I am going to research modes and key signatures as this is an area of music I lack knowledge in, however I am aware that understanding modes is a very valuable tool in music composition as it can be very effective in evoking specific moods and emotions through music. Therefore I hope researching into modes will help me become a better composer by learning how to use them in future compositions in order to create more emotional and advanced pieces of music. I will also research into what technically defines the difference between major and minor keys as this very common theory which I do not yet understand, furthermore researching into these topics will give me more education on the basics of music theory which I need to know as a musician.
Key Signatures and Scales
A key signature is an arrangement of 8 notes within an octave, a key signature is also the foundation to any piece of music as the harmony and melody is always based within the key signature. On this page I am going to be talking about many different types of key signatures and how they can be used to craft specific moods and emotions within musical compositions. There are two main types of keys in music, these two are major and minor scales. A major key has a bright and happy tone which is why these types of scales are often used to write music about joy and love, some examples of music you may have heard in written in a major key are; Ode to Joy (Beethoven), Nocturne in Eb major (Chopin) and Sonata in C major (Motart). The major keys in these pieces of music give fill it with a bright and happy tone. However a minor key has much more darker and sadder tone than a major key, and is used in many pieces of music to construct emotions and themes such as; grief, loss and depression. Chopin wrote almost all of his pieces of music in minor keys, some examples are; Nocturne in C sharp Minor, Waltz in A minor and the Raindrop Prelude.
Major and Minor Key Formula
Major and Minor keys are both defined by their tonic note and wether it belongs to a major or minor scale. To be able to tell the difference between a major and minor scale you must look at the pattern of the whole tone and semi-tone steps within the scale. All major scales have a pattern of Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half. For example the key of C major would be; C-D-E-F-G-B-C. Whereas a minor key follows the key Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole. (Musictheory.net, n.d). So for example the C minor scale would be; C-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C. These different patterns used in major and minor keys give each scale a different tone or feeling, if you are to internalise the tones from these key signatures you can write emotional and powerful music using the key signature as an emotional foundation to your music.
Modes
A mode is a form of scale where the scale begins on a different note to the scales regular tonic. There are 7 types of diatonic scales used in music which all have their own unique characters and emotions. The 7 types of diatonic modes are; Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Locrian and Phrygian. The Ionian mode is considered the mode of modern of the modes, this is because it is recognised today as the major scale, which I have talked about earlier on this page. Therefore the Ionian scale has a happy and uplifting tone, this mode is also the first of the seven we are going to talk about. The other mode we use in modern music today is the Aeolian scale, this is the natural minor scale we use in modern music today. Therefore this mode has a sad and dark tone to it, this mode is also the 6th mode in out of 7 seven diatonic scales. To make talking about all diatonic scales easier I will fill in a table below explaining all I have learnt about diatonic modes including; examples of their use, their perceived mood, their name and their formula. I will organise the table to be ordered from the brightest to darkest scales in terms of tone from top to bottom.
| Mode | Mood | Example Of Use | Formula |
| Lydian | Most happy and uplifting mode | Simpsons theme | #4 |
| Ionian (Major Scale) | Happy and Uplifting | September (Earth Wind and Fire) | Whole Tone-Whole Tone-Half Tone-Whole Tone-Whole Tone-Whole Tone-Half Tone |
| Mixolydian | Sad often used in blues music | Clock (Cold Play) | b7 |
| Dorian | Sad and however sounds hopeful | Mad World, So What (Miles Davis) | b3, b7 |
| Aeolian (Natural Minor Scale) | Sad | Hotel California (The Eagles) | b3, b6, b7 |
| Phrygian | Dark tone and often used in Jazz music | Uptight (Stevie Wonder) | b2, b3, b6, b7 |
| Locrian | Dark and Sinister mood. Also the darkest diatonic mode of the seven | Painkiller (Judas Priest) | b2, b3, b5, b6, b7 |
Harmonic and Melodic Scales
A harmonic minor scale is defined by the 7th note in a scale being raised by a semi-tone , meaning it is only one note away from the root note of the scale the music is in (Musictheory.net, n.d). In music when a 7th note is a semi-tone away from the root note this is called a leading tone . A leading tone is when a note resolves to a note which is either one semi-tone higher or lower than the note in question (Team, 2018). For example in the key of A harmonic minor the 7th note would be raised by one semi-tone making the 7th note a a G#. If you move one semi-tone up from G# we reach the root note of the key which is A. This creates a resolved tone when we reach this tonic due to it being the resting tone of the key. Harmonic scales are often used in musical styles such as; classical, rock, R&B and Eastern Folk music (Pouska, n.d.). I personally think the harmonic minor scale has an eerie sound, therefore I am researching this key to help me create a spooky and sinister tone within my music and I believe this scale could help me. I am not going to researching harmonic and melodic major as I will not be using these scales in music as they have a much brighter tone, which does not match the level of the video game.
To create a melodic minor scale you must raise both the 6th and 7th notes of the scale by one semi-tone (Myette, 2016) . For example to convert a A natural minor key into a melodic minor using the formula discussed, the scale would have a F# and a G#. This would make the scale become; A,B,C,D,E,F#,G# and A. Usually composer only use melodic minors when the melodic phrase is ascending in pitch and use a natural minor when descending. This musical technique can be seen used frequently in classical and jazz music when an instrument is playing in an ascending scale (Myette, 2016).
Source List
Musictheory.net. n.d. musictheory.net. [online] Available at: <https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/22> [Accessed 25 April 2022].
Myette, W., 2016. Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Minor – My Jazzedge. [online] My Jazzedge – Jazzedge Online Piano Lesson Hub. Available at: <https://myjazzedge.com/natural-harmonic-and-melodic-minor/> [Accessed 25 April 2022].
Pouska, A., n.d. The Harmonic Minor Scale | StudyBass. [online] StudyBass. Available at: <https://www.studybass.com/lessons/harmony/the-harmonic-minor-scale/> [Accessed 25 April 2022].
Team, S., 2018. What Is a Leading Tone?. [online] FlyPaper. Available at: <https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/what-is-a-leading-tone/> [Accessed 25 April 2022].