[Smt-talk] Double Harmonic Major and Minor

[Ninov, Dimitar N]

Dear Martin,

Thank you, and with your permission, I will disagree, in principle.

Firstly, I think we shall be aware of the fact that harmonic and melodic scales are both sources of harmony and melody, with different emphasis, depending on style and historical period. For instance, in the common practice period, most typical modal interaction brings about harmonic major and harmonic minor as artificial scales, outside of the pure diatonic system. Harmonic major gives rise to the nice minor S, the half-diminished SII7, and the fully diminished VII7. Whether you call these chords "borrowed" or "harmonic major chords" does not matter - you will be describing the same process. The same is the situation with harmonic minor, which bears the active dominants V, V7 and the fully diminished VII7, as well as the less typical augmented III. Whether you call these chords borrowed or "harmonic minor chords" does not matter - harmonic minor, as a scale, is a typical result of modal interaction. 

Melodic minor and melodic major have probably been born to eliminate the augmented second between 6 and 7 in the harmonic modes, that is - for melodic purposes. Still, chords are derived from these scales, such as major S, minor II and and half-diminished VI7 in melodic minor, as well as major bVII and minor V in melodic major. Melodic minor is more frequent in the common practice period than melodic major, which is an event, related to late romanticism and tonal music of the XX century, including popular music and jazz. 

All of the above scales must be studied in theory one as altered versions of natural major and natural minor - as a part of the so-called expanded diatonic system (although some of them give rise to really altered chords and intervals). It is ridiculous to tell the students that more chords are possible in a minor key than in a major key, for the number and the quality of those chords (at the level of triad and seventh chord) is absolutely the same in both modes. Such statements, with all my respect to different authors, are based on incompetence and on the false assumption that, while there are three minor scales, there is only one major scale... Someone may have imagined once that scale degrees 5 and 6 in major are cemented forever and do not fluctuate, or if they do, this is a special event called "modal mixture", while if degrees 6 and 7 of minor fluctuate, this is not  "modal mixture" but harmonic and melodic minor. This is the same as saying that apple is fruit, but pear is not, because it is different than the apple. Unfortunately, the inflexible and old-fashioned manner essential musicianship and theory one are taught, is too detached from musical practices (even in the common practice period, which, for some teachers, begins with Bach and ends with Schubert) and locks students' minds in a box, out of which it is hard to get. My advice to younger colleagues is to not engage themselves with general statements that border sheer incompetence, but to teach old modes and the expanded diatonic system (harmonic and melodic major and minor together) in an elementary theory course, such as essential musicianship or theory one. Everything must begin with the pure diatonic system of old modes, which is the core of tonality.

As for the double harmonic versions of major and minor, the name double harmonic is very popular per se. These are exotic scales which also give rise to harmonies. I do not know about Moroco or India, but on the Balkan peninsula these scales and mixtures of them yield fine harmonizations. For example,  In an enormous number of Bulgarian folk songs and instrumental pieces, double harmonic major mixes with melodic major to achieve a progression of I - bII - bVII - I, which is very characteristic of our tradition. In this kind of style there is no leading tone, but there is tonality, of course.  In the form of a joke, which reveals a true fact: the popular subdominant German 6+ chord resides within double harmonic minor, as a true IV7 chord (with a raised root). The dominant German 6+ may be found in double harmonic major, as a true VII7 chord (with a lowered third). This is quite a nice practical angle to view things, is it not?

Yes, we have to keep in mind the differences in comas between an augmented prime and a minor second, but in the well-tempered system we have to find relatively simple ways of analyzing different genres, including folk and jazz pieces, which make use of those scales.

Thank you,

Dimitar

Dr. Dimitar Ninov, Lecturer
School of Music
Texas State University
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666