Scales & Melodies for DIRTY SOUTH

[proz9c]

Why is it that when you play Em (E - G - B) and F (F - A - C) they fit together ? (a short progression used in a lort of dirty south for instance)

Which scale is this build around ? Em uses F#, not F.

I thought maybe they were the parallel scales of eachother or something, but i looked it up and doesnt seem like it.

Is this just based on a scale that uses the 2 chords ? Am scale or C Major for instance ?

Im asking because i would like to know which keys i can use for my melody.

Hope any heads has some knowledge on this ! Would be aprecciated.

Sorry for the perhaps misleading topic title.

Peace.

[bandcoach]

They both come from C major.

This progression is also used in lots of other places including Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" in the third section where the rap/singing comes in.

Early in the piece we hear G type chords being used and on into the second section.

So I'm personally thinking the Phrygian mode, as the F chord leads to the Em chord in "Shaft". So scale wise that is E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E.

Emphasise E-F-B-C and D as in D-E D-E etc.....

[proz9c]

Hmm, interesting.. Thanks for comming through as always bandcoach, you are the only one in here who really knows his shit or at least are contributing !

I know i ask alot, but what about C#m and Em ? They also have that dark (dirty south ala) feel to em when played after eachother. Where do they fit together ?

Same with Bm and Fm for instance, still Phygrian scale ?

[bandcoach]

Your other two examples are tougher to constrain to a single scale as they are using colour tones if we allow that they are expressing a scale or key

First Up C#m and Em

C#-E-G# and E-G-B

Rearrange so that C# is the starting note (I'll explain why in a moment) and eliminate duplicates

C#-E-G-G#-B-C#

suggests to me C# Blues scale

C#-E-{F#}-G-G#-B-C#

C# phrygian would be C#-D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#

Now Bm and Fm

B-D-F# F-A-C

Rearrange so that B is the starting note

B-C-D-F-F#-A

suggests to me a modified B Blues scales

B-C-D-{E}-F-F#-A

the C is the modified part of the scale adding the semitone step that we find present in the phrygian

B phrygian would be B-C-D-E-F#-G#-A-B

So to some extent, yes, we are still seeing the phrygian scale used although with add colour tones......