Mornington Lockett's 10 Scale System for 7th chords

[half diminished]

Those nice chaps at sax.co.uk just sent me their newsletter which included the following excerpt from Mornington Lockett's blog in response to a question that was raised following his recent Masterclass at Foyles. I'm sure they won't mind me sharing this with you.



The "10 scale system" evolved over a period of time. The original idea came from a scale I hit upon for a 13th chord with a flattened 9th. I took the Lydian Dominant scale and raised the tonic note by a semitone, thus omitting the tonic from the scale.

This gave the interesting prospect of G7 without a G, leaving more possibilities for variation, and breaking the 'closed system' of fixed scale types to fit chord types.
By changing the notes one by one, I managed to 'migrate' from the Lydian Dominant to the opposite tritone pole, the Altered Seventh. By working with Hexatonic triad pairings, I found I got great results, hopping from one scale to the other.

Scale 1 of the system is the regular Lydian Dominant.
For G7(starting on the 13th): {E,F,G,A,B,C#,D}
Scale 2 is {E,F,G#,A,B,C#,D}

The next step was to add a sharp 5:
Scale 3 is {E,F,G#,A,B,C#,D#}

The next step was to raise the 4th of this scale i.e. add a flat 9 to the G7
Scale 4 is {E,F,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

Raising the F to F double sharp (G!) gives G# harmonic minor over G7
Scale 5 is {E,F double sharp,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

Raising the E to E# completes the 'migration' to a tritone away: G# melodic minor, the 'Altered 7th'
Scale 6 is {E#,F double sharp,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

To get the other 4 scales, you move gradually back to the original scale in the same way:

Scale 7 is {Bb,Cb,D,Eb,F,G,Ab}
Scale 8 is {Bb,Cb,D,Eb,F,G,A}
Scale 9 is {Bb,Cb,D,E,F,G,A}
Scale 10 is {Bb,C#,D,E,F,G,A}
Scale 1 is {E,F,G,A,B,C#,D}

I am having a lot of fun with this, even experimenting with other contexts where the melodic minor would normally be used. In the key discussed, D melodic minor would fit B minor7b5, D minor(6), F major7(Lydian or #5). For example Scale 2 seems to work very well in this way. I think you have to use your ears and your musical brain to decide how far to take it. Mathematical ideas (i.e. set theory) in music provide a fascinating starting point, but you need a strong, intuitive human element for the end result to be any good for me.

Who said jazz was complex. 🙂

 

[thehunt]

I saw this too, looks like fun, not had time to play any of it though.

 

[Mamos]

mamos

 

[AlistairD]

I don't remember him discussing this when we were at school... Guess he's come a long way since then.

Saw Mornington on New Year'e eve at the 606 Club in Chelsea and he was great as ususal....

 

[Rico Vandoren]

I've been doing this for years.

 

[Moz]

Geeksax

Personally, I think the Lillputian scale is smaller but more effective than the Cheshire Cat dominant 17th (but less smiley). Some would disagree, but my previous diatribe on the merits of the Myxomatosis as opposed to the Myxsolydian diurnal two and one sevenths interval of F# Gb C unnatural, notwithstanding the Alice Variant Procrastination (not the Alicia Variation used in the game of Trog that was played by Andalucian monks in the 14th century as I have been frequently misquoted in this regard) which is a more coloured but less pleasant sound than the Gb/F# and A#/Bb chords much favoured by the one-fingered residents of East Cheam. In conclusion, given the choice of quadratonic or triskadecaphobic 13th intervals I would have to favour picking up a saxophone and playing a bloody tune. But then that's just my opinion (and those of East Cheam).

With tongue firmly in cheek (as I've just had a filling done),

Martin ;}

Those nice chaps at sax.co.uk just sent me their newsletter which included the following excerpt from Mornington Lockett's blog in response to a question that was raised following his recent Masterclass at Foyles. I'm sure they won't mind me sharing this with you.



The "10 scale system" evolved over a period of time. The original idea came from a scale I hit upon for a 13th chord with a flattened 9th. I took the Lydian Dominant scale and raised the tonic note by a semitone, thus omitting the tonic from the scale.

This gave the interesting prospect of G7 without a G, leaving more possibilities for variation, and breaking the 'closed system' of fixed scale types to fit chord types.
By changing the notes one by one, I managed to 'migrate' from the Lydian Dominant to the opposite tritone pole, the Altered Seventh. By working with Hexatonic triad pairings, I found I got great results, hopping from one scale to the other.

Scale 1 of the system is the regular Lydian Dominant.
For G7(starting on the 13th): {E,F,G,A,B,C#,D}
Scale 2 is {E,F,G#,A,B,C#,D}

The next step was to add a sharp 5:
Scale 3 is {E,F,G#,A,B,C#,D#}

The next step was to raise the 4th of this scale i.e. add a flat 9 to the G7
Scale 4 is {E,F,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

Raising the F to F double sharp (G!) gives G# harmonic minor over G7
Scale 5 is {E,F double sharp,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

Raising the E to E# completes the 'migration' to a tritone away: G# melodic minor, the 'Altered 7th'
Scale 6 is {E#,F double sharp,G#,A#,B,C#,D#}

To get the other 4 scales, you move gradually back to the original scale in the same way:

Scale 7 is {Bb,Cb,D,Eb,F,G,Ab}
Scale 8 is {Bb,Cb,D,Eb,F,G,A}
Scale 9 is {Bb,Cb,D,E,F,G,A}
Scale 10 is {Bb,C#,D,E,F,G,A}
Scale 1 is {E,F,G,A,B,C#,D}

I am having a lot of fun with this, even experimenting with other contexts where the melodic minor would normally be used. In the key discussed, D melodic minor would fit B minor7b5, D minor(6), F major7(Lydian or #5). For example Scale 2 seems to work very well in this way. I think you have to use your ears and your musical brain to decide how far to take it. Mathematical ideas (i.e. set theory) in music provide a fascinating starting point, but you need a strong, intuitive human element for the end result to be any good for me.

Who said jazz was complex. 🙂

 

[Mamos]

Ahh now I understand

Thanks martin

Mamos

 

[thehunt]

Yeah

🙂))🙂))🙂))🙂)) Brilliant!!: you obviously don't do scales. 😀

Personally, I think the Lillputian scale is smaller but more effective than the Cheshire Cat dominant 17th (but less smiley). Some would disagree, but my previous diatribe on the merits of the Myxomatosis as opposed to the Myxsolydian diurnal two and one sevenths interval of F# Gb C unnatural, notwithstanding the Alice Variant Procrastination (not the Alicia Variation used in the game of Trog that was played by Andalucian monks in the 14th century as I have been frequently misquoted in this regard) which is a more coloured but less pleasant sound than the Gb/F# and A#/Bb chords much favoured by the one-fingered residents of East Cheam. In conclusion, given the choice of quadratonic or triskadecaphobic 13th intervals I would have to favour picking up a saxophone and playing a bloody tune. But then that's just my opinion (and those of East Cheam).

With tongue firmly in cheek (as I've just had a filling done),

Martin ;}

 

[half diminished]

Personally, I think the Lillputian scale is smaller but more effective than the Cheshire Cat dominant 17th (but less smiley). Some would disagree, but my previous diatribe on the merits of the Myxomatosis as opposed to the Myxsolydian diurnal two and one sevenths interval of F# Gb C unnatural, notwithstanding the Alice Variant Procrastination (not the Alicia Variation used in the game of Trog that was played by Andalucian monks in the 14th century as I have been frequently misquoted in this regard) which is a more coloured but less pleasant sound than the Gb/F# and A#/Bb chords much favoured by the one-fingered residents of East Cheam. In conclusion, given the choice of quadratonic or triskadecaphobic 13th intervals I would have to favour picking up a saxophone and playing a bloody tune. But then that's just my opinion (and those of East Cheam).

With tongue firmly in cheek (as I've just had a filling done),

Martin ;}

Those Cornish pixies............

Too much clotted cream and full fat milk can affect the old noggin.

 

[Mamos]

Perhaps we should form the Cornish Massive

mamos

 

[half diminished]

Perhaps we should form the Cornish Massive

mamos

Go on then...........

 

[Mamos]

No

mamos

 

[kevgermany]

What I want to know is how many pasties you can sneak out of a gig down the bell of a tenor?

 

[Josh Johnson]

I think it depends on the filling.

 

[half diminished]

No way is a pasty getting grease over my lady! No way.

 

[Moz]

What I want to know is how many pasties you can sneak out of a gig down the bell of a tenor?

If the tenor had been Pavorotti then quite a few I would think (might be a bit off now though)

 

[Mamos]

I see what you did there

mamos

Hmmmm pasties

 

[Pete Thomas]

Fun to see what was happening here twelve years ago

 

[Jimmymack]

I thought everybody did this these days.

 

[BrianJoeSandy]

Time flies. I was at that masterclass. Remember the scale migration thing but not much else.