Musical language · Tons
4 bemoles
Relative: Fa minor · Homonym: The minor bemol
What is The Major Bemol
A tone is the «centre of gravity» of a work: a main note, the tonic, and a scale that is organized around it. In the major bemol the tonic is The♭ and the scale is greater, that is, with a third greater (♭-Do) gives an open and bright color.
Share armor with Fa minor, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with The minor bemol, his homonymous tonality, which carries 7 bemoles.
The armor
The armor has 4 bemoles, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:
- Yeah.♭ · My♭ · The♭ · Re♭
- Trick to remember it: the bemoles advance through ascending quarters (Yes → My → The → Re → Sun → Do → Fa), and in the larger tones the penultimate bemol gives the name of the tonic.
The scale
The scale of the major bemol follows the pattern of tones and semitones of any larger scale (tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone):
- The♭ - Yeah.♭ - Do - Re♭ - My♭ - Fa - Sol - La♭
- The semitones fall between Do and Re♭ and between Sol and La♭. That seventh note, Sol, is the «sensitive»: is half the tone of the tonic and pulls it into resolution.
The main chords
- I · Tónica, La♭ greater: The♭ - Do - Mi♭. The point of rest.
- II · If lower bemol: Yeah.♭ - Re♭ - Fa. Prep the dominant with softness.
- IV · Subdominant, Re bemol major: Re♭ - Fa - La♭. Get away from the tonic without tension.
- V · Dominant, My greatest bemol: My♭ - Sun - Yes♭. It contains the sensitive (Sun) and pushes towards the tonic.
- V7 · Seventh dominant: My♭ - Sun - Yes♭ - Re♭. The maximum voltage before solving.
- VI · Fa minor: Fa - The♭ - Do. It is the tonic of the relative minor and brings a touch of shadow.
Examples of progress
- Perfect chain (I - IV - V7 - I): The♭ → Re♭ → My♭7 → The♭. The formula that confirms the tonality at the end of almost any work.
- II - V - I: Yeah.♭m → Mi♭7 → The♭. The most used progression from harmony, from Baroque to jazz.
- Broken (V7 - VI): My♭7 → Fam. The ear is waiting for the♭ And he gets a minor chord: a little surprise blow.
- Modulation to the dominant: The♭ → Yes♭7 → Mi♭. The Re of Chord Yes♭7 is the sensitive of Me♭ and takes the music to My major bemol, the most common destination of a work in The major bemol.
Character
Four bemoles and a warm, tender, sweet sound. Many composers chose her for her most affectionate or lyrical pages, although Chopin also made her heroic. 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.
