lookin for mellow jazz scales
- Thread starter wavez
- Start date
Bezo
Highbrow
I never thought of a scale sounding mellow. Mellow sounding music would depend more on the tempo, groove & instrumentation.
But jazz uses many of the same scales as other genres. Major, minor, mixolydian, dorian, chromatic, major/minor pentatonic, blues, ect... just with more color tones added.
So, over an F chord, you could use F major/pent, D minor/pent, Bb mixolydian, G dorian, F blues, D blues... mostly all the same notes, just emphasizing different tones. There are also some non-diatonic scales that would sound good, but I won't get into that.
But I'd say scales are better at conveying emotions.
But jazz uses many of the same scales as other genres. Major, minor, mixolydian, dorian, chromatic, major/minor pentatonic, blues, ect... just with more color tones added.
So, over an F chord, you could use F major/pent, D minor/pent, Bb mixolydian, G dorian, F blues, D blues... mostly all the same notes, just emphasizing different tones. There are also some non-diatonic scales that would sound good, but I won't get into that.
But I'd say scales are better at conveying emotions.
Y
yamex5
Guest
Hi Wavez,
I believe that Bezo was either referring to chromatics, the notes outside the key you are playing in, or possibly microtones, which result from deviating slightly from the even tempered frequencies.
Bezo is correct in that to get a mellow sound, you are speaking more about the sonority. The sonority takes into account the voicing of the chords (are the notes clustered together or spaced far apart?), the register (how hi or low on the instrument), the tone (bassy, trebly, somewhere in the middle), and also implies that the playing is "relaxed".
Bezo also made references to scales and modes. A scale is just a collection of pitches, usually organized from high to low or vice-versa for easy analysis, though played in any order to make music, of course! A mode refers to the note in a scale that you start from. For instance, the G major scale consists of the notes G,A,B,C,D,E,F#,G. If your melody and harmony are based off of the first note, G, you are using the Ionian mode. Based off the second note, A, you would be using the Dorian mode.
Pentatonic is derived from "penta" meaning "five" and "tonic" meaning "tone". A pentatonic scale has five tones and will sound "folksy" or oriental if it's based off the 1,2,3,5, and 6th tones (also called degrees) of the major scale. In G, that would give you the set of notes G,A,B,D,E.
If you play a pentatonic scale with G,Bb,C,D, and F, you will get a bluesy sound.
Many people associate "mellow" with jazz, as did Bezo, and they often do use chromatics as passing tones and to imply other harmonies. For example, if you are playing an Amin7 (A,C,E,G) to a D7th (D,F#,A,C), and the key will be G for these chords, you could play the notes A,Ab,G over the Amin7 and the Ab would be a passing tone. You could play the arpeggio (= harp-like) B,D,F# over the Amin7, implying the 9th, 11th, and 13th components of that chord.
Pick up a book on beginning jazz harmony and improvisation, and do the exercises. It will take time, but you will learn a little each day, I guarantee it!
Good luck in your musical adventures!
I believe that Bezo was either referring to chromatics, the notes outside the key you are playing in, or possibly microtones, which result from deviating slightly from the even tempered frequencies.
Bezo is correct in that to get a mellow sound, you are speaking more about the sonority. The sonority takes into account the voicing of the chords (are the notes clustered together or spaced far apart?), the register (how hi or low on the instrument), the tone (bassy, trebly, somewhere in the middle), and also implies that the playing is "relaxed".
Bezo also made references to scales and modes. A scale is just a collection of pitches, usually organized from high to low or vice-versa for easy analysis, though played in any order to make music, of course! A mode refers to the note in a scale that you start from. For instance, the G major scale consists of the notes G,A,B,C,D,E,F#,G. If your melody and harmony are based off of the first note, G, you are using the Ionian mode. Based off the second note, A, you would be using the Dorian mode.
Pentatonic is derived from "penta" meaning "five" and "tonic" meaning "tone". A pentatonic scale has five tones and will sound "folksy" or oriental if it's based off the 1,2,3,5, and 6th tones (also called degrees) of the major scale. In G, that would give you the set of notes G,A,B,D,E.
If you play a pentatonic scale with G,Bb,C,D, and F, you will get a bluesy sound.
Many people associate "mellow" with jazz, as did Bezo, and they often do use chromatics as passing tones and to imply other harmonies. For example, if you are playing an Amin7 (A,C,E,G) to a D7th (D,F#,A,C), and the key will be G for these chords, you could play the notes A,Ab,G over the Amin7 and the Ab would be a passing tone. You could play the arpeggio (= harp-like) B,D,F# over the Amin7, implying the 9th, 11th, and 13th components of that chord.
Pick up a book on beginning jazz harmony and improvisation, and do the exercises. It will take time, but you will learn a little each day, I guarantee it!
Good luck in your musical adventures!
Hey, just wanted do say that thanks alot for explaining! Didnt understand it fully tho (hopefully will soon 
), but i wount start do ask another questions. Yesterday went thru many audio and book stores, but with no success. Today i hitted up this one library and they had a nice collection of piano theory books. got some great books from there
im off to reading
), but i wount start do ask another questions. Yesterday went thru many audio and book stores, but with no success. Today i hitted up this one library and they had a nice collection of piano theory books. got some great books from there im off to reading
M
matt42
Guest
It's not just the scales as was already pointed out. 7th Chords are often associated with mellow jazz and using them might be a good place to start out.
Andre Brito
New member
Just make some ii - V- I progression and here you have it 
Search for jazz modes on the internet... each has its own flavour....
Search for jazz modes on the internet... each has its own flavour....
