THE MINOR 7(b5) OR HALF-DIMINISHED CHORD

First of all we need to understand that the two names: either m7(b5) or Half-
Diminished indifferently refer to the exact same chord. It really is just a matter of
semantics or personal choice...

Let's examine the chord:

Built on a C root, we have: C Eb Gb Bb, respectively the Root, the m3, the dim 5, and
the m7. In a chart it may be found written as Cm7(b5) or as CØ

We have three basic (but a bit conflicting) ways to look at the chord:

1. We can see it as a Minor 7th chord of which the Fifth is lowered by a 1/2 step--
that is why some people call it a m7(b5) chord.
It should be noted here that the Half-Diminished chord pretty much always
functions as a ii of something (often a ii of iii, or ii of ii) which is why it seems
convenient to think of it as a variation of a ii chord-- hence the appellation
m7(b5).
2. The 4 notes of the Half-Diminished chord are also the notes of an inverted Minor
6 chord (third inversion). For instance:
Cm7(b5) = Ebm6 with the 6th in the bass (sometimes written as Ebm6/C or
simply Ebm/C)
Which means that in the key of Db, Cm7(b5) is both vii and/or an inversion of ii...
but it is also ii of vi...
3. Finally, another perspective is that we can see our chord as a Diminished chord
of which the Seventh is raised by a 1/2 step-- that is why some other people
prefer to call it a Half-Diminished chord. By the way, remember that the 7th of a
Diminished chord is actually a M6th...
Since the chord is built on a Diminished Triad (C Eb Gb) it seems that it would
make sense to think of it as belonging to the Diminished family.

FUNCTIONAL HARMONY
Now, with those considerations out of the way, where can we find the m7(b5) or Half-
Diminished chord?

When deriving the diatonic seventh chords from the 4 Parent Scales (also called Source
Scales: see my other article on Chords & Scales) we will find our chord as:

The vii chord in Major, which is also the ii chord in its relative Minor (Natural Minor
scale).

 The ii chord in Harmonic Minor.

 The ii chord in Harmonic Major.
 The vi and vii chords in Melodic Minor.

If we look at a simple turnaround in a minor key, we generally expect to find:

 im6 - vim7(b5) - iim7(b5) - V7.

 In Cm this progression would give us:
 Cm6 - Am7(b5) - Dm7(b5) - G7

Let's look at some other examples:

 In the tune "Autumn Leaves" (in the key of Gm) the Am7(b5) in the 5th measure
is both the vii in Bb and the ii in Gm (the relative minor). Such a chord is known
as a "pivot chord" because it serves a function in the key that it is leaving, as well
as a function in the key that it is entering. A "pivot chord" usually makes a
modulation less abrupt.
 In "All The Things You Are" (in the key of Ab) the F#m7(b5) in the 21st measure is
also a "pivot chord". It is the vii in G (the key that is is leaving) as well as the ii in E
(the key that it is entering). Some of you might ask why the ii of a Major key such
as E can be a Half-Diminished chord when it should be a simple m7 chord? It is
what we call a "borrowed" chord: we can see it as coming from either the
parallel key of Em, or even from the E Harmonic Major diatonic system. The main
reason anyway is that the F#m7(b5) achieves a smoother modulation from G to
E.

USING THE CHORD AS A SUBSTITUTION

A simple substitution is to turn the m7 of a ii-V7 into a Half-Diminished chord. The
flatted 5th provides a peculiar tension without truly altering the quality of the chord.

If and when the melody allows it, a biim7(b5) can be substituted for a IMaj7 chord. In
"Meditation" by Antonio Carlos Jobim (in the key of C) an F#m7(b5) can be used instead
of the usual FMaj7 for the first two measures of the bridge. Think about it: F#m7(b5)
and FMaj7 have no less that 3 notes in common!

USING THE CHORD AS AN UPPER-STRUCTURE:

An upper-structure is a chord or an arpeggio that can be played OVER another chord

(and not necessarily INSTEAD of the original chord). The chosen upper-structure will be
played as a chord when comping, or as an arpeggiated single-note line when
improvising.

Remember that a Half-Diminished chord is an inversion of a m6 chord. When playing

the i chord in a Minor key (Tonic Minor) you can play a Half-Diminished chord from the
6th of that chord.

Ex. for Dm6 play Bm7(b5)

The most interesting uses of the Half-Diminished chord as an upper-structure are found
over Dominant chords:

 For C7(9) play Em7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the 3rd of

the dominant)
 For C+7(b9) play Bbm7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the 7th of
the dominant)
 For C7(#9 #11) play Cm7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the
Root of the dominant)
 For C7(#9 13) play Am7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the
13th of the dominant)
 For C7(#11 13) play F#m7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the
#11th of the dominant)
 For C7(b9 #9 #11 13) play D#m7(b5) (Half-Diminished upper-structure from the
#9th of the dominant)
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THE HALF-DIMINISHED CHORD

In the context of a iim7(b5)-V7 here are two common (but interesting) diatonic
substitutions for the ii chord:

 At the very beginning of "Night & Day" instead of Dm7(b5) - G7 we can substitute
AbMaj7 - G7.
The formula is to play a Maj7 chord from the b5 of the iim7(b5)
 At the very beginning of "I Love You" instead of Gm7(b5) - C7 we can substitute
Bbm7(9) - C7.
The formula is to play a m7 chord from the m3 of the iim7(b5)

Both examples work nicely because the V7 chord is approached either by a 1/2 step
(down) or by a whole-step (up) -- two pleasing root movements which also break the
monotony of a bass moving in perfect fourths.

THE bVII7 CHORD

Relax! The name is actually more intimidating than the chord itself!
So let's see: what is that unfriendly sounding name trying to tell us?
Simply that the bVII7 chord is nothing more than a Dominant chord
(7) that is built on the bVII degree of the key (Flat Seven aka the
Subtonic).
In a Major key, bVII is just a half-step below vii. If we are in the key
of C, the bVII7 chord is Bb7. It is borrowed from the parallel key of C
minor (bVII being the 7th degree of C Natural Minor).
Our bVII7 chord has a clearly-defined purpose in life: after a
temporary modulation (usually to the IV, and sometimes to the ii)
the bVII7 chord will take us back to the original key. It basically
works as a short-cut: straight back into the I Chord!!!
As it is the case with most dominants, bVII7 is often preceded by its
related iim7 chord. In the key of C, Bb7 may be preceded by Fm7.
Nothing extraordinary so far: Fm7 - Bb7 looks like an usual ii-V in Eb.
Except that here, we are not resolving to EbMaj7... but to CMaj7,
the I key.
Let's look at some Standard Tunes where we can find examples of
the bVII7 chord:

TUNES
We will encounter 3 uses of the bVII7:
1) The bVII7 occurs after a temporary modulation to the IV
(Subdominant) getting us back into the original key.
"There Will Never Be Another You" (Measure 10)
"But Not For Me" (measure 10)
"A Foggy Day" (measure 10)
"My Romance" (measure 9)
"Just Friends" (measure 4)
"Donna Lee" (measure 10)
"Misty" (measure 4)
"I Could Write A Book" (measure 28)
"I Thought About You" (measure 10)
"Cherokee" (measure 7)

You get the idea, but here are 2 more examples that might be even
more familiar:
in "Rhythm Changes" (in the A section, 2nd half of measure 6)
In a Blues progression (measure 6). Thelonious Monk used that
sound commonly when he played his Blues compositions. The bVII7
chord is often essential to the tune, such as in "Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-
Lues-Are" (aka "Bolivar Blues") or in "Blues Five Spot". By the way,
while we are talking about Monk, did you know that ALL of his Blues
tunes are in the key of Bb?. If you find "Straight, No Chaser" written
in the key of F in some Real Books, it is only because Miles Davis
recorded it in that key...
Note that the bVII7 can sometimes be played as a iv6.
Exemple: Bb7 (Bb D F Ab) = Fm6 (F Ab C D). The two chords are
pretty close since they have 3 notes in common. Remember that
Fm6 is Bb7(9) with the 5th in the bass.
"Out Of Nowhere" (in G) measure 28: F7(#11) or Cm6 are
interchangeable. Cm6 makes more sense when continuing on to
Bm7 (iiim7) because of the 1/2 step root movement.
"Rhythm Changes" (in Bb) measure 6 of A Section: Ab7 or Ebm6.
"All Of Me" (in C) measure 26: Bb7 or Fm6. Here are two common
ways to handle that particular section:
FMaj7 | Fm6 or Fm7 | Em7 | A7 | etc... or FMaj7 | Fm7 Bb7| CMaj7
| A7 |

2) The bVII7 occurs after a temporary modulation to the ii

(Supertonic). The purpose is still to take us back to the I chord--
swiftly and efficiently. Notice that ii7 happens to be the relative
minor of IV...?
"Stella By Starlight" (Ab7 in measure 21)
"It Could Happen To You" (in Eb: Db7 measure 10)
"I Should Care" (Bb7 in measure 8)
3) bVII7 functioning as the bII7/VI:
bVII7 may also function as the Tritone Substitution of V7 of VI. This
is the case when we approach the VI7 chord from a 1/2 step above,
instead of from a P5th above. I find it easier to think of the chord as
bII7 of VI.
In "The Days Of Wine And Roses" (measure 2) Eb7 goes down a 1/2
step to resolve into the VI7 chord: it is the bII7 of VI.
The tune "Donna Lee" (in Ab) will provide an example of both the
bVII7 and the bII7/VI functions, as we find the chord Gb7 in 2 rather
distinct situations:
 Second half of measure 1: Gb7 is just a passing-chord, and it
resolves into F7. We will then call it bII7 of F7 (or Tritone-Sub
of V7 of F7).
 Measure 10: after the short modulation to DbMaj7 (the IV
chord) Gb7 goes back to AbMaj7 (the I chord). It functions as
the bVII7.
 And how about in "Lady Bird"? There is no real modulation
here... The tune starts with 2 measures of CMaj7 immediately
followed by Fm7- Bb7 (measure 10) and then back to Cmaj7.

SCALE OF CHOICE FOR THE bVII7:

The preferred scale for the bVII7 chord is MIXOLYDIAN #4 aka
LYDIAN-DOMINANT. It is the 4th Mode of Melodic Minor and its
extensions are as follows: 7(9 #11 13). The #11 is particularly
important because it is diatonic to the key, as are the other 2
extensions. An Altered Dominant sound would not be appropriate
for neither a bVII7 nor a bII7/VI.

MINOR CHORDS AND MINOR KEYS (or the m7 versus the m6...)
Yes, yes, some players are a little confused as to what they should play when they see a
Minor chord symbol on a chart. The reason could be that some Real Books do not
always consistently acknowledge those different types of Minor chords. For example, it
is common on many lead-sheets (the Jamey Aebersold Play along charts come to
mind...) to just find an Am or A- symbol, and we are basically supposed to guess if we
should use a minor Triad, an Am7 or an Am6... and some players solve the problem by
playing m7 chords everywhere-- which is not a good idea, as we are about to see !

There are however two very distinct families of Minor chords:

1. The "Tonic Family": those include mMaj7 chords and more commonly m6 chords.
Basically, if the tune is in a Minor key, then the i chord will be a mMaj7 or a m6
chord. Note that there are exceptions to this rule, as we will see later.
2. The "Other Family": those other Minor chords are the m7 (found as a ii chord, iii
chord , or vi chord in a Major key) and the m7b5 or half-diminished (found as a ii
chord or a vi chord in a Minor key).

It is important to understand that in a Minor key we should generally not play a

common m7 chord in the place of a i chord.

Yes, the i chord is a m7 chord if we harmonize the Natural Minor scale, but that scale
does nor function well harmonically-- at least not in the context of our Jazz Standards.
The i chord comes from either the Harmonic Minor scale or the Melodic Minor scale. In
both cases then, the i chord is a mMaj7 and certainly not a m7. The problem though is
that a mMaj7 chord usually sounds too "exotic" or completely out of place in the
context of your average Standard tune... It is preferable then to play a m6 chord instead
of a mMaj7. The m6 is a lot more stable, and basically sounds like "home"

Here are some tunes where the m6 is appropriate as a i chord :

"Alone Together"

"Yesterdays"

"What Is This Thing Called Love" (first cadence)

"Summertime"

"Golden Earrings"

"Angel Eyes"

"Minority"

"How Deep Is The Ocean?" (first chord)

"Besame Mucho"

"You Don't Know What Love Is"

Brazilian music is fond of m6 chords:

"Corcovado" (the first chord is sometimes written as D7/A but it still is an Am6)

"How Insensitive"

"Black Orpheus"

"A Felicidade"
 MODULATIONS
There are many tunes that start in a Major key and then modulate to a Minor key at
some point-- usually to the relative Minor. For example in the tune "There Is No
Greater Love" (AABA form) the A section is in the key of Bb. For the B section (bridge)
we modulate to the key of Gm. It is a temporary modulation of course, but we are
clearly in a new key: the Gm chord is a i chord and not the vi chord in Bb. Therefore, we
should play a Gm6 and not not a Gm7.

In "Airegin" by Sonny Rollins the opposite process takes place: the tune starts in the key
of Fm and after a series of unexpected temporary modulations, finally arrives to its
relative Major, Ab (at the very end of the tune).

Many tunes start in a Minor key to arrive to the relative Major:

"In Walked Bud"

"You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To"

"You Don't Know What Love Is" (the bridge is in the relative Major)

"How Deep Is The Ocean ?"

"Cry Me A River"

"My Funny Valentine"

Some people would rather think that an entire tune is in a Major key and that the
Minor segment is the vi chord. A ii7-V7 of vi should be a clear indication that we are
gravitating around the relative Minor. There is a huge difference between the very first
chord of "All The Things You Are" (vi7 of Ab) and the very first chord of "How Deep Is
The Ocean ?" (i of Cm).

In "Autumn Leaves" (in Gm) or in "I Hear A Rhapsody" (in Eb) we are actually thrown
back and forth between the relative Major and the relative Minor keys. When in the
Minor section(s) of the tune, as brief as they may be, we should play a m6 chord on the
i chord.

In "These Foolish Things" (in Eb) the bridge modulates to a Minor key (Gm) but that
time it is not the relative minor, but the Mediant. There again, even if it is built on the iii
chord in Eb, we are unequivocally in the key of Gm, and therefore a Gm7 would not be
appropriate. Interestingly enough, the next section of the bridge modulates then to the
relative Major of Gm which is Bb. Finally, we manage to go back to the original key of
Eb for the last A section.

A modulation to the Mediant also happens in "My One And Only Love".

A tune can start in a Minor key and eventually end with a Major Tonic chord--either at
the very end of the tune, or just at the end of a section. It is what the French call the
"Tierce de Picardie" or "Picardy Third".

In the Jazz literature the device is found in:

"You And The Night and The Music"

"Alone Together"

"Round Midnight"

"Close Your Eyes"

In Pop Music, we have:

"Killing Me Softly With His Song"

"Michelle" (by The Beatles)

THE MINOR MAJOR SEVENTH CHORD (MMAJ7)

Some compositions do call for a mMaj7 in the place of the tonic. There are not very
many though, and the chord will always be used to convey a particular feeling.

For instance, let's take a look at the tune "Solar" by Miles Davis. There is a B natural
note in the first measure of the melody. We certainly could play a Cm6 there, but the
mMaj7 will add that special effect, contributing effectively to the unusual mood of the
piece. In the original version of 1954, both Miles and Horace Silver (on the piano) make
sure they hit the M7 of the chord a few times.

Other tunes making great use of the mMaj7 chord would be:

"Nica's Dream" (Horace Silver again...)

"Chelsea Bridge"

"Invitation" (very last chord: EbmMaj7)

The m7 as a i7 chord

Now, In the context of some more modern tunes, we may find a m7 used as a i chord.
The scale associated with the chord will then be generally the Dorian mode, but it can
also be the Natural Minor/Aeolian. Some tunes falling in that category are:

"Footprints"

"So What/Impressions"

"Recorda-Me"

"Blue Bossa"

"Song For My Father" (Aeolian)

"Sugar" (Aeolian or Phrygian ?)

"Minor Blues"

Some tunes like "Summertime" or "Invitation" may be played either modally or more
traditionally. John Coltrane of course gave us amazingly refreshing versions of those
two songs. The Modal approach will bring a more modern and more open sound with
the use of the Dorian mode along with the m7 chord. Quartal voicings (stacked-up 4ths)
work especially well there.
"Blue Bossa" can use either a m6 chord or a m7 chord as its first chord too. One way to
look at the first two measures of the tune would be:

| Cm6 | Cm6 C7 |

The C7 accommodates the Bb in the melody and sets up the Fm7 coming in the third
measure.

When deciding what kind of Minor chord to play over a i chord, it is a good idea to
check if there are any 7ths in the melody-- and if so, are they Major 7ths or Minor
7ths ?

For instance, in "This Can't Be Love" which has an AABA form, the A sections are in the
key of F. The bridge then modulates to the relative minor (Dm) but the melody note
over that chord is a C Natural (it also happens to be a whole note...). Our Dm chord
then needs to be played as a Dm7.

Movement Within A Tonic Minor Chord:

If we stay on a Tonic Minor chord for a few measures, it is nice to create some
movement within the chord with a chromatic line. We have the choice between 2
options:

Option A: The line goes down chromatically from the Root. This is the "My Funny
Valentine" effect (at least, that's what I call it). The chords become:

| Cm | Cm/B | Cm/Bb | Cm/A |

Some tunes using that option are:

"My Funny Valentine"

"In Walked Bud/Blue Skies"

"All Or Nothing At All"

"'Round Midnight"
Option B: The line goes up chromatically from the 5th. This is known as the "James
Bond " effect. Now the chords are:

| Cm | Cm+ | Cm6 | Cm+ |

(in case you are wondering, Cm+ is a Cm triad with a raised 5th. It is sometimes written
as Ab/C or even as AbMaj7/C)

Some tunes using that option are:

"Cry Me A River"

"Out Of This World"

Some tunes handle both directions well: in "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" I like to play
option A during the first half of the song, and then option B for the second half. The
tune finally climaxes when it modulates to the parallel Major key (C Major) to
ultimately resolve back to the original key of Cm in the last few bars.

We should not forget that there are some situations when a plain Minor Triad will work
just fine as a i chord. I would stay away from the close voicings which can sound too
plain and simple, but the open ones (in various inversions) generally blend in well with
the rest of the progression.
 7TH CHORD UPPER-STRUCTURES & SUBSTITUTIONS FOR
DOMINANT CHORDS

PART I: Basic Dominant 7 Chords

Here is a list of chords that may be used either as Upper-Structures or as Substitutions

for a C7.

An Upper-Structure is a chord that is played OVER another chord. The chosen Upper-
Structure can be played as a chord when comping, or as an arpeggiated single-note line
when improvising.

On the other hand, a Substitution is a chord that is played INSTEAD of the original
chord.

 From the II of C7 we can build a Dominant Chord (D7). Since the 4 notes of D7 are
D, F#, A, and C, the analysis of those notes over the C7 would be respectively the
9, #11, 13, and Root. The resulting sound would be MIXOLYDIAN #4. Another way
of looking at this example is to see it as:
D7/C7 = C7(9 #11 13)
 From the bVII (Bb) we can build a Minor 7(b5) chord (aka Half-Diminished). That
chord, Bbm7(b5) is spelled Bb, Db, E, Ab. Those notes analyzed over a C7 are the
m7, b9, M3, and #5. This is quite an interesting mix of chord-tones and strong
alterations!!! The resulting sound here is ALTERED (aka SUPERLOCRIAN).
Bbm7(b5)/C7 = C+7(b9)

I: (C7), C7(b5), C+7, Cm7, Cm7(b5), Cdim7

bII: DbmM7, Dbdim7, DbdimMaj7

II: D7, D7(b5), D+7, DMaj7, DMaj7(b5), D+Maj7, Dsus7

bIII: D#7, D#7(b5), D#m7, D#m7(b5), D#mM7, D#Maj7, D#Maj7(b5), D#dim7,

D#dimMaj7, D#sus7

III: E7(b5), E+7, Em7(b5), EMaj7(b5), E+Maj7, Edim7, EdimMaj7

bV: F#7, F#7(b5), F#+7, F#m7, F#m7(b5), F#dim7

V: GmM7, Gdim7, GdimMaj7,

bVI: G#7, G#7(b5), G#+7, G#Maj7, G#Maj7(b5), G#+Maj7, G#sus7

VI: A7, A7(b5), Am7, Am7(b5), AmM7, AMaj7, AMaj7(b5), Adim7, AdimMaj7, Asus7

bVII: Bb7(b5), Bb+7, Bbm7(b5), BbMaj7(b5), Bb+Maj7, Bbdim7, BbdimMaj7

Note that no chords are built from the VII nor from the IV on this page.

Why ?

Over a C7 chord, substitutions from the VII would include the note B which is the Major
7th (aka the Leading-Tone). That one could work linearly (as a passing-tone) but not
chordally.

PART II: Sus7 Chords

This is the long-awaited Part II, where we will take a look at those chords that may still
be used either as Upper-Structures or as Substitutions for a C7, but particularly
conveying the sus7 sound.

To achieve the sus7 flavor we will need to include the note F (the 4th, aka the
suspension) in our upper-structure.

A quick comment: it is important to understand that we cannot have both the 3rd AND
the 4th of C7 in the upper-structure if we want to make the resulting chord a true sus7
chord!!! If we had both the notes E and F, the chord would then be a C7(11) which is
not a real sus chord, nor a particularly praised sound... This is why I omitted FMaj7 over
C7 for example-- even though it is diatonic to F Major.

I will devote a whole essay on the sus chord at some point, but for now, here is our list
of arpeggios to be played over a Csus7:

I: (Csus7)

bII: DbMaj7, DbMaj7(b5), Db+Maj7

II: Dm7, Dm7(b5), DmMaj7, DdimMaj7

IV: F7, F+7, Fm7, Fsus7

bV: F#mMaj7, F#dimMaj7, F#Maj7, F#Maj7(b5), F#+Maj7

V: Gm7, Gm7(b5), Gsus7

VI: A+7, A+Maj7

bVII: Bb7, Bbm7, BbmMaj7, BbMaj7, Bbsus7

There are some really interesting sounds listed here, but I agree that some of them can
take a while to get accustomed to... you may want to start with the less altered sus7
chords first. For instance, Gm7 over C:

Gm7/C = Csus7(9)

Here is another very consonant sus chord:

BbMaj7/C = Csus7(9 13)

A good way to sort through all of the Upper-Structures and Substitutions listed here
would be to focus on those that contain both the P4 and the m7. How many can you
find?
 CHORDS-SCALES

I should actually start this essay with a disclaimer, as those of you who have already
heard me talk about scales know that I have reservations when it comes to learning
Improvisation while running Modes up and down... There are some definitely more
useful approaches to playing over changes (like chord-tones, arpeggios, guide-tones,
etc.) yet, everybody talks about "the Modes" as if they were the most important thing
to know when learning to play Jazz !!!

With that said, however, it is still important to understand the relationship between
Chords and Scales... so let's see what we can learn here.

First of all, here are a few considerations about what we call the Modes:

Modes are generated by "parent scales" (also called "source scales"). There are 4 such
scales:

1. The MAJOR SCALE which generates the following Modes:

IONIAN: Maj7(9 11 13)

DORIAN: m7(9 11 13)
PHRYGIAN: sus7(b9 #9 b13)
LYDIAN: Maj7(9 #11 13)
MIXOLYDIAN: 7(9 11 13)
AEOLIAN: m7(9 11 b13)
LOCRIAN: m7(b5)(b9 11 b13)
2. The MELODIC MINOR SCALE which generates the following Modes:

DORIAN #7: mMaj7(9 11 13)

PHRYGIAN #6: sus7(b9 #9 13)
LYDIAN-AUGMENTED: +Maj7(9 #11 13)
MIXOLYDIAN #4: 7(9 #11 13)
AEOLIAN-DOMINANT: 7(9 11 b13)
LOCRIAN #2: m7(b5)(9 11 b13)
ALTERED: +7(b9 #9 #11)

3. The HARMONIC MINOR SCALE which generates the following Modes:

AEOLIAN #7: mMaj7(9 11 b13)

LOCRIAN #6: m7(b5)(b9 11 13)
IONIAN-AUGMENTED: +Maj7(9 11 13)
DORIAN #4: m7(9 #11 13)
PHRYGIAN-DOMINANT: 7(b9 11 b13)
LYDIAN #2: Maj7(#9 #11 13)
ALTERED bb7: +6(b9 #9 #11)

4. The HARMONIC MAJOR SCALE which generates the following Modes:

IONIAN b6: Maj7(9 11 b13)

DORIAN b5: m7(b5)(9 11 13)
PHRYGIAN b4 : 7(b9 #9 b13)
LYDIAN-MINOR: mMaj7(9 #11 13)
MIXOLYDIAN b2: 7(b9 11 13)
LYDIAN-AUGMENTED #2: +Maj7(#9 #11 13)
LOCRIAN-DIMINISHED: dim7(b9 11 b13)

Each one of the parent scales generates 7 diatonic Modes, so we already have 28
modes to deal with. (By the way, yes, I'm assuming that you do know how modes are
extracted from their respective parent scales... if you don't, please ask).

Other important scales are 3 symmetrical ones: Whole-Tone, Diminished and

Augmented-- but those do not exactly generate modes, so I won't discuss them in this
article).
For every mode listed, I used a chord symbol consisting of a chord type (4 notes)
complemented by extensions written in parentheses (3 notes). The sum of all 7 notes
gives us the complete mode. I find that system very practical, as we get to memorize
easily the chord/scale relationship associated with each mode.

Here is an example: for Ionian, I prefer to think: Maj7(9 11 13)

Rather than: R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7

Even though the chord built on the 3rd degree of the Major Scale is a Minor 7 chord, it
is preferable to think of the corresponding mode (Phrygian) as having a sus7 sound. The
7 notes of the scale are the same, but we will simply organize them slightly differently.
The sus7 chord is: R, P4, P5, m7 (no 3rd) and the remaining 3 extensions are now: b9,
#9, b13. In other words, what was previously the m3 is now labeled a #9.

Same approach with the 2nd mode from Melodic Minor (Phrygian #6).

Here is another discrepancy: the chord built on the 7th degree of the Melodic Minor
Scale is a Minor 7(b5), yet the corresponding mode (the Altered scale) is used over a
Dominant 7 chord. The symbol for the mode is: +7(b9 #9 #11) which tells us that it fits a
+7 chord (R, M3, +5, m7) and has the following extensions: b9 #9 #11.

Note: did anyone ever tell you that the Altered scale was actually the equivalent of
IONIAN #1 ? Think about that !!! For example, G# ALTERED-DOMINANT is the 7th Mode
from A Melodic Minor. The notes of that scale also happen to be the notes of a G Major
Scale of which the root (G) would have been sharped... Whit Sidener, one of my
Improvisation teachers at the University of Miami brought up that unusual perspective.
He did warn us not to mention it to anyone else though-- since nobody would take us
seriously :-)

As for common synonyms, you need to know that the ALTERED-DOMINANT (or
ALTERED) SCALE is also referred to as SUPERLOCRIAN, or DIMINISHED/WHOLE-TONE.

DORIAN #7 (aka the MELODIC MINOR SCALE) is sometimes called JAZZ MINOR.

MIXOLYDIAN #4 is often called LYDIAN DOMINANT.

It is all the same thing. You call them what you want: Enigmatic, Dystrophic, Phthisic
Minor, Trans-Sylvanian, Equa-Dorian...

MAJOR 7TH:

IONIAN: Maj7(9 11 13)

IONIAN b6 aka Harmonic Major: Maj7(9 11 b13)
LYDIAN: Maj7(9 #11 13)
LYDIAN #2: Maj7(#9 #11 13)
IONIAN-AUGMENTED: +Maj7(9 11 13)
LYDIAN-AUGMENTED: +Maj7(9 #11 13)
LYDIAN-AUGMENTED #2: +Maj7(#9 #11 13)

MINOR 7TH:

DORIAN: m7(9 11 13)

DORIAN #4: m7(9 #11 13)
AEOLIAN: m7(9 11 b13)

MINOR/MAJOR 7TH:

DORIAN #7 aka Melodic Minor: mMaj7(9 11 13)

AEOLIAN #7 aka Harmonic Minor: mMaj7(9 11 b13)
LYDIAN MINOR: mMaj7(9 #11 13)

HALF-DIMINISHED:

LOCRIAN: m7(b5)(b9 11 b13)

LOCRIAN #2: m7(b5)(9 11 b13)
LOCRIAN #6: m7(b5)(b9 11 13)
DORIAN b5: m7(b5)(9 11 13)

DOMINANT 7TH:

MIXOLYDIAN: 7(9 11 13)

MIXOLYDIAN #4: 7(9 #11 13)
MIXOLYDIAN b2: 7(b9 11 13)
PHRYGIAN-DOMINANT: 7(b9 11 b13)
 PHRYGIAN b4: 7(b9 #9 b13)
ALTERED: +7(b9 #9 #11)

SUSPENDED 7TH:

PHRYGIAN: sus7(b9 #9 b13)

PHRYGIAN #6: sus7(b9 #9 13)

If we want to improvise over a simple ii-V7-I (let's say Dm7-G7-CMaj7 in the key of C)
the simplest approach would be to play:

over Dm7: D DORIAN

over G7: G MIXOLYDIAN
over CMaj7: C IONIAN

Even though everything will sound OK, there is definitely not much excitement going on
because all 3 Modes happen to be diatonic to the key of C. In fact, when playing over
this chord progression, players with limited experience will "noodle around" the C
Major scale and find comfort in the fact that all of the notes "work" over all 3 chords...

Now try to play this instead:

over Dm7: D DORIAN #11 (4th Mode from A Harmonic Minor)

over G7: G ALTERED (7th Mode from Ab Melodic Minor)
over CMaj7: C LYDIAN (4th Mode from G Major)

None of those 3 modes are related to each other, and none of them are diatonic to our
original key of C Major either, yet the colors achieved are very fitting.

Here is precisely why we should understand and master the Modes: we can play a
completely different sound over each chord of a progression, as we borrow from
various parent scales-- and not necessarily from the main tonal center.

Taken from the previous list of "useful Modes" organized by chord types, here are a
few more colorful Modes I would encourage you to experiment with over Dm7-G7-
CMaj7 (we are still in the key of C Major):
Over Dm7:

D DORIAN #11 (4th Mode from A Harmonic Minor)

D AEOLIAN (6th Mode from F Major)

over G7:

G ALTERED (7th Mode from Ab Melodic Minor)

G MIXOLYDIAN b2 (5th Mode from C Harmonic Major)
G PHRYGIAN b4 (3rd Mode from Eb Harmonic Major)
G PHRYGIAN-DOMINANT (5th Mode from C Harmonic Minor)

over CMaj7:

C LYDIAN (4th Mode from G Major)

C LYDIAN #2 (6th Mode from E Harmonic Minor)
C LYDIAN-AUGMENTED #2 (6th Mode from E Harmonic Major)

THE WRONG SCALE IN THE RIGHT PLACE

The first thing that is usually taught in a Jazz Improv class is to match a chord with its
appropriate scale or Mode. For example, when looking at a Dm7 chord, we are usually
told to play the D Dorian Mode. For a FMaj7 chord it will be F Ionian or even F Lydian,
etc... All the notes of the chord (the chord-tones) are supposed to be found in the
Mode that will be used for improvisation. It all sounds right, and everything is
wonderful...

But what if there were other ways to use those modes ? What would happen for
instance, if we forced the "wrong" mode over a given chord ?
For instance, we think of the DORIAN Mode as a scale to play over a Minor 7th chord,
right ? Well, let's expand our horizon, and see what happens if we play it over a
Dominant 7th chord...

So for a G7, we now have G DORIAN: G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F.

The notes give us: R, 9, #9, 11, P5, 13, m7

All we have to do to justify our choice is call the Bb the #9 (A#) instead of the m3, and
just say that the scale does not contain a 3rd-- it is as simple as that !

We have just stepped into a new world here: if we accept the fact that all of the 4
chord-tones do not have to be in the Mode we choose to play over a given chord, we
are seriously broadening our choices. We have now some more "outside" colors to add
to our lines.

Here are some of the "wrong" modes we can play over a G Dominant 7th chord:

G DORIAN (R, 9, #9, 11, P5, 13, m7)

G PHRYGIAN (R, b9, #9, 11, P5, b13, m7)
G AEOLIAN (R, 9, #9, 11, P5, b13, m7)
G LOCRIAN (R, b9, #9, 11, b5, b13, m7)

Those 4 Modes are all generated by the Major scale.

When you realize that we can (and will...) also use some of the modes generated by the
other Parent scales (see my article on Chords And Scales for a list of the Modes
generated by the 4 Parent Scales) you will get a glimpse of the many options we now
have over a given chord. Mamma mia !

The new rule for selecting a Mode to play over a Dominant 7th chord is that the Mode
simply needs to have a m7 in it. This means that all of the m7, m7(b5), dim7, and sus7
Modes will do. How many can you count ?

Some of my favorite ones are:

PHRYGIAN #6 (R, b9, #9, 11, P5, 13, m7)
LOCRIAN #2 (R, 9, #9, 11, b5, b13, m7)
LOCRIAN #6 (R, b9, #9, 11, b5, 13, m7)
Here are some of the "wrong" modes we can play over a D Minor 7th chord:

D DORIAN #7 (aka D Melodic Minor) (R, 9, m3, 11, P5, 13, M7)
D AEOLIAN #7 (aka D Harmonic Minor) (R, 9, m3, 11, P5, b13, M7)
D LYDIAN-MINOR (R, 9, m3, #11, P5, 13, M7)
Our new rule here is that we will accept the M7 in place of the m7. It is actually a nice
tension note against any Minor 7th Chord.
We may also experiment with any of the m7(b5) Modes against a regular m7 chord.
The b5 will merely be an alteration of the 5th.

Are there any "wrong" modes to play over a C Major 7th chord ? Well, if you insist...

C DORIAN #7 (aka C Melodic Minor) (R, 9, #9, 11, P5, 13, M7)
C AEOLIAN #7 (aka C Harmonic Minor) (R, 9, #9, 11, P5, b13, M7)
C LYDIAN-MINOR (R, 9, #9, #11, P5, 13, M7)
Granted, those last 3 are to be handled with care... Don't expect a particularly strong
resolution on the IMaj7 Chord with those modes, as they will sound quite "outside".
None of them has a M3 !!!

The better situations for our new "wrong" modes are definitely found over Dominant
7th Chords: arguably, any note could be justified against a Dominant chord... The point
here is that those "any notes" will sound organized (and therefore more acceptable to
the ear) when presented as a Mode coming from the 4 Parent Scales-- it gives them
more credibility ! (did I mean more credentials ?)

CREATING SOME PENTATONIC SCALES

Here is an easy way to generate some fresh Pentatonic scales!

Start with a 4 note-arpeggio. Let's take Dm7: D F A C

All we need to do is insert an extension note between two of the chord tones. That
extension note may be a 9th, an 11th, or a 13th.

Here are the possible results:

D (E) F A C
 D F (G) A C (this one is the traditional Minor Pentatonic)

D F (G#) A C

D F A (Bb) C

D F A (B) C

(note that I avoided the b9 on the minor7th Chord)

We can use any 4-note arpeggio as the starting point.

The most possibilities will be found with the Dominant chord. Let's take a basic G7: G B
DF

Here are the Pentatonics:

G (Ab) B D F

G (A) B D F (this one is known as the basic Dominant Pentatonic)

G (A#) B D F

G B (C) D F

G B (C#) D F

G B D (Eb) F

G B D (E) F

Now, instead of the generic G7 arpeggio used as a starting point, we could use G+7: G B
D# F

We will then get 6 additional Pentatonics:

G (Ab) B D# F

G (A) B D# F

G (A#) B D# F

G B (C) D# F

G B (C#) D# F
 G B D# (E) F

How about G7(b5): G B Db F?

Here are the generated Pentatonics:

G (Ab) B Db F

G (A) B Db F

G (A#) B Db F

G B (C) Db F

G B Db (Eb) F

G B Db (E) F

If I counted correctly, that's a total of 19 new Pentatonics for the Dominant chord (7 + 6
+ 6 = 19)

Of course, we are not required to like all of those new scales. Some are quite pleasing
and melodic sounding, whereas some other ones are a little harder to accept-- I'm
thinking particularly about those that have too many consecutive 1/2 steps for
example. In any case, this simple approach should provide some new material to
explore. Those Pentatonic scales may be used as Improvisation material (they are part
scale and part arpeggio) or even as the basis for Composition. If you feel like exploring
the subject, you may want to see Ron Miller's book entitled "Modal Jazz Composition &
Harmony Vol.2"-- he has a whole chapter devoted to Composition with Pentatonic
Scales.

I hope you will have fun with this simple (but deliberately limited) method of creating a
few new Pentatonic scales from 4-note arpeggios. In case you are wondering, here's
why I'm saying that this method is deliberately limited: remember that the wide
definition of a Pentatonic Scale is ANY scale that contains 5 notes-- that makes a grand
total of 330!!! (thanks to Wayne Krantz for the info)

Ron Miller limited his list of usable Pentatonics so that there would be no interval
greater than a Tritone ("this is to attempt to limit the number of created scales that
may have too many adjacent semitones-- any modality within the scale would be too
obscure, and the shape of the generated Pentatonic would not be musical.").
Meanwhile, his list still has 231 Scales...

We could also avoid those scales that have an interval wider than the Augmented 2nd--
after all, that is often one of the prerequisites for a legitimate "scale" (see my other
article What Is A Scale?)

As for fingering our new-found modes, the most logical way is to begin with the
arpeggio fingerings in all 5 positions (aka the CAGED system) and add the extra note
from there. If the extra note in NOT within the usual position, reach for it with the 1st
finger when ascending, or with the 4th finger when descending.

SUS CHORDS

The Sus chord-- generally written sus7 on Jazz charts (or 7sus, or 7sus4) baffles a lot of
people. What do those 3 letters-- S-U-S mean ? Is it short for "suspicious",
"suspenseful"?

No. I could also tell you that it is not "sustained" either. (Yes, I have actually heard a few
people erroneously call it that...)
Sus means "suspended". The term suspended simply means that the chord does not
contain a 3rd. The 3rd is replaced by the 4th, in which case that 4th is referred to as the
suspension. The resulting sound can be ambiguous, as it is neither major nor minor.

Starting with a simple C triad, we have:

CEG

We now raise the 3rd to the 4th and get Csus:

CFG

(Note: there is such a thing as a sus2 chord. In that case, the 3rd is replaced by the 2nd.
The suspension is then the 2nd degree of the scale, and not the 4th).

From the same C triad, we now lower the 3rd down to the 2nd, and we then get Csus2:

CDG

If a chord is simply written as "sus" or "sus7", it is generally implied that we are dealing
with a suspended 4th. If the 2nd is the suspension, the chord has to specifically say
"sus2".

For this article, I will discuss the most commonly used form of sus chord in Jazz, which is
the suspended 7th chord:

The spelling for a basic Gsus7 is: G C D F

Now, there is also such a thing as a Dominant chord with an added 11th. That chord
would be a true Mixolydian chord-- that is, containing the true modality of the
Mixolydian mode.

With a G root, that modal chord would be written G7(11)

Here is the complete symbol for a Mixolydian chord: 7(9 11 13)

But let's go back to our real sus7 chord...

It should be noted that a chord cannot be minor AND suspended!!! Once again, the
suspension is not added to a chord-- it REPLACES the 3rd. So if a chord is already a m7,
writing Dm7(sus) would be wrong. The correct denomination should be Dm7(11) which
is spelled: D F A C G

A sus7 chord often precedes a dominant chord built from the same Root. In lieu of a
regular ii7-V7 we may find Vsus7-V7. In the key of C, instead of Dm7 - G7 we would get:
Gsus7 - G7.

The thing is, we are not really substituting the sus7 for the Minor 7th chord: it is THE
SAME CHORD, but with the bass note of the V7 underneath it.

See, Gsus7 is actually Dm7/G...

Here are two other practical ways to look at the sus7 chord:

1. Gsus7(9) = F/G

The F triad was already found in the Dm7/G (remember that a Dm7 is an F Triad over a
D bass)

2. Gsus7(9 13) = FMaj7/G

Now we are simply adding the Major 7th to our F triad. The resulting color over the
sus7 is the 13th.

OK, now that we know what sus7 chords are, what can we do with them?

ii-V-I

Based on what we saw earlier, the first obvious use for the sus7 would be in place of a
ii7-V7.

Let's take a look at the first 4 measures of the song "Tune-Up" by Miles Davis.

The original changes are:

Em7 | A7 | DMaj7 | % |

We can now replace them with:

Asus7 | A7 | DMaj7/A | % |
(Note that I kept an A in the bass of the DMaj7 to keep the pedal constant throughout
the entire section.)

Now, I should also mention that a sus7 chord does not necessarily have to go to a
dominant chord (the V7) before resolving into the Maj7 (the I chord). We can very
easily go straight from Asus7 to DMaj7. The sus7 chord basically functions as a V7.

We could then have:

Asus7 | % | DMaj7/A | % |

BLUES

Let's see how we could use the sus7 chord over a Blues progression:

In a Blues in C the I chord is C7. The ii7 that normally precedes a C7 is Gm7. Therefore,
if we play Gm7/C in place of the I7 chord, we get a nice sounding Isus7. Another way to
get to the same sus chord is to think of the m7 chord built from the 5th of the
Dominant chord.

Now that we are looking at that I chord as being Csus7, we can go a little further and
think of it as: Gm/C, Gm7/C, Gm7(9)/C, Bb/C, BbMaj7/C...

Of course, all of the above upper-structures may be used linearly when improvising
over what was originally a simple C7. For a complete list of upper-structures to use over
a sus7 chord, see my other article entitled: "7th Chord Upper-Structures & Subs For
Dominants (Part II)"

The same suspended treatment will be applied to the IV7 chord (Fsus7) and the V7
chord (Gsus7). All three basic chords of the Blues may be turned into sus7 chords.

This concept is actually what Ron Carter used for his tune "Eighty-One" from the Miles
Davis album E.S.P. The tune is actually a Blues in F, but all the chords are turned into
sus7 chords.

"MAIDEN VOYAGE"
Another composition from the same era using essentially sus7 chords is "Maiden
Voyage" by Herbie Hancock.

The very first chord of that composition is Dsus7, which as we now know is also Am7/D.

The only chord in the whole tune that is NOT a sus7 chord is the Dbm7 (the very last
chord of the bridge)

"MILESTONES"

The Miles Davis composition "Milestones" (the "new" one from 1958, as opposed to
the "old" one from 1948) is essentially a Modal Tune in the sense that each section uses
only one chord, or mode. The form is AABBA. There are many ways to play the tune,
but generally, the chord used for the A section is Gm7 (or G Dorian) and the chord for
the B section is Am7 (or A Aeolian.) The part that interests us here is the A section.

Underneath the Gm7 chord, the bass player will commonly play a C note, making the
chord now a Csus7, and often resolving to a Fmaj7 or FMaj7(#11) on the last 2
measures of that section.

Here is the reworked A section:

| Gm7/C | % | % | % | % | % | FMaj7(#11) | % ||

"IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY"

One more interesting use of the sus7 chord is in the interlude of the tune "In Your Own
Sweet Way" by Dave Brubeck.

In between every choruses we find an 8-measure Ebm7/Ab vamp. This Absus7 section
is basically a "repose area" meant to provide some relief-- a welcome contrast with the
rest of the tune which is very busy harmonically. Actually, Miles Davis came up with the
idea of the sus7 interlude on this tune when he recorded his own version... and I
believe Dave Brubeck does not use the extra vamp.

PHRYGIAN SUS CHORDS

I should also mention another type of sus7 chord: the Phrygian-Suspended chord, also
called sus(b9) which is a strictly modal chord. You may want to read my other article
entitled "Chords & Scales" in which I explain that even though the iii chord generated
by the Major Scale is a minor 7th chord, the Phrygian Mode is better described as
having a Suspended sound.

There are 2 Phrygian-Suspended modes commonly used:

PHRYGIAN: sus7(b9 #9 b13) which is the 3rd mode from the Major Scale

PHRYGIAN #6: sus7(b9 #9 13) which is the 2nd mode from the Melodic Minor Scale

The Phrygian sound is very dark, and can be described as being mysterious, exotic,
haunting, or spacy. It also has a characteristic Spanish, Flamenco flavor...

Phrygian #6 is slightly more open and hopeful sounding than the regular Phrygian
mode.

A practical voicing for the Phrygian-Sus chord is bII/I

For example, for E Phrygian the slash chord would be: F/E (note that the chord can
sound like a 3rd inversion Maj7 chord)

For E Phrygian #6 we can think F+/E

Some tunes that use the Phrygian modal sus(b9) or sus7(b9) are:

"Flamenco Sketches" by Miles Davis

"Solea" by Gil Evans (from the Miles Davis album "Sketches Of Spain")

"La Fiesta" by Chick Corea

"Spain" by Chick Corea

"Olé" by John Coltrane

(do you notice a common Iberian theme with those last 5 titles ?)

"Masqualero" by Wayne Shorter

"Little One" by Herbie Hancock

"Vashkar" by Carla Bley

Sus7 sounds were very fresh, very exciting when they were first introduced by Jazz
players, and they certainly continue to sound quite modern, even today.

Do you want your tunes to sound a little more contemporary ? Throw in a few sus7
chords!

For inspiration, you may want to check out the Miles Davis album "My Funny Valentine"
and pay close attention to Herbie Hancock's re-harmonizations of tunes such as "Stella
By Starlight" or "I Thought About You". They are loaded with sus7 and Phrygian-Sus
chords...

The basic sus7 arpeggio formula is:

root, P4, P5 and m7.

For Csus7 we have: C, F, G, Bb

There are two interesting 3-note arpeggio structures we can generate from the chord.

1. Csus: C, F, G

(R, P4, P5)

Officially, there is no such thing as a "sus triad" (at least not in traditional theory where
we only acknowledge Major, Minor, Diminished, or Augmented triads). However, we
can think of a "sus triad" for practical reasons.

2. Csus7: C, F, Bb

(R, P4, m7)

We simply omitted the P5, and what we have now is a 3-note version of the chord.

Note that we also have 2 consecutive P4 intervals in that structure.

 SCALE

Sounds like a simple enough question, since we musicians, use the word "scale" all the
time. But what exactly IS a scale ?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "Scale is a graduated series of musical tones

ascending or descending in order of pitch according to a specified scheme of their
intervals. Or a succession of tones ascending or descending according to fixed intervals,
esp. such a series beginning on a particular note: the major scale of C."

I don't know about you, but I don't find their definition to be of any great help either!

Here is what we can consider to be a "working" definition of a scale: "a series of

intervals of seconds, all contained within an octave."

This means that the octave may be divided in as many notes as we want, as long as no
intervals larger than of a second are found in the scale.

I'm sure that you remember that there are 3 kinds of 2nds:

1. The minor 2nd (1/2 step)

2. The major 2nd (whole-step)
3. The augmented 2nd (1 and 1/2 step)

SYMMETRIC SCALES

Symmetric scales are constructed when the octave is divided into equal parts. The 12
notes may be divided into 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12 equal parts:

1. When the octave is divided in 12 equals parts, we get a Chromatic Scale. This is a
series of minor 2nds.
Using C as Root we have: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B (C)
2. When the octave is divided in 6 equals parts, we get a Whole-Tone Scale. This is a
series of major 2nds.
Using C as Root again: C D E F# G# Bb (C)
3. When the octave is divided in 4 equals parts, we get a Diminished 7th arpeggio.
 This is a series of augmented 2nds (those happen to also be minor 3rds). From C
root: C Eb Gb A (C)
This series could actually fit our description of a scale, since all of the intervals
are Augmented seconds ! However, everyone will agree that it definitely makes
more sense to call it an arpeggio (a sequence of minor 3rds).
Now, if we precede each one of the notes of the arpeggio with its leading-tone,
we construct a Diminished Scale.
From C root: C D Eb F Gb Ab A B (C)
4. When the octave is divided in 3 equals parts, we get an Augmented Triad
arpeggio. This is a series of major 3rds. Definitely not a scale at this point, but
clearly an arpeggio.
From C root: C E G# (C)
But, if we do what we just did with the Diminished 7th arpeggio and precede
each note with a half-step, we now have what we call an Augmented Scale.
From C root: C D# E G G# B (C)
5. When the octave is divided in 2 equals parts, we simply get the interval of a
Tritone.
From C root: C Gb (C)
We can here as well add the half-step below each note and get the following
series:
C F Gb B (C)

Not sure what to name it though... a CsusMaj7(b5) arpeggio ? Sid Jacobs, in his
"Complete Book of Jazz Guitar Lines & Phrases" refers to it as a "Tetratonic Tritone
Scale" and shows several lines and voicing derived from it. You may want to check it
out.

Here's a Summary:

1. a series of m2 will create a Chromatic scale (the octave is divided equally into 12
notes).

2. a series of M2 will form a Whole-Tone scale (the octave is divided equally into 6
notes).
 3. a series of A2 will generate... a Diminished Arpeggio ! (the octave is divided
equally into 4 notes).

Now we can also combine 2 types of 2nds. Let's start with the more common ones:

1. M2 and m2 will give us a Diminished Scale.

2. m2 and M2 will be the "other" Diminished Scale, sometimes called Auxiliary-

Diminished.

3. A2 and m2 will be referred to as an Augmented Scale.

4. m2 and A2 will be deemed the "other" Augmented Scale, which following a

previous logic could be then named Auxiliary-Augmented.

now,

5. M2 and A2: using C as a Root, we have:

C D F G Bb (C). This will be seen as a Bb Major Pentatonic Scale (or G Minor

Pentatonic).

OK, now that we had our little fun, let's see if we can combine all 3 types of 2nds. We
will again use C as the Root for each sequence.

1. A2 M2 m2
C Eb F Gb A B (C)
2. A2 m2 M2
C D# E F# A Bb (C)
3. M2 A2 m2
C D F Gb Ab B (C)
4. M2 m2 A2
C D Eb F# G# A (C)
5. m2 A2 M2
C Db E F# G Bb (C)
6. m2 M2 A2
C Db Eb F# G A (C)
All those scales are unnamed Hexatonics (6-note scales). Note that they all have the b5.

Many combinations of 2nds are possible within one octave, and you can actually
construct some interesting symmetrical "groupings". The recipe is really simple:

If we divide the octave in 2 halves, the following template will be constant:

C F# (C)

Just insert any note between the C root and the F# (the Tritone). You then want to
insert the same interval between the F# and the C octave.

Example: let's insert an E between C and F#. The interval is of a M3. We then have to
insert a note that is a M3 up from the F#:

C E F# Bb (C)

More notes may be inserted. Let's now add a chromatic step between E and F#. The
same interval duplicated will be a chromatic step between Bb and C.

Here is the new series:

C E F F# Bb B (C)

Let's try now a D between the C and F (a whole-step after the Root). The same interval
duplicated will be a whole-step after the Tritone:

C D E F F# G# Bb B (C)

Many possibilities, as you can see.

You can also use the same approach, but divide the octave in 3 equal parts instead of 2
halves. You can start with only using 2nds in your series, but eventually try with various
intervals. Whether or not you want to refer to those things as "scales" is really up to
you !

If you are curious, you may want to take a look at composer Olivier Messiaen's Modes
of Limited Transposition also known as "Messiaen Modes". Messiaen went through all
the possibilities, and selected 7 of them, simply referred to as 1st Mode, 2nd Mode,
etc.

More math to conclude:

 There are 2 Whole-Tone scales (in life...) each with 6 possible roots.

There are 3 Diminished scales (in life...) each with 4 possible roots.

There are 4 Augmented scales (in life...) each with 3 possible roots.

and:

There are 6 Tritones with 2 possible roots.

Oh, and there is also only 1 Chromatic scale, with 12 possible roots...