The Tone of My Minor Bemol

What is My minor 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 My minor bemol the tonic is My♭ and the scale is smaller, that is, with a third minor (My♭- Sun♭) which gives it a darker color than that of the larger tonalities.

Share armor with Bemol major, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with My biggest bemol, his homonymous tonality, which carries three bemoles. Its enharmonic equivalent, Re sustained minor, has six supports; the composers choose one or the other according to the notation it is more comfortable.

The armor

The armor carries 6 bemoles, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:

• Yeah.♭ · My♭ · The♭ · Re♭ · Sun♭ · Do♭
• 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 three smaller scales

Like all minor tonality, My minor bemol can be touched in three ways. The difference is in notes 6 and 7:

• Natural: My♭ - Fa - Sol♭ - The♭ - Yeah.♭ - Do♭ - Re♭ - My♭. It's exactly the notes of the armor.
• Harmonic: My♭ - Fa - Sol♭ - The♭ - Yeah.♭ - Do♭ - Re♮ - My♭. The seventh is raised to create the «sensitive», the note that pulls towards the tonic. Between Do♭ and Re♮ there is a second-increased jump, with a very characteristic taste.
• Melodic: As you go up, My♭ - Fa - Sol♭ - The♭ - Yeah.♭ - Do♮ – Re♮ - My♭; 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 Re♮ (and sometimes the Do♮) 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 My minor bemol with many Re♮, most likely the work is in My minor bemol and not in Sun major.

The main chords

• I · Tónica, My minor bemol: My♭ - Sun♭ - Yeah.♭. The point of rest.
• IV · Subdominant, The minor bemol: The♭ - Do♭ - My♭. Get away from the tonic gently.
• V · Dominant, if bemol major: Yeah.♭ - Re♮ - Fa.♮ of the harmonic scale is a greater chord, with strength to return to the tonic.
• V7 · Seventh dominant: Yeah.♭ - Re♮ - Fa - La♭. The maximum voltage before solving.
• VI · Do bemol major: Do♭ - My♭ - Sun♭. It brings light into the darkness and stars the «broken cadence».
• III · Bemol major: Sun♭ - Yeah.♭ - Re♭. 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): My♭m → The♭m → Yes♭7 → Mi♭m. It is the formula that confirms the tonality; you will hear it at the end of almost any work in My minor bemol.
• Broken (V-VI): Yeah.♭7 → Do♭. The ear is waiting for Me♭m and receives a major unexpected chord: a very romantic surprise resource.
• Low of regret: My♭ - Re♭ - Do♭ - Yeah.♭ down, down by degrees. It is the classic gesture of duel and sadness, from the Baroque to today.
• Modulation to the relative: My♭m → Re♭7 → Sun♭. Enough with the Sun's dominant♭ to go into the light in the greatest way without changing armor.

Character

Six bemoles and a very dark and collected character, uncommon in orchestral music. It usually appears in piano or camera works of high expressive density. 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

• Bach: Prelude No. 8, BWV 853, of The well-tempered key, book I (1722); the escape that accompanies it is written in Re sustained minor.
• Chopin: Poloness op. 26 ° 2 (1834-1835).
• Prokophiev: Symphony No. 6, op. 111 (1945-1947).
• Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15, op. 144 (1974), made up of six slow movements.