Debussy (whole tone scale)

Posted on Dec 11, 2005 03:56 pm
D 427
Member Since: Dec 11, 2005

aparently Debussy has an "exotic" feel to it due to the use of the whole tone scale.....can anyone shed more light on this?

d

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Noize2u
Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Dec 11, 2005 05:56 pm

Here is a good article on Claude D. Dont know if it will shed anymore light, but there is some good info in it.

www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/debussy.html

Tadpui
I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Dec 11, 2005 06:07 pm

Check out "So What" from Miles Davis on the album 'Kind of Blue". Best-selling jazz album of all time, and the first song uses the whole-tone scale. Then for the 3rd bar of the 4-bar pattern, it goes up 1/2 step and uses that key's whole tone scale. Then back down 1/2 step for the 4th bar. Very nice.

I'm not sure if I'd call it exotic, but its a cool soundng scale.

As for Debussy, I couldn't tell ya...which actually makes me no help on this thread.

fortymile
Member
Since: Jan 18, 2003

Dec 11, 2005 08:33 pm

the whole town scale (lol, a mistype, but ill keep it) is a scale that takes every other chromatic note. so, start on any key, say C, and just play every other note.

it is pretty mystical sounding. i have no idea how to use it. debussy's stuff sounds cool but a little like aural paint splatters to me.

dont quote me on this, but i think the scale forms a sequence of augmented triads. i.e. every chord is the same exact type. i dont know what the sevenths do to them if you add the sevenths. but i just tried harmonizing the whole tone in triads on piano and it produced seven augmented chords. which are themselves really ambiguous chords, as they can be played in any inversion and have the same effect: c aug and E aug contain the same notes. it becomes tricky to understand what youre doing. i wouldnt dream of writing rock or pop music using the full set of harmonized whole tone scale chords, but i would definitely dip into the scale itself for solos and little fills.