D Chord Scale

[Eleanor Heidecker]

However, the majority of older players used the chord tone/chord arpeggio method. The system is an example of the difference between the treatment of dissonance in jazz and classical harmony: "Classical treats all notes that don't belong to the chord ... as potential dissonances to be resolved. ... Non-classical harmony just tells you which note in the scale to [potentially] avoid ... meaning that all the others are okay".[4]

The chord-scale system may be compared with other common methods of improvisation, first, the older traditional chord tone/chord arpeggio method, and where one scale on one root note is used throughout all chords in a progression (for example the blues scale on A for all chords of the blues progression: A7 E7 D7). In contrast, in the chord-scale system, a different scale is used for each chord in the progression (for example mixolydian scales on A, E, and D for chords A7, E7, and D7, respectively).[5] Improvisation approaches may be mixed, such as using "the blues approach" for a section of a progression and using the chord-scale system for the rest.[6]

Originating with George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (1959),[8] the chord-scale system is now the "most widely used method for teaching jazz improvisation in college".[9] This approach is found in instructional books including Jerry Bergonzi's Inside Improvisation series[10] and characterized by the highly influential[9] Play-A-Long series by Jamey Aebersold.[2] Aebersold's materials, and their orientation to learning by applying theory over backing tracks, also provided the first known publication of the blues scale in the 1970 revision of Volume 1 [11] There are differences of approach within the system. For example, Russell associated the C major chord with the lydian scale, while teachers including John Mehegan, David Baker, and Mark Levine teach the major scale as the best match for a C major chord.[8]

The chord-scale system provides familiarity with typical chord progressions, technical facility from practicing scales and chord arpeggios, and generally succeeds in reducing "clams", or notes heard as mistakes (through providing note-choice possibilities for the chords of progressions), and building "chops", or virtuosity.[13] Disadvantages include the exclusion of non-chord tones characteristic of bop and free styles, the "in-between" sounds featured in the blues, and consideration of directionality created between the interaction of a solo and a chord progression: "The disadvantages of this system may become clear when students begin to question why their own playing does not sound like such outstanding linear-oriented players as Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt or Johnny Griffin (or, for that matter, the freer jazz stylists)":[13]

The chord-scale method's 'vertical' approach ... is 'static,' offering little assistance in generating musical direction through the movement of chords. Hence the importance of knowing the older chord tone approach. But ... Swing- and bop-era songforms operate teleologically with regard to harmony. Highly regarded soloists in those styles typically imply the movements of chords ... either by creating lines that voice-lead smoothly from one chord to another or by confounding the harmony pull through anticipating or delaying harmonic resolution.[14]

Essential considerations of a style such as Charlie Parker's, including "rhythm, phrase shape and length, dynamics, and tone color," as well as "passing tones, appoggiatura, and 'blue notes'" are unaddressed.[14] This appears to have led educators to emphasize a specific repertoire of pieces most appropriate to the chord-scale system, such as John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", while excluding others, such as Coltrane's later styles of composition, and producing generations of "pattern" players among college-educated musicians.[14]

The basic concept is that every chord comes from a parent scale; or, to put it another way, every chord in a progression can be colored by a related scale. For example, a Dmi7 chord extended to the thirteenth consists of the notes D, F, A, C, E, G, and B, which are identical to the notes of the D dorian mode stacked in thirds (Example 1). Therefore, when confronting a Dmi7 chord in a chord progression, an improvising musician could choose to improvise using the notes of the D dorian mode to create new melodies.

Starting a major scale on each of its seven notes will yield seven different modes. Each of the modes will have a different pattern of half steps and whole steps and thus a different color. (For more information, see Introduction to Diatonic Modes and/or Diatonic Modes).

A similar approach to the one above can be used to derive more chord-scale relationships from the melodic minor, harmonic minor, and harmonic major modes. To learn more about this, consult Further Reading below.

Reorganizing these relationships by chord quality reveals the choices listed in Example 7 for matching chord qualities to scales. For example, when improvising on a minor seventh chord, a musician can choose from three chord-scales: dorian, phrygian, or aeolian (Example 8).

My question deals specifically with part 3. As I understand it, a "scale" just means a palette of notes from which to choose when writing out the melody (please correct me if that's an oversimplification).

My question is this: does the scale change each time a chord changes in the chord progression (i.e., should I be choosing from different notes each time the chord changes)? Or should I be sticking with one scale that's determined by the overall key of the song?

I had assumed the former, and for example would be writing the melody in D major for the part where a D major chord was playing, and then using a different scale when the chord changed, but I'm starting to think my assumption was built on a misunderstanding.

If you were following the most common simple way that's taught to people just beginning learning theory, you'd be aware of the key you're in (and the corresponding scale you're using) in step 2, and you'd be using chords from that key. So for example, if in step 2 you're in D major, the most common 'beginner' technique would be to use simple triads from the D major scale, giving you the following chords to choose from:

In step 3, you'd also use notes from the D major scale for your melody (through the whole song), in a way that works well with the chords you're using. You might try to choose the melody notes to often follow the chord tones (the notes in the chord that you're playing at the time) on the important notes (that fall on the strong beats).

BUT... that's only one very simple way to write a song. It's definitely not "the rule", in the sense that you have to follow it - there are no rules that you have to follow. And there are songs where the harmony and melody seem to at least partly work like the other way you described - where it seems like the scale for the melody can potentially change on each chord change. There are also songs where the chords don't entirely fit into a single key, melodies that basically follow a scale but use the odd note from outside the scale, and all sorts of other patterns. And not all ways of looking at harmony require you to think of the chords and the melody separately.

Try using both ways, and see what happens - if you find one way sounds great to you and the other is terrible, then you have your answer. If you find some merit in both ways, then you are free to combine them. If you find neither way works, then have a look at some songs you do like and see what they do.

Most of the songs I write start with a chord progression as well. I may have a beginning melody in my head but then I will determine a chord progression before fine tuning the melody. Then I choose melody notes that harmonize well with my chord progression.

If you stick with chords that fit within the key you are writing in, then all the notes of the chords will be in the key of the song and will be found in the diatonic scale based on that key. So if you are writing in the key of C major, and stick with the basic common C major based chords, the notes you choose for the melody will all be one of the notes in the C major scale.

But certain notes will usually harmonize better with certain chords. Although there can be exceptions to this depending on where you are going with the melody and what you are trying to convey.

For a detailed discussion of the easiest way to find the notes that harmonize best with certain chords when writing your melody based on a chord progression -read this on Stack Exchange: Easy way to choose notes that go with chords

If your choice of chords is limited by the overall key of the song, yes the melody should probably go with that too. If you use a wider choice of chords, you can match them with a wider choice of notes. And, as well as 'notes from the chord' and 'notes from the scale' a melody will often include chromatic notes, usually adjacent to a more 'allowed' note.

Really, whatever you write, I'll have no trouble finding a theoretical justification for it! The other way around - giving you a set of rules for what notes are allowed, is a lot harder. Theory describes, it does not command.

I think Cubase should develop the Chord functions a bit more, now that it got into this matter. I am enjoying the Scaler plugin a lot (Buy Plugin Boutique VST Plugins, Plugin Boutique Instruments and), but, unfortunately, this means almost not using the Cubase functions at all. In fact, moving chord progressions from Scaler as midi into Cubase, and then trying to replicate them in Chord Track.

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