Page 1 of 4

Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:22 pm
by .onelove.
So I've built a basslines around the above three notes, yeah it's fairly dissonant but thats the feel I'm going after.

But I'm struggling to find a scale that incorporates all three notes to build chords/melodies from my other instruments. I know the obvious answer is "just play what sounds good", but being an amateur keyboard player I don't want something that just sounds well out of key.

What do?

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:39 pm
by JFK
.onelove. wrote:So I've built a basslines around the above three notes, yeah it's fairly dissonant but thats the feel I'm going after.

But I'm struggling to find a scale that incorporates all three notes to build chords/melodies from my other instruments. I know the obvious answer is "just play what sounds good", but being an amateur keyboard player I don't want something that just sounds well out of key.

What do?
Could you switch your bassline to be G, A, A# instead? Then it fits with the key of G minor....

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:45 pm
by buttock
There is no traditional scale with these three notes. They are all one semitone apart and what is typically considered a scale has no two semitones after another. What I would try is not to use full chords but something like combinations of fifths (7 semitones) and octaves (12 semitones). G#- D#- G#, A-E-A, A#-E#-A#.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:32 pm
by VirtualMark
a minor phrygian mode: A Bb(A#) C D E F G A

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:35 pm
by Killamike49
It's the D# blues scale. I think..... The blues scale is just the pentatonic with an added note between the 3rd and 4th notes.
It's called a passing tone when you play a note out of scale chromatically, and it can sound good, if used right.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:44 pm
by VirtualMark
I might be wrong but this is how i've got D#(Eb) blues wrote down: Eb - Eb Gb Ab A Bb Db Eb

so it wouldn't work. did you mean the E blues? E - E G A A# B D E

scales aren't my strong point so i'd appreciate it if anyone can confirm/deny this?

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:12 pm
by buttock
E-blues is correct.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:23 pm
by bassinine
and even if a note doesn't go in the scale, if it sounds good, it works. plenty of blues/beatles/you-name-a-band songs stray and use notes outside of their keys. great for transitions to borrow chords or notes.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:47 pm
by dansheep13
How about a minor blues pentatonic? Just like a regular pentatonic scale but with the extra semitone as a passing note. Sounds good on bass, dunno about electronic.

So it would be the Eb Minor blues pentatonic of: Eb Gb Ab(G sharp) A Bb Db and back to Eb. (I know it actually has 6 notes not 5 but it works, especially when using the A as more of a passing note than a root note)

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:35 pm
by RmoniK
You guys are alll thinking this true too hard. There is something like chromatic progression you know. It happens to be very, very popular in dubstep. Load of tunes just go F F F E F F# F# F or something like that, with F being the root note. No sweat.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:51 pm
by bassinine
RmoniK wrote:You guys are alll thinking this true too hard. There is something like chromatic progression you know. It happens to be very, very popular in dubstep. Load of tunes just go F F F E F F# F# F or something like that, with F being the root note. No sweat.
yeah... as with any bassline, it's about intervals.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:55 pm
by Today
tons of keys/scales could work
Why not just do parallel motion, G# minor, A minor, Bb minor, in chords.. proper eeriness

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:21 pm
by Eat Bass
Today wrote:tons of keys/scales could work
Why not just do parallel motion, G# minor, A minor, Bb minor, in chords.. proper eeriness
i really need to get some scales down pat and learn some chord progressions. its getting sickening having to look up these things and just being stumped not having an idea where to go next.

i just find it easier to learn more technical things on the production side, rather than the actual composition.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:48 pm
by ChadDub
G Minor.

G A Bb/A# C D Eb F G

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:01 pm
by Today
dude, chad.. the first note mentioned was G#. why would you choose G minor
unless going for a phrygian/locrian feel, and in that case, the A natural is out. There are no basic conventional western scales that include three consecutive chromatics.

It could be the middle of a blues scale, as in Eb blues --- Eb, Gb, Ab, A, Bb (G#, A, A#) , Db



[edit] without hearing the track its impossible, but i think A harmonic minor would be dope
(A minor with a G#) then on those A# bits, its highly dissonant against the A minor scale, but resolves into the A

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:06 pm
by VirtualMark
Today wrote:dude, chad.. the first note mentioned was G#. why would you choose G minor
dammit, i made the same mistake.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:08 pm
by ChadDub
Oh my bad lol. You could always use the A note as a Blue note in the minor scale if you use A# Minor.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:49 pm
by blinx
all scales... and at the same time NONE!!!!!!!! :o

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:11 pm
by apastrat
blues is the obvious one

http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/piano/
look under "exotic scales" list. i allready spotted a few from the first 10-15 scales.

Re: Finding a scale around G#, A, and A#

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:31 pm
by Turnipish_Thoughts
reaper has a scale finder. type in/play in the notes and it whittles down what scales the notes are in. Reaper is free to trial. :W: