note B:

On C


\ relative c '\ new Staff \ with {\ remove "Time_signature_engraver"} {\ time 6/1 \ autoBeamOff \ clef treble \ override rest #' style = # 'classical c1 de fis gis ais c} \ addlyrics {c1 de \ markup {\ concat {fis \ raise # 0.5 \ translate # (cons 0.5 0) \ small \ sharp}} \ markup {\ concat {gis \ raise # 0.5 \ translate # (cons 0.5 0) \ small \ sharp}} \ markup {\ concat {ais \ raise # 0.5 \ translate # (cons 0.5 0) \ small \ sharp}} c}

On H


\ relative c '\ new Staff \ with {\ remove "Time_signature_engraver"} {\ time 6/1 \ autoBeamOff \ clef treble \ override rest #' style = # 'classical b1 des es fgab} \ addlyrics {h1 \ markup {\ concat {des \ small \ raise # 0.5 \ translate # (cons 0.5 0) \ flat}} \ markup {\ concat {es \ small \ raise # 0.5 \ translate # (cons 0.5 0) \ flat}} fgah}

use

According to Franz Liszt , Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was one of the first to use the special effect of the whole-tone scale in his operas Ruslan and Lyudmila (leitmotif of Chernomor) and Rimsky-Korsakov to represent magical figures in his operas and in Scheherazade ; later also the composers of impressionism (e.g. Debussy , for example in the Preludes “Voiles”, and Ravel ). Olivier Messiaen's first mode in his system of limited transposable scales is the whole-tone scale , with Messiaen clearly pointing out that he did not invent the whole-tone scale .

In jazz , too , the whole-tone scale is of great importance as an independent scale over dominant seventh chords with a deeply altered fifth or highly altered fourth . It was especially “celebrated” by Thelonious Monk.

In other types of music, such as pop music , the whole tone scale is less common. B. the introduction (third and fourth bars) to Stevie Wonder's song "You are the Sunshine of my Life".

Audio sample

Audio file / audio sample Whole tone scale (Midi) ? / i

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Digging Deeper: A Whole-Tone Primer. Retrieved June 7, 2016 .