At 4:12 PM +0100 4/19/12, Steve Parker wrote: >'Melodic minor' is neither a key nor a mode. It >is a melodic or harmonic choice within a minor >key (or momentary minor key).
Which is to say that it's a variation of the natural minor scale (also known as Glarean's Aeolian mode). And so is the harmonic minor, of course. But what matters to a performer (at least to a string player) is the scale fingering, so for us there really ARE three choices, whatever labels you care to hang on them. And rather few common practice period works actually USE the natural minor because of a desire to hear those silly leading tones. John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music School of Performing Arts & Cinema College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences 290 College Ave., Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[email protected]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html "Machen Sie es, wie Sie wollen, machen Sie es nur schön." (Do it as you like, just make it beautiful!) --Johannes Brahms _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
