Keyboarding Basics: the Minor Scale

Alright, so it's been a week or so since we worked on our keyboard knowledge, but I want to get back to it for a minute so that you can expand the range of sounds you have to use when you are making your own music.

I would like to introduce you to my friend, the Minor Scale.

First, lets quickly refresh our memory of the Major Scale. Here is the formula, in case you forgot:

W-W-H-W-W-W-H

Now, here is the formula for the Minor Scale:

W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Do you notice anything about how these two formulas are related?

Now let's see how this formula looks on an actual keyboard. Here are the notes of the C Minor Scale...


Assignment #1:

1. Open a new Reason file.
2. Create a Subtractor Analog Synthesizer.
3. Load a sound from one of the four main categories (Bass, Monosynth, Pad, or Polysynth).
4. Set the L marker on Bar 1 and the R marker on Bar 5.
5. Turn on the Click (aka metronome) and set the tempo to something you like.
6. Practice playing the C Minor scale up and down in time with the metronome: (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-C-Bb-Ab-G-F-Eb-D-C)
   
7. When you've got it down, hit the Record button and record your performance.
8. Fix any off notes by quantizing.
9. Save the file to your folder as "(your name)_C Minor scale.rns"
10. Put a copy of the file on the Media Share folder in: Media Share>Student Work>Minor Scale

Now, I want you to try applying the Minor Scale to making your own original beat.

Assignment#2
1. Pick a key you want to start with.
2. Figure out the notes of the Minor Scale starting from that key. Remember the formula: W-H-W-W-H-W-W
3. Now spend some time making an original drum beat so that you have something to play over.
4. When you've got a beat, set your L marker on Bar 1 and your R Marker on Bar 5.
5. Create either an NN19 or a Subtractor and load a sound that you want to work with.
6. Listen to your beat playing and start experimenting with playing some notes from the Minor Scale that you picked. Keep it simple; just 3-4 notes are fine.
7. Practice playing your melody. When you've got it down, hit the Record button and record yourself playing.
8. If you need to fix any notes, use the quantize function.
9. Create another NN19 or Subtractor and load a sound that you think will go well with the sound you've already got.
10. Add a few more notes over what you've already recorded. These notes should also be from the Minor Scale that you picked earlier. Again, keep it simple - just a few notes is fine.
11. When you've got some sounds for both of your instruments, start copying and pasting your melodies to make a longer song.
12. When you've got something that you feel is solid, save it as "(your name)_Minor beat" and let the instructor check it out.