Confused on theory

Araillac · #1 09-17-2010, 05:33 PM

So playing on bass, in the key of B, whole half whole, whole half whole, whole is Aeolian Mode which I know but if I continue the whole half whole, whole half whole, whole half whole pattern which still sounds good but isn't a scale or mode, as far as I can tell, then what is it?

pygmygrizzly · #2 09-17-2010, 05:43 PM

huh... ok the w h w w h w w, or full step half step. that's your minor scale. keep playing it up. and down, and all around those notes wont change. B C# D E F# G A, thats your pure B minor. but up there's you wrote, "I know but if I continue the whole half whole, whole half whole, whole half whole pattern" so if you continue you get B C# D E F# G A C D. your flatting the 9. and it sounds out.

Araillac · #3 09-17-2010, 05:50 PM

Ah ok, I was wondering why I was able to keep going and I got all confused lol

mambo4 · #4 09-17-2010, 06:44 PM

Chances are what your really hearing is your moving form one key/scale to another.

Scales are generally divisions of the octave into patterns whole and half steps. Diatonic scales are 7 note sequences that repeat every octave. To stay in the key of B minor you have to repeat the pattern after the 7th note, starting at the next B up. There are a few scales that are NOT 7 notes, but they still repeat at the octave. If you come up with a pattern that does not repeat at the octave, chances are what your really doing is changing from one scale to another as you go up.

your w-h-w is a 4 (or 8) note pattern which actually repeats itself past the octave ...its 'out of phase' so to speak. So each time you come back to the B, your pattern from the B changes a little. But it only veers away form the sound of a B minor scale just a little each time you repeat the pattern. So it sounds good at first...but if you were playign over a B minor chord and kept on going, eventually it will start to sound pretty bad.