Harmony in Minor and Other Nonmajor Modes

Abstract

Abstract Nearly every harmonic and contrapuntal relationship discussed thus far in our examination of harmony has been illustrated with examples in the major mode. This is because the major mode is the fundamental backdrop for, and the normal context of, popular music of the 1950s and ‘60s. Throughout the era, however, as seen in chapter 7, the minor mode also appeared with some regularity, and later in this period rock music developed a dependency upon the minor-pentatonic mode. In addition, five other scales that had been described as early as the ninth century, the medieval modes, have varied degrees of relevance for the songs we’re studying. All of these collections have been treated already in our chapter on melodic organization, but they also have important implications for the nature of harmonic relationships in pop and rock music. In particular, as degrees change in relation to each other among the various scales, chords take on differing characteristic sets of qualities in the different modes. All of these collections but the minor-pentatonic are considered diatonic modes, each comprising seven different scale degrees within the octave, all degrees a second apart from each of their neighbors.