Figuring out the Scale
From “The Root¨ in Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers
[…] even though this scale starts on a G, the root is C. This is a C major scale, it’s just written from the pitch G to G. If we find our pattern in it, we will find that the only way that it works is if we treat C as the root.
Essentially, if there is a piece of music, the notes for it, and thus their corresponding pitches, will be sequenced in ways not necessarily consistent with whatever given scale may be used to build it. Assuming a musical piece is written in only one musical scale, figuring it out involves two methods:
- Hypothesizing different root pitches and applying the same pattern to each to see if it corresponds with a found pattern in the musical piece
- Determining what note is perceived as the “home¨ pitch
For this second test, the “home¨ pitch is the one that:
Quote
[…] always feels like a good place to end a melody.
This is because the root pitch has this property (Allen 2018, 58). That being said, since more pitches than the root can sound potentially “like home,¨ this test can nonetheless have false-positives. It is then necessary to use both methods to reliably figure out the scale of a musical piece.
music_theory root_key root_pitch home_key home_pitch musical_scale
bibliography
- “The Root.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 58. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.