The Tone of Do held minor

What Is Do Sustained Minor

A tone is the «centre of gravity» of a work: a main note, the tonic, and a scale that is organized around it. In Do held less the tonic is Do♯ and the scale is smaller, that is, with a third minor (Do♯-My) that gives it a darker color than that of the larger tonalities.

Share armor with My eldest, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with Major sustained, its homonymous tonality, which carries 7 supports. Its enharmonic equivalent, Re bemol minor, would need eight bemoles (one double), so in practice it is not used.

The armor

The armor has 4 supports, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:

• Fa♯ · Do♯ · Sun♯ · Re♯
• Trick to remember it: the supports advance by ascending fifths (Fa → Do → Sol → Re → The → Mi → Yes), and the last sustained is always half tone below the larger tone.

The three smaller scales

Like any minor tonality, Do held minor can be played in three ways. The difference is in notes 6 and 7:

• Natural: Do♯ - Re♯ - My - Fa♯ - Sun♯ - La - Yes - Do♯. It's exactly the notes of the armor.
• Harmonic: Do♯ - Re♯ - My - Fa♯ - Sun♯ - The... Yeah.♯ - Do♯. The seventh is raised to create the «sensitive», the note that pulls towards the tonic. Between La and Si♯ there is a second-increased jump, with a very characteristic taste.
• Melodic: as you go up, Do♯ - Re♯ - My - Fa♯ - Sun♯ - The♯ – Yeah.♯ - Do♯; when you go down, you return to the natural scale. This is how you avoid that jump and the melody flows better.

On the score, the yes♯ (and sometimes the♯) does not appear in the armor: it is written as an accidental alteration in front of the note. So, if you see the armor of Do held smaller with many Yes♯, most likely the play is in Do held minor and not in My Major.

The main chords

• I · Tónica, Do sustained minor: Do♯ - My - Sun♯. The point of rest.
• IV · Subdominant, minor sustained Fa: Fa♯ - The -♯. Get away from the tonic gently.
• V · Dominant, major sustained sun: Sun♯ - Yeah.♯ - Re♯. Thanks to the Yes♯ of the harmonic scale is a greater chord, with strength to return to the tonic.
• V7 · Seventh dominant: Sun♯ - Yeah.♯ - Re♯ - Fa♯. The maximum voltage before solving.
• VI · The largest: The - Do♯ - Me. It brings light into the darkness and stars the «broken cadence».
• III · My eldest: My - Sun♯ - Yeah. It is the tonic of the relative major, the usual destination when a minor work wants «open».

Examples of progress

• Perfect chain (I - IV - V7 - I): Do♯m → Fa♯m → Sun♯7 → Do♯m. It is the formula that confirms the tonality; you will hear it at the end of almost any work in Do held minor.
• Broken (V-VI): Sun♯7 → La. The ear is waiting.♯m and receives a major unexpected chord: a very romantic surprise resource.
• Low of regret: Do♯ - Yeah.♯ down, down by degrees. It is the classic gesture of duel and sadness, from the Baroque to today.
• Modulation to the relative: Do♯m → Si7 → Mi. It is enough with the dominant of Me to go into the light of the greater way without changing the armor.

Character

Four braces and an intimate and passionate color at once. From the sonata «Moonlight» Beethoven is related to night melancholy, and romantic pianists used it for works of great intensity. Today we know that with the temperate tuning all the tonalities sound equal to «tuned»but these associations continue to be part of the tradition and the way the composers choose them.

Works to listen to her

• Beethoven: Sonata for piano «Moonlight», op. 27 No. 2 (1801).
• Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14, op. 131 (1826), which begins with a slow leak.
• Chopin: Fantasy-Impromptu, op. 66 (1834).
• Rachmaninoff: Preludio op. 3 ° 2 (1892).
• Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (1901-1902), which begins with a lower sustained C-march.