The Tone of Re bemol major

What is Re bemol major

A tone is the «centre of gravity» of a work: a main note, the tonic, and a scale that is organized around it. In Re bemol major the tonic is Re♭ and the scale is greater, that is, with a third greater (Re♭-Fa) which gives an open and bright color.

Share armor with If lower bemol, its relative tonality: the same notes, but with another center. And he shares tonic with Minor re bemol, its homonymous tonality, which carries 8 bemoles (counting a double bemol), so it is a theoretical tonality that is almost not used. Its enharmonic equivalent, Do sustained major, needs seven supports, so it is preferred almost always Re bemol major.

The armor

The armor carries 5 bemoles, which are always written in this order at the beginning of each pentagram:

• Yeah.♭ · My♭ · The♭ · Re♭ · Sun♭
• 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 greater Re bemol scale follows the pattern of tones and semitones of any larger scale (tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone):

• Re♭ - My♭ - Fa - Sol♭ - The♭ - Yeah.♭ - Do - Re♭
• The semitones fall between Fa and Sol♭ and between Do and Re♭. That seventh note, Do, is the «sensitive»: is half the tone of the tonic and pulls it into resolution.

The main chords

• I · Tonic, Re♭ greater: Re♭ - Fa - La♭. The point of rest.
• II · My minor bemol: My♭ - Sun♭ - Yeah.♭. Prepare the dominant one gently.
• IV · Subdominant, Sun bemol major: Sun♭ - Yeah.♭ - Re♭. Get away from the tonic without tension.
• V · Dominant, The major bemol: The♭ - Do - Mi♭. It contains the sensitive (Do) and pushes towards the tonic.
• V7 · Seventh dominant: The♭ - Do - Mi♭ - Sun♭. The maximum voltage before solving.
• VI · If lower bemol: Yeah.♭ - Re♭ - Fa. It is the tonic of the relative minor and brings a touch of shadow.

Examples of progress

• Perfect chain (I - IV - V7 - I): Re♭ → Sun♭ → The♭7 → Re♭. The formula that confirms the tonality at the end of almost any work.
• II - V - I: My♭m → The♭7 → Re♭. The most used progression from harmony, from Baroque to jazz.
• Broken (V7 - VI): The♭7 → Yes♭m. The ear is waiting for Re♭ And he gets a minor chord: a little surprise blow.
• Modulation to the dominant: Re♭ → My♭7 → The♭. The Sun of the My Chord♭7 is the sensitive of the♭ and takes the music to The major bemol, the most common destination of a work in The major bemol.

Character

With five bemoles, on the piano the hand rests on the black keys and the sound is warm and velvety. Romantic pianist and Debussy chose it for their most dreamy and nocturnal pages. 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

• Chopin: Prelude op. 28 ° 15, «Rain drop» (1838-1839).
• Chopin: Vals op. 64 ° 1, «Minute» (1847).
• Liszt: Consolation No. 3 (1850).
• Liszt: Concert study «A sigh» (h. 1848).
• Debussy: «Lune Clair»of the Suite bergamasque (1890, revised 1905).
• Dvorak: The Long of the Symphony No. 9, «The New World» (1893), a major movement in Re bemol.