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Understand Scales in a different way

Almost anyone who plays music or is involved with it in any form have heard or know about scales, we all know what they are and probably everyone has learnt to construct them in the same way, or by memorizing.

While I was reading about jazz theory, chords and harmony, I had the chance to come to a better understanding with how scales are constructed and the relation to the songs, then I thought about jazz musicians and the so many hours they must have spent practicing them on their instruments or just studying all the theory behind.

I only play panpipes, I can’t play keyboard or drums or anything other instrument apart from the woodwind bay, however I love reading about how songs are done and theory and interesting things to know, that you never know when they may be useful to you.

I think scales are useful to know, specially when improvising or composing your own melodies, but please don’t think that knowing and mastering the art of scales is going to make you compose great melodies straight away, that’s nonsense.

My point is, that know how the notes relate to each other and most important how the intervals sequence to each other will help you have a deeper understanding and meaning of what you’re doing when you’re playing. Be it performing a common song or something you’ve written for yourself, also this is good for generating ideas and gives them a concrete form.

To understand and deal with scales, myself I have found that the best approach is to think of them not in a memorized sequence of notes, but in intervals.

For example: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 any note following this pattern will form a major scale always.  (The b indicates a flat)

1 2 3b 4 5 6b 7b any note following this pattern will form a natural minor scale

1 2 3 5 6 any note following this pattern of intervals will form a major pentatonic

1 2 3b 4 5 7b this is the one which makes a minor pentatonic.

1 2 3b 4 5 5b 7b This is the same pattern like the minor pentatonic, however, notice one note added, a flattened fifth, or the so called blue note, this is the blues scale.

1 2 3b 4 5 6b 7 # In here the natural minor becomes harmonic minor by raising the seventh step

Now, thinking of scales with this approach makes it much easier for you to construct and know the scale instead of memorizing it like a mindless moron and believe it just like you saw it on a book don’t you think?.

You can look for other complete different scales from all around the world, but as long as you use the creative approach of knowing the interval pattern they follow, you will quickly learn them and know them when to use.

This is true if you’re thinking to move to jazz or blue or any other modern genre, also to play modally.

Experimenting with your panpipe is great fun.
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