Getting the Notes

[michael sam wild]

I've been exploring tunes again as I'm trying to teach myself musical theory

 

I started with 'Northern Lass' an air or waltz tune in 3/4 in A minor that I first heard on 'Beggar Boy of the North' LP from Cookfinger Jack in the 70s and then from Brian Peters in 2005 on his CD Anglophilia It goes back to playford 1669

 

I started by putting down 3 crotchets (8th notes ) per bar , in a regular fashion, then working out the

tune as it sounded to my ear.

 

The tune seems to throw up a b flat quite naturally and I'd like someone to explain how that happens in the key of A minor

 

Can anyone explain A min Aeolian or A min Dorian first of all?

[frogspawn]

Can anyone explain A min Aeolian or A min Dorian first of all?

 

You should be able to find lots of articles about modes on the Internet.

 

If you take the Major Scale (Ionian Mode) as your starting point and flatten the third, sixth and seventh notes you will get the Minor Key or Aeolian Mode. If you flatten only the third and seventh notes you will get the Dorian Mode. The easiest way to investigate modes is to just play the white notes on a keyboard. The octave starting at C will be Ionian, D will be Dorian, A will be Aeolian, and G will be Mixolydian. These are the main modes encountered in folk music from Britain and Ireland, though quite a few tunes have no sixth note and could therefore be regarded as Aeolian or Dorian.

 

If you want to compare A Aeolian and A Dorian, play the white notes starting at A but sharpen the F (F#) to get the Dorian. It's not the absolute pitch that matters but the differing sequence of tones and semitones depending on where you start.

[Henk van Aalten]

Can anyone explain A min Aeolian or A min Dorian first of all?

Just have a look at http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/!! You can play around and discover all kinds of modes and chords.

 

have fun

[tombilly]

Here's a site I found useful when trying to figure these things out: http://www.slowplayers.org/SCTLS/modes.htm

 

It's important to understand the home note or the note the tune might resolve to, that which you would hold at the end of the tune if you were not following with another in a set. A Dorian resolves to A but is played with only one sharp - F#. The C and G which would be sharpened in A Major are flattened. In Irish trad at any rate, the C natural or flat is an important note.

[Christian Husmann]

Hello Henk,

 

I hope you are well!

I tried to open the site you mentioned and my internet security software instantly blocked the site saying it wasn´t good for me...

Anyone else this experience?

 

Greetings from chilly Germany

Christian

 

Can anyone explain A min Aeolian or A min Dorian first of all?

Just have a look at http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/!! You can play around and discover all kinds of modes and chords.

 

have fun

Edited December 29, 2008 by Christian Husmann

[Pete Dunk]

Anyone else this experience?

 

Yes, my Norton software blocked an attempted security breach when I followed the link too.

[Hereward]

Anyone else this experience?

 

Yes, my Norton software blocked an attempted security breach when I followed the link too.

 

That's strange because I have pretty impressive software on this brand new PC and had no problems.

 

Ian

Edited December 29, 2008 by Hereward

[miikae]

My Avira security software did the same and blocked me too .

 

 

Mike

[jlfinkels]

My Avira security software did the same and blocked me too .

 

 

Mike

 

Works fine on a Mac using Safari web browser.

[polutropos]

My Avira security software did the same and blocked me too .

 

 

Mike

 

Meanwhile Avira lets me straight in without a bleep! Anyway I'm having no problems exploring this excellent resource, thanks tombilly.