: Antecedent and consequent phrase in minor scale MY question is what are the rules for melodic phrasing in minor scales. For example, I know that in a major scale the vii wants to go up to the I and the V can go where ever

Vote Up Vote Down   0 Reactions

Login to give Reaction!

...antecedent and consequent phrase in minor scale?

I think you are asking about minor key music, so let's skip over modal music (Dorian, etc.)

Antecedent and consequent phrases are essentially defined by cadence types. The typical thing is an antecedent phrase ending with a half cadence on the dominant chord and a consequent phrase ending on the tonic. That model applies to minor key music too.

EDIT it seems part of your question is more generally about minor key harmony and how to handle the dominant chord, the antecedent aspect of harmony.

At the heart of dominant harmony in minor keys is raising the seventh scale degree to form dominant chords.

In C minor - with a key signature of three flats - the seventh degree is Bb. When you build a triad on the dominant the unaltered chord would be G Bb D. But the conventional thing to do is raise the seventh to make the chord G B D.

In technical terms the lowered seventh Bb one whole step below the tonic is called the subtonic, but the raised seventh B natural is a half step below the tonic and called the leading tone. The leading tone distinguished the dominant chord.

The leading tone triad is a diminished triad built on the leading tone. In C minor the leading tone triad is B D F. The leading tone triad is often considered an incomplete dominant seventh chord and can effectively function as a dominant chord. So, in minor key harmony there are two diminished chords: viio and iio.

Vote Up Vote Down   0 Reactions

Login to give Reaction!

Melodic phrasing is different than tonal characteristics.

The guidelines for melodic phrasing are the same regardless of tonality. I encourage you to research parallel answers and contrasting answers.

Antecedents can be thought of like questions. Consequents can be thought of as one of the two types of answers above. How long they are / their shape / character is unique to each piece.

Regarding your question concerning tonal characteristics: between the major and natural minor scales, only 3 notes change: 3, 6, and 7. Musica ficta was a technique developed to provide extra pull to the tonic. The harmonic minor scale ended up being the result. The melodic minor scale was developed to alleviate the augmented 2nd created by the harmonic minor scale, which at the time was considered not only difficult to sing, but harsh on the ear.

Besides the 7th, the question of where notes "pull" is largely dependant on context. If you set a drone of a fifth, then raise it to a minor-6th, to the listener, it's going to want to pull downward due to aural memory.

Context influenced by emphasis and aural memory shape which tones "pull" in which directions. This is true regardless of tonality.