Harmonic minor stands out from its siblings by including a fully diminished seventh chord – giving it a classic sound and adding to its artistic value.
Step one is to learn the C harmonic minor scale notes, intervals and scale degrees on piano treble clef. Step two involves identifying triad chord quality names.
Triads
Triads are groups of three notes within a chord and can either be major, minor, or diminished in character. The difference between major and minor triads lies in the interval between their root note and third note – either perfect fifth or minor third depending on which chord has it – this distinction plays an essential role as it determines how sharp or flat its sound will be; using minor thirds will produce sharp tones while perfect fifth chords create flat soundscapes.
As with scales, triads are constructed by using the first, third and fifth notes from any scale used; so an initial chord might include C – Eb – G (a minor triad). When creating your triads it is a good idea to look closely at their voicings which determine their quality; minor triads can be written using root position chords, an inverted triad and even diminished versions; getting familiar with all forms will ensure success with every quality triad you construct!
Minor key triads typically feature sharp sounds, with one exception – those built on b minor. This is because its leading tone is flat; thus any triad built upon it will have reduced sound. Understanding minor scale and key signature is therefore vital when playing songs in minor keys; you’ll quickly be able to identify accidentals needed when doing so.
An additional name for a triad can be given if it contains a 7th note: an “augmented triad”. This occurs because the distance between its 3rd and 5th notes has increased by one semitone or half step – giving more power and depth to the chord, creating more dramatic and emotive effects. Augmented triads may not be seen often in music; however, understanding them will make your chords sound more intriguing and dramatic.
Scale Patterns
The C harmonic minor scale is a seven note scale that starts on the tonic note of its respective key, in this instance C. It resembles natural minor in many ways, yet differs by having its 7th note position or scale degree raised half step compared to natural minor; this large gap between minor sixth and major seventh gives this scale its unique sound.
As with any scale, there are various methods for musicians to organize it and make it simpler for them to understand. One such way is grouping its notes into modes – each having its own distinctive sound – which helps musicians understand relationships between keys as well as how chords and arpeggios can be built using notes in the scale.
Example: Harmonic minor features two modes starting on b3 and four that each have unique sounds that can be used to craft unique and engaging melodies. They may even be combined together to produce different triads and seventh chords that add depth and dimension to the melody.
Scale patterns can help musicians easily identify which white and black keys on a piano keyboard they should play. Each note on a piano keyboard has a name; when played it could either be natural (white) or sharp (black), depending on whether or not it’s flat or sharp. Once musicians know which keys they intend to use they can then use this information to find its corresponding chromatic scale pattern.
To learn the C harmonic minor scale, start at its tonic and ascend by thirds (taking every other note) taking half steps higher each time, creating an easy and straightforward chromatic scale pattern that beginners can grasp quickly and remember easily.
Starting off their bass musical career on an ascending scale can be intimidating for beginners, but this first shape of ascending scales provides a good place to begin for bass players as it closely resembles F Lydian fingering and C Melodic Minor patterns – two widely-used techniques in classical music that give your bass line a distinctive, modern sound.
Modes
C harmonic minor is an Aeolian mode variation built with the seventh note raised one half-step (three quarter-tones), creating a different interval between sixth and seventh notes and creating an augmented second, or gap of three quarter-tones between scale degrees 6 and 7, for an altogether distinct sound. Harmonic minor is essential knowledge because it’s used across genres including rock, metal and classical music.
As with the major and minor scales, c harmonic minor has several modes, each associated with its own specific sound. To gain the maximum benefit out of them all, it is crucial that you practice all these modes regularly so as to develop an excellent ear for them as they can provide you with new sounds for creating new compositions and sounds in your playing.
Dorian mode is a soothing and relaxing sounding scale used widely across classical, jazz, ragtime, country, and world music genres to create a relaxing ambiance.
Dorian scale is easy to learn, with notes located readily on a piano keyboard. If you are unfamiliar with it, begin by familiarizing yourself with its layout by studying its diagram. From there, write out either treble clef or bass clef scale descending scale on paper for your instrument and practice using backing tracks until it becomes second nature and you can play without looking at sheet music.
Another two modes you should explore are Phrygian and Mixolydian modes. Both these work especially well when playing over dominant 7th chords, helping make your improvisations more interesting. For instance, when playing a G7 chord vamp you could try using Phrygian mode lead lines to give them a unique sound and set yourself apart from other musicians.
Chords
C Harmonic Minor chords can be created in numerous ways using notes from the scale, but one simple method involves building a major 7th chord with its root as the next scale degree up, such as VI65 or VI43, which gives it an exotic sound due to the large leap between sixth and seventh scale degrees of harmonic minor scales.
An advanced way of building harmonic minor chords is using the building blocks of natural minor scale. This results in a minor 7th chord which not only contains the tonic from harmonic minor scale, but also includes fifth note of natural minor scale – giving more authenticity and emotional weight to it than major 7th chords can match.
The harmonic minor scale offers seven kinds of seventh chords compared to only four for natural minor. These chords include minor major seventh chords (im7, ivm7 and vm7) as well as half-diminished seventh chord (iim7(-5)), augmented major seventh chords (IIIaug(maj7)) and dominant seventh chords (V7) – some of the most frequently found within harmonic minor songs.
Harmonic minor stands out from other keys with its distinct chords, such as its diminished seventh chord that can add tension to a piece and major triads with flattened thirds which creates an interesting sound to emphasize melodies or chromatic passages in music.
C harmonic minor is unique among minor keys because it contains all chords at once within itself – unlike its relatives such as G minor. Not all pieces written in c harmonic minor will use these chords exclusively, however; pieces written using it may incorporate chords borrowed from neighboring major or minor keys as well. Therefore, it’s advisable to familiarize yourself with every key and recognize when other chords may be useful when writing music in its key.