Root key, scales, and chords..help?

quantumleap

New member
So I'm working on this beat..and pretty much I have a melody (synth) and bass line that goes along the same notes/pattern as the melody..

Now the melody starts on a G note...and the rest of the notes are F, C, and D.. So, is G the root note? And would that make it in the scale of G?

I'm obviously still new to music theory and all...But this is where I get stumped sometimes. I usually don't have a problem creating a melody and building it from that..But this particular beat is getting to me, because I want to add another synth line that goes with the main melody, but possibly playing more notes than G, F, C, and D...but nothing I have come up with sounds decent.. So I was thinking its probably because I have no idea what scale I'm in, therefore I'm not playing the correct notes to correspond with the main melody.

So I guess my question is..based on the infor above.. how can I determine what scale I am in? Once I know that, I think it'll be pretty easy to play the correct chords and notes to come up with something that clicks..Any info, help, advice, etc. would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

QuantumLeap
 
So I'm working on this beat..and pretty much I have a melody (synth) and bass line that goes along the same notes/pattern as the melody..

Now the melody starts on a G note...and the rest of the notes are F, C, and D.. So, is G the root note? And would that make it in the scale of G?

I'm obviously still new to music theory and all...But this is where I get stumped sometimes. I usually don't have a problem creating a melody and building it from that..But this particular beat is getting to me, because I want to add another synth line that goes with the main melody, but possibly playing more notes than G, F, C, and D...but nothing I have come up with sounds decent.. So I was thinking its probably because I have no idea what scale I'm in, therefore I'm not playing the correct notes to correspond with the main melody.

So I guess my question is..based on the infor above.. how can I determine what scale I am in? Once I know that, I think it'll be pretty easy to play the correct chords and notes to come up with something that clicks..Any info, help, advice, etc. would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

QuantumLeap

Starting point GFCD

Rearrange alphabetically

CDFG

Possible scales:

C major: CDEFGAB
C natural minor: CDEbFGAbBb
C Mixolydian: CDEFGABb

F major: FGABbCDE
F melodic minor: FGAbBbCDE
F mixolydian: FGABbCDEb

G Mixolydian: GABCDEF
G Dorian: GABbCDEF

D natural minor: DEFGABbC

A natural minor: ABCDEFG

E Phrygian: EFGABCD

Bb major: BbCDEbFGA

many more besides.


Pick a key center and experiment.
 
Bandcoach pretty well nailed it up there I think. My guess would be you're probably hovering around G-minor. You might have a Pentatonic thing going on as well, if that's the case, A would likely fit well with what you're doing. Maybe try these notes:
CDFGA

or

FGACD
 
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Bandcoach pretty well nailed it up there I think. My guess would be you're probably hovering around G-minor. You might have a Pentatonic thing going on as well, if that's the case, A would likely fit well with what you're doing. Maybe try these notes:
CDFGA

or

FGACD



thank you...i'll mess around and see what works best now that you guys have given me some direction. i appreciate the feedback of knowledge.

and bandcoach, i've learned something useful in the last few posts i've read of yours...so thanks for sharing some of your knowledge to this site, as it does help.

i've been on youtube lately watching tutorials on how to play songs..mostly of today's pop music...some pinkfloyd and classic rock too... just trying to get better at actually playing, while learning the keys, and what sounds good with what.... but i havnt actually learned my scales yet haha but with time, and practice i'll get it, im sure.

thanks again to both of ya guys!
 
Hey bandcoach,

Whats the process of finding the possible scales through the melody?. Say I have 6 different notes. Where do I go from there?.
 
It'd probably be easiest lay the notes out in some kind of ascending order and then look at what you have. Most scales are comprised of 7 notes. So, with 6 notes, your possibilities will already be narrowed down a bit (assuming that the notes are all diatonic, which means native to the key or scale) So for example if your notes are G, B, E, D, C, and A, you could rearrange them like this:
C D E G A B
This one is pretty easy since there's no sharps or flats. But in this example you could have:
C Major (by adding F natural)
A natural minor (by adding natural)
G Major (by adding F#)
E natural minor (by adding F#)
If you have some notes that don't fit naturally into the scale/key, then it will be a little harder to determine, so listen to your melody to see if any of the notes sound a little "different" or chromatic.

Bandcoach probably has a better way of explaining this since I'm a little rusty. Plus, he's got a better handle on the other modes/scales than i do, but maybe this will help.
 
Oh ok... so if its all white keys its C major or A minor?.

K, so what if I have C, D, E, G, A, B. Say D, G, A are sharps. Is there a scale for this?. How would I know which scale to look for?
 
Good questions. Yes, all white keys is typically going to be either C Major or A natural Minor. There are other modes that it could potentially be, like D Dorian, but generally speaking it will be one of those 2. It's also worth noting that there are different kinds of minor keys, Natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor, but that's a different conversation. :)

Also, List the sharps and flats with the notes as you name them, so instead of saying C D E G A B, and then saying which ones are sharp/flat, use # for sharp and b for flat. so, in your example it would be:
C, D#, E, G#, A#, B. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any key that these specific notes would fit in. If we had C# instead of C, then the key could easily be E Major, or C# natural minor. This bring us to another concept: enharmonic spelling. Every note can be named in a few ways. if you look at a keyboard, you see that B and C are right next to one another without a black key in between. Thus, B# is the same as C natural and Cb is the same as B natural. that may be confusing right now, but it means that your D#, G# and A# from the example above could also be Eb, Ab, and Bb respectively. All 3 of these notes fit together in a number of keys, like C natural minor, or Ab Major.

Anyway, that is probably more confusing than anything right now. I have to take off, but I will write some more later when I get home.
 
Play the keyboard, go through every key in an octave, see which notes "fit" with the underlying bassline and the feeling you want to project....who cares which mode or scale you're in? That stuff is for people who are useless unless they have sheet music in front of them. I know this really, really good classical piano player, she'll bust out the Rachmaninovs and whatnot, but if you ask her to "lay down a groove" or play a basic blues progression -> totally clueless. Absolutely unable to improvise, unable to compose original stuff...it's like instrument karaoke. So unless you're a classical musician playing in a symphony orchestra, you don't need theory. You need an ear and some technical ability, that's it! So learn technique in order to apply it to what you want your ears to hear!
 
Oh ok... so if its all white keys its C major or A minor?.

K, so what if I have C, D, E, G, A, B. Say D, G, A are sharps. Is there a scale for this?. How would I know which scale to look for?

Arranging alphabetically:

A# B C D# E F G#​

Recast as Flats

Bb B C Eb E F Ab​

Rearrange

F Ab Bb B C Eb E​

If we lose the E we have the Blues scale in F, so this is an altered blues scale.



Play the keyboard, go through every key in an octave, see which notes "fit" with the underlying bassline and the feeling you want to project....who cares which mode or scale you're in? That stuff is for people who are useless unless they have sheet music in front of them.

Sure you are not an alter ego for emmapeel9???

Jazz players, the epitome of improvisers, know all this stuff like the back of their hands. The only thing that your anecdote about your friend who plays Rachmaninoff tells me is that she was never taught to improvise, as here teachers had different ideas about her learning structure; your use of it to belittle her and others you perceive to be like her, only shows you for the bigot you are.

Dude I play in both spheres and I do improvise, using my knowledge of theory to guide me in making choices where I am on uncertain ground, but for the most part I just let the music rip. I even improvise ala George Benson, where I sing what I am playing as I play it.

Hey bandcoach,

Whats the process of finding the possible scales through the melody?. Say I have 6 different notes. Where do I go from there?.

Arrange them alphabetically.

Compare them against the written out forms of each scale.

x means double sharp
Major
C D E F G A B
D E F# G A B C#
E F# G# A B C# D#
F G A Bb C D E
G A B C D E F#
A B C# D E F# G#
B C# D# E F# G# A#
C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
D# E# Fx G# A# B# Cx
F# G# A# B C# D# E#
G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx
A# B# Cx D# E# Fx Gx
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
Eb F G Ab Bb C D
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
Bb C D Eb F G A

Natural minor
C DEb F G Ab Bb
D E F G A Bb C
E F# G A B C D
F GAb Bb C Db Eb
G A Bb C D Eb F
A B C D E F G
B C# D E F# G A
C# D# E F# G# A B
D# E# F# G# A# B C#
F# G# A B C# D E
G# A# B C# D# E F#
A# B# C# D# E# F# G#
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bbb Cb
Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Ebb Fb
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb
Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab

Harmonic minor
C DEb F G Ab B
D E F G A Bb C#
E F# G A B C D#
F GAb Bb C Db E
G A Bb C D Eb F#
A B C D E F G#
B C# D E F# G A#
C# D# E F# G# A B#
D# E# F# G# A# B Cx
F# G# A B C# D E#
G# A# B C# D# E Fx
A# B# C# D# E# F# Gx
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bbb C
Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb D
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Ebb F
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb G
Bb C Db Eb F Gb A

Melodic minor
C DEb F G A B
D E F G A B C#
E F# G A B C# D#
F GAb Bb C D E
G A Bb C D E F#
A B C D E F# G#
B C# D E F# G# A#
C# D# E F# G# A# B#
D# E# F# G# A# B# Cx
F# G# A B C# D# E#
G# A# B C# D# E# Fx
A# B# C# D# E# Fx Gx
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb C
Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Eb F
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G
Bb C Db Eb F G A

Modes are simply starting the scale on a different note within that scale.

The major scale modes have names

1st Ionian
2nd Dorian
3rd Phrygian
4th Lydian
5th Mixolydian
6th Aeolian
7th Locrian

Modes 1, 4 and 5 have a major modality
Modes 2, 3 and 6 have a minor modality
Mode 7 is a diminished mode.

The minor scale modes have names from other cultures and are given specific names in jazz, but are usually referred to as the nth mode of the {type of} minor scale. For harmonic minor mode names look up klezmer.
 
Arranging alphabetically:
A# B C D# E F G#​
Recast as Flats
Bb B C Eb E F Ab​
Rearrange
F Ab Bb B C Eb E​
If we lose the E we have the Blues scale in F, so this is an altered blues scale.





Sure you are not an alter ego for emmapeel9???

Jazz players, the epitome of improvisers, know all this stuff like the back of their hands. The only thing that your anecdote about your friend who plays Rachmaninoff tells me is that she was never taught to improvise, as here teachers had different ideas about her learning structure; your use of it to belittle her and others you perceive to be like her, only shows you for the bigot you are.

Dude I play in both spheres and I do improvise, using my knowledge of theory to guide me in making choices where I am on uncertain ground, but for the most part I just let the music rip. I even improvise ala George Benson, where I sing what I am playing as I play it.



Arrange them alphabetically.

Compare them against the written out forms of each scale.

x means double sharp
Major
C D E F G A B
D E F# G A B C#
E F# G# A B C# D#
F G A Bb C D E
G A B C D E F#
A B C# D E F# G#
B C# D# E F# G# A#
C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
D# E# Fx G# A# B# Cx
F# G# A# B C# D# E#
G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx
A# B# Cx D# E# Fx Gx
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
Eb F G Ab Bb C D
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
Bb C D Eb F G A

Natural minor
C DEb F G Ab Bb
D E F G A Bb C
E F# G A B C D
F GAb Bb C Db Eb
G A Bb C D Eb F
A B C D E F G
B C# D E F# G A
C# D# E F# G# A B
D# E# F# G# A# B C#
F# G# A B C# D E
G# A# B C# D# E F#
A# B# C# D# E# F# G#
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bbb Cb
Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Ebb Fb
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb
Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab

Harmonic minor
C DEb F G Ab B
D E F G A Bb C#
E F# G A B C D#
F GAb Bb C Db E
G A Bb C D Eb F#
A B C D E F G#
B C# D E F# G A#
C# D# E F# G# A B#
D# E# F# G# A# B Cx
F# G# A B C# D E#
G# A# B C# D# E Fx
A# B# C# D# E# F# Gx
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bbb C
Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb D
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Ebb F
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb G
Bb C Db Eb F Gb A

Melodic minor
C DEb F G A B
D E F G A B C#
E F# G A B C# D#
F GAb Bb C D E
G A Bb C D E F#
A B C D E F# G#
B C# D E F# G# A#
C# D# E F# G# A# B#
D# E# F# G# A# B# Cx
F# G# A B C# D# E#
G# A# B C# D# E# Fx
A# B# C# D# E# Fx Gx
Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb C
Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D
Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Eb F
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G
Bb C Db Eb F G A

Modes are simply starting the scale on a different note within that scale.

The major scale modes have names

1st Ionian
2nd Dorian
3rd Phrygian
4th Lydian
5th Mixolydian
6th Aeolian
7th Locrian

Modes 1, 4 and 5 have a major modality
Modes 2, 3 and 6 have a minor modality
Mode 7 is a diminished mode.

The minor scale modes have names from other cultures and are given specific names in jazz, but are usually referred to as the nth mode of the {type of} minor scale. For harmonic minor mode names look up klezmer.



dude, you;'re the shit lol...but i have another question..i've heard the term before but have no idea what it means or how to use it... you said "x" is double sharp..... can you provide a brief description of what that is?
 
1.but for the most part I just let the music rip.

2. I even improvise ala George Benson, where I sing what I am playing as I play it.

1. That's not the impression you give off with all this over-saturation of useless theory on the forum. Seems more like you have an obsessive need to show-off your knowledge of theory.

2. That's doesn't mean it sounds any good. I actually doubt it does.
 
dude, you;'re the shit lol...but i have another question..i've heard the term before but have no idea what it means or how to use it... you said "x" is double sharp..... can you provide a brief description of what that is?

Ever notice that very few people talk about E#, preferring instead to use F, and they use B instead of Cb? This si because we don't like talking about # and b notes that aren't on black keys (a piano-centric bias, nothing more)

However , for the scale forms to work (TTSTTTS for the major and other patterns for the minors) we have to use each note name just once.

E.G.
C D E F G A B (C) the last C is finishing at the octave.​

Now lets move to a key where we require the double sharp at some point in the scale:

G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx

The Fx is actually the same as the note G in piano terms. On every other instrument, though, it is slightly sharper than a G.

We don't name the notes of the scale like so

G# A# B# C# D# E# G,​

because that leaves this scale with a note name/pitch class missing - F.

So we use the Fx to show the note.

Of course it makes more sense to use the flat version of this scale:

Ab Bb C Db Eb F G​

No abnormal note names here.

We can also have double flats (bb), but they tend to crop up less often in notation.
 
Ever notice that very few people talk about E#, preferring instead to use F, and they use B instead of Cb? This si because we don't like talking about # and b notes that aren't on black keys (a piano-centric bias, nothing more)

However , for the scale forms to work (TTSTTTS for the major and other patterns for the minors) we have to use each note name just once.

E.G.
C D E F G A B (C) the last C is finishing at the octave.​
Now lets move to a key where we require the double sharp at some point in the scale:
G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx
The Fx is actually the same as the note G in piano terms. On every other instrument, though, it is slightly sharper than a G.

We don't name the notes of the scale like so
G# A# B# C# D# E# G,​
because that leaves this scale with a note name/pitch class missing - F.

So we use the Fx to show the note.

Of course it makes more sense to use the flat version of this scale:
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G​
No abnormal note names here.

We can also have double flats (bb), but they tend to crop up less often in notation.



i really appreciate you taking the time to break this stuff down and really explain it.. i have another question tho lol

I was reading about the "pocket sax" AKA The Xaphoon, and in their webstore, they have one that was made a lil differently from the others..let me quote: "This instrument is ideal for jazz musicians and others who already 'think' in Bb.."

That made me think a little bit, because on another site I was reading about music theory and stuff, it had mentioned Bb as being a rare scale, or maybe just difficult. I can't remember which.. But my question for you, since you seem to know alot more than me, is what is so special about Bb? And are there other "obscure" scales out there, that may be "rare" in a sense that they aren't used very often? If so, why is it that they aren't used very often?


So that was more than 1 question....looks like 3 haha But hopefully you can clear up my curiosity lol
 
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i really appreciate you taking the time to break this stuff down and really explain it.. i have another question tho lol

I was reading about the "pocket sax" AKA The Xaphoon, and in their webstore, they have one that was made a lil differently from the others..let me quote: "This instrument is ideal for jazz musicians and others who already 'think' in Bb.."

That made me think a little bit, because on another site I was reading about music theory and stuff, it had mentioned Bb as being a rare scale, or maybe just difficult. I can't remember which.. But my question for you, since you seem to know alot more than me, is what is so special about Bb? And are there other "obscure" scales out there, that may be "rare" in a sense that they aren't used very often? If so, why is it that they aren't used very often?

Ok, the phrase "think in Bb" is the key point in their advertising.

Every pitched instrument works on the basis of harmonics one way or another.

The brass are built so that they play the harmonic series of Bb or F, sometimes Eb. However, with the exception of the bass instruments (Trombones, tubas, etc), when reading music to play these instruments, they read the music in the treble clef and as if the fundamental of the instrument was C. So a trumpeter reads a C major scale but the sound produced is the Bb major scale. The trumpet is a transposing instrument: It is played in one key but sounds in another key. The same is true for the Horn plays in F or Bb, the cornet and the flugelhorn play in Bb. the trumpet sometimes is also built in C and D.

All players in a Salvation Army Brass band are taught to read all of their instruments in the treble clef and as if the instrument were in C even though it sounds in Bb. This allowed for easy progression through the band as a player became more skilled and also allowed for quick substitutions when some players were absent.

On a side note, the modern Horn player actually transposes most of their music at sight, as Horn parts prior to 1840 were mostly written for crooked horns. Crooks are lengths of pipe that are inserted into a horn to lengthen or shorten the overall length of the horn and thus change key. So in a score we might see a part for Horns in E, but the notes are written as if they were in C major. The Crook took care of the transposition (changing the sounding key) and the player played as if the horn were in C.

Woodwind instruments generally are built in the key that produces the best sound quality.

Flutes are built in C and a c major scale sounds as a c major scale.

The clarinet is built in Bb or A or Eb. When they play a C major scale it sounds as a Bb major scale or an A major scale or an Eb major scale. They are transposing instruments. Some C clarinets exist, but mostly to prove why they don't make them in C.

The saxophone family is based on the idea that one player can play all of the instruments because they use the same fingerings regardless of the size of the instrument.

In size from smallest to largest they are:
Sopranino: Eb
Soprano: Bb (same pitch as the clarinet)
Alto: Eb
Tenor: Bb
Baritone: Eb
Bass: Bb
Contrabass: Eb
Double Contrabass: Bb

I actually have a relative of the Xaphoon, the Clarisax and it does use saxophone fingerings and sounds in Bb.

The Irish tin whistles are built in different keys. I have them in G F Eb D C Bb, high to low. This allows the player to again learn tunes in one set of fingerings and then play them in different keys depending on what accompaniment is available.

The recorder is built in C or F and has a similar range of instruments as the saxophone family.

The Oboe and Bassoon are both built in C.
 
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After you have the theory down, why not take an easy route like using software to determine scales given notes - click in notes, click 'Scale list', and so on...
 
because it is not always that easy

pattern matching is all well and good, but ultimately the notes may not be forming a recognisable scale as such.

The Goa trance scale is an example:

D Eb F G A Bb C# D

render it as

1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7 8 or

S T T T S T1/2 S

for the pattern

There are many thousands of scales and to create a program that would give a reasonable response for a given set of notes is not a trivial exercise. Each of the "standard" scales, has seven modes. These must be presented as alternatives for that collection of notes. For one key note, there are 28 possible scales/modes.
 
Ok, the phrase "think in Bb" is the key point in their advertising.

Every pitched instrument works on the basis of harmonics one way or another.

The brass are built so that they play the harmonic series of Bb or F, sometimes Eb. However, with the exception of the bass instruments (Trombones, tubas, etc), when reading music to play these instruments, they read the music in the treble clef and as if the fundamental of the instrument was C. So a trumpeter reads a C major scale but the sound produced is the Bb major scale. The trumpet is a transposing instrument: It is played in one key but sounds in another key. The same is true for the Horn plays in F or Bb, the cornet and the flugelhorn play in Bb. the trumpet sometimes is also built in C and D.

All players in a Salvation Army Brass band are taught to read all of their instruments in the treble clef and as if the instrument were in C even though it sounds in Bb. This allowed for easy progression through the band as a player became more skilled and also allowed for quick substitutions when some players were absent.

On a side note, the modern Horn player actually transposes most of their music at sight, as Horn parts prior to 1840 were mostly written for crooked horns. Crooks are lengths of pipe that are inserted into a horn to lengthen or shorten the overall length of the horn and thus change key. So in a score we might see a part for Horns in E, but the notes are written as if they were in C major. The Crook took care of the transposition (changing the sounding key) and the player played as if the horn were in C.

Woodwind instruments generally are built in the key that produces the best sound quality.

Flutes are built in C and a c major scale sounds as a c major scale.

The clarinet is built in Bb or A or Eb. When they play a C major scale it sounds as a Bb major scale or an A major scale or an Eb major scale. They are transposing instruments. Some C clarinets exist, but mostly to prove why they don't make them in C.

The saxophone family is based on the idea that one player can play all of the instruments because they use the same fingerings regardless of the size of the instrument.

In size from smallest to largest they are:
Sopranino: Eb
Soprano: Bb (same pitch as the clarinet)
Alto: Eb
Tenor: Bb
Baritone: Eb
Bass: Bb
Contrabass: Eb
Double Contrabass: Bb
I actually have a relative of the Xaphoon, the Clarisax and it does use saxophone fingerings and sounds in Bb.

The Irish tin whistles are built in different keys. I have them in G F Eb D C Bb, high to low. This allows the player to again learn tunes in one set of fingerings and then play them in different keys depending on what accompaniment is available.

The recorder is built in C or F and has a similar range of instruments as the saxophone family.

The Oboe and Bassoon are both built in C.


wow...thank you sir..i really appreciate all of your detailed replies!

I didnt know any of that haha...had no idea a player would read music in the key of C, yet it actually plays in a different key..Thats interesting, and I'll look more into it since I finally now am trying to wrap my head around all of this..I'm somewhat new at piano..There's still tons for me to learn and practice, but I'd like to get it down to the point I can pick up any instrument and play half decent lol..thanks again!

---------- Post added 04-03-2011 at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was 03-22-2011 at 09:42 PM ----------

I have another question..

This time I'm in the E Melodic Minor scale... (In FL Studio)

I make a blank channel just to fill in the scale in the piano roll, for reference while I'm playing other instruments to make sure I stay in scale..

But I noticed something..

E Melodic is: E F# G A B C# D#

But when I go to make, lets say a C#m chord...I would need C#, E, Ab.... But Ab is NOT in the E Melodic minor scale.....So, would the proper way to do this, would I move that Ab up to an A, or down to a G?

Its confusing me because I use "Ghost Notes" in my piano roll..so I can see when a note does or does not land on the correct note in the scale...I'm seeing this problem laying out minor chords with the following: A, B, C#, and G chords..

The easy way I learned chords is counting the amount of spaces between each note. Ex. Cm...
You hit the C, count 2 keys, and hit the 3rd (Eb), count 3 keys and hit the G..C,Eb,G.....Cminor.
But its not working out with said chords/scale I'm using....so any help to clear this little mishap up would be appreciated! Thanks
 
I have another question..

This time I'm in the E Melodic Minor scale... (In FL Studio)

I make a blank channel just to fill in the scale in the piano roll, for reference while I'm playing other instruments to make sure I stay in scale..

But I noticed something..

E Melodic is: E F# G A B C# D#

But when I go to make, lets say a C#m chord...I would need C#, E, Ab.... But Ab is NOT in the E Melodic minor scale.....So, would the proper way to do this, would I move that Ab up to an A, or down to a G?

Its confusing me because I use "Ghost Notes" in my piano roll..so I can see when a note does or does not land on the correct note in the scale...I'm seeing this problem laying out minor chords with the following: A, B, C#, and G chords..

The easy way I learned chords is counting the amount of spaces between each note. Ex. Cm...
You hit the C, count 2 keys, and hit the 3rd (Eb), count 3 keys and hit the G..C,Eb,G.....Cminor.
But its not working out with said chords/scale I'm using....so any help to clear this little mishap up would be appreciated! Thanks

No Mishap. The nature of the scale.

When building your chords, however, you should be using the Harmonic minor scale or borrowing from the tonic major scale.

E harmonic minor EF#GABCD#E
Chords:
Emin | F#dim | GAug .| Amin | B dom | C Maj | D#dim |
EGB .| F#AC .| GBD# .| ACE .| BD#F# | CEG ..| D#F#A |
i . .| iib5 .| III#5 | iv . | V . . | bVI . | viib5 |


E major EF#G#ABC#D#E
Chords:

E . .| F#min | G#min .| A . .| B dom | C#min | D#dim |
EG#B | F#AC# | G#BD# .| AC#E | BD#F# | C#EG# | D#F#A |
I . .| ii . .| iii . .| IV . | V . . | vi . .| viib5 |


If you are using the melodic minor scale both ascending and descending then you are using what is known as the Jazz minor scale.

This brings a new approach to harmonisation and a new set of chords yet again.

E jazz minor EF#GABC#D#E
Chords:

E . .| F#min | GAug .| A . .| B dom | C#dim | D#dim |
EG#B | F#AC# | GBD# .| AC#E | BD#F# | C#EG .| D#F#A |
I . .| ii . .| III#5 | IV . | V . . | vib5 .| viib5 |


In the end though, you can borrow chords from anywhere to make the harmony you want. just as you can borrow individual notes from anywhere to make the melodic flow that you want.
 
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