Contents
1. Reviewing Tonal Gravitation
Now, as we reach the end of Chapter III, there’s a task we’d like to address: the discussion about the tonal gravitation in the minor scale.
The difference between C Major and A Minor, which are in a “relative” relationship, lies only in the cognitive tonal center. So, how does each note get influenced by this difference in perception? In the initial stages of Chapter I, the explanation concluded with a rough explanation like, “While la is usually a ‘minion’ note, it becomes the boss when in a minor key environment, attracting others.“
However, now with increased knowledge of chords and awareness of the “shell,” it feels like we’ve reached a stage where we can properly digest the incomplete parts.
This is a Bonus Episode
To be honest, if you’re not particularly interested in tonal gravitation theory (as you feel you’ve grasped it well intuitively), this episode may not be important. It’s a discussion that remains in the abstract world, and even if you skip this part, it won’t hinder your understanding of the upcoming content. This episode is meant to be an explanatory episode for those who specifically want to study the finer details of tonal gravitation theory.
2. Tendency Changes in Minor Keys
Upon reexamination, in a minor key, the note la becomes the leader, organizing the structure of the music.
Firstly, the principle of stability/instability remains unchanged from the major scale. In other words, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes are stable tones, while the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th notes become unstable notes1.
Then, it becomes evident that in most of the tones the stable/unstable characters remain unchanged from the major key state. In fact, only two notes change: so and la.
| Note | In Major | In Minor |
|---|---|---|
| Do | Stable | Stable |
| Re | Unstable | Unstable |
| Mi | Stable | Stable |
| Fa | Unstable | Unstable |
| So | Stable | Unstable |
| La | Unstable | Stable |
| Ti | Unstable | Unstable |
Well, though each tone involves slight changes in its detailed behavior, for now, the only changes in this binary grouping are just so and la. It’s a simple story!
Role Reversal: So and La
A reversal of roles—In major keys, so is the master and la is the servant, but in minor keys, their roles are completely reversed.
However, no matter how much la wields authority, the distance between so–la is a “whole-step” apart. The original reason for the strong tendency of fa and ti was the smooth half-steps, so this difference is significant. Therefore, the so→la attraction is weaker compared to ti→do.
Metaphorically speaking, the “minor key empire” is under threat. To address this, in the Classical era, people started to raise so by a half-step and bring it closer to la—The genesis of the Harmonic Minor introduced at the beginning of Chapter III.
Thinking about minor scales from the perspective of tonal gravitation theory, a deeper understanding of the relationships between scales can be achieved.
Common Factors
Another common change for other notes is that by progressing to la, a sense of cadence is produced.
Motions like do→la and re→la can be viewed as “resolutions” in minor key.
Or the ti→la motion, which works as a small “betrayal” scenario in major keys, becomes a completely normal operation in minor keys (There is a complex psychology here, where the “half-step gravitation” and the “gravitation towards the tonic” are in competition).
What about the other strong tendency tone, fa?
About the Strong Tendency Note Fa
In the context of the minor scale, fa maintains a consistently strong downward tendency2. Rather, factors that are likely to further increase dependence on mi have emerged—the so above it is no longer a stable tone.
If resolving upward, fa must move up by two-step, fa–so–la. This condition makes mi, to which fa can resolve in just a semitone, an even more compelling target.
However, the situation is not ideal for la, because this means that fa tend to refuse the acsending motions like fa–so–la. This led to the development of the “Melodic Minor”, aimed at enhancing the beauty of the mi–fa–so–la sequence.
Similar to the “Harmonic Minor”, the scale introduced in the early articles of Chapter III.
Upon closer inspection, this “A Melodic Minor Scale” differs from the “A Major Scale” by only one note. Here, you can see a subtle “admiration” for the robust and well-balanced melodic gravitation structure of the Major Scale.
