Unit 2-3: Pentatonic, Whole Tone, Octatonic

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Construct and identify each of the following pitch collections: pentatonic, whole tone, and octatonic.
Identify each of the 5-tone Chinese modes (Gōng, Shāng, Jué, Zhǐ, and Yǔ) in traditional examples from the literature.
Describe difference in sound and affect between each of the above collections.
Compose a melody using a pentatonic, whole tone, or octatonic collection.

"Collections" (OMT) - Just read the sections on the Whole Tone, Octatonic, and Pentatonic Collections.
"The Whole Tone Scale" and "The Diminished Scale" (Ethan Hein)
"Traditional Chinese Modes" (Cui) - Just read pp. 25–31.

Songs that Use the Whole Tone Scale
(David Bennett, 12 mins)

You Try: Check out one of the sites below to use your keyboard to play and experiment with melodies in the major and minor pentatonic scales.

Notio Keyboard: Click the "Scale" button to change the scale to pentatonic. The "Keyboard" button will expand your keyboard. Change the scale's starting note, by clicking on the "Root" button.
Ethan Hein's Major Pentatonic and Minor Pentatonic Pitch Wheels

Building the Major or Minor Pentatonic Scale (from KaitlinBove.com)

Build the major or minor scale, then subtract the 4th and 7th scale degrees:

Traditional 5-Tone Chinese Modes (from Canjingjing Cui, 2012)

Assignment 2-3

Pentatonic Collections: Pentatonic collections are some of the most widely used pitch collections in the world. They're also common in popular music. How do the pentatonic collections differ from the major and minor scale and the modes discussed so far? Why do you think they're so widely used?
The Whole Tone Scale: Listen to the whole tone scale and sing it together as a class. What does it make you think of? What are the distinctive characteristics of the scale and how does it create a sense of ambiguity? Consider Debussy's "Voiles" as an example. (It's included as Example #1 in this Unit's Anthology section - click the link to the Anthology below). Can you think of any other places that you've heard whole tone scales?
- - Why are there only two whole tone scales? What types of chords does this scale produce?
The Octatonic Scale: Now, compare these scales to the octatonic collection. What kinds of chords and distinctive intervals does this scale produce? What does it make you think of? Based on the chords and intervals, why do you think it creates that effect. Consider Alan Silvestri's example from the film Predator. (Example #5 in this Unit's Anthology section - click the link below). Why is the octatonic scale particularly well-suited for this film score?
- - How many possible octatonic collections are there?

Analysis of Rhiannon Giddens, "At the Purchaser's Option" (Freedom Highway, 2017)
- - The slides here provide information about the song, a study score, and questions for discussion.
Re-Composition: Select one of the melodies from the anthology together as a class. Identify the pitch collection used in that melody, then, in groups or individually, re-compose the melody using one of the new pitch collections discussed in this lesson. Keep the rhythms and the contour the same, but adjust the pitches to fit into your new pitch collection. Play the examples back to back for your classmates and discuss how the new pitch collection affects the way you hear the melody.

ID the Pitch Collection: Click the link for the anthology to the right. Work in groups or as a class to identify the pitch collection used in each section.
- - Section 1: ID the example as Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Whole Tone, Octatonic, or as one of the modes discussed in the last lesson.
  - Section 2: ID the Chinese 5-tone mode used in each example as Gōng, Shāng, Jué, Zhǐ, or Yǔ mode.

Go to Anthology

Next Lesson: Ragas & Maqam

Check out Ethan Hein's interactive blog posts on:

Check out the "Chinese Folk Songs for Music Teachers" website.

Find notation, translations, audio recordings, and information about the songs. See here for Regional Folk Songs or here for Popular Classics.

Whole-Tone Collections and Temporal Dislocation in Film Music
(Zachary Cairns, SMT-V 10.5, 13 mins)

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