Hi, same guy that asked the question about playing notes outside of the scale. Doesn't F Lydian, C Major and A Natural Minor scale all use the same notes? I'm asking when to use notes that aren't in the scale at all? For example, playing a B in a C Natural Minor scale.
Firstly, yes they all contain the same notes, but the tonal center is different. If you played F Lydian over an F Chord, it will sound different than playing a C Major or A Minor over the same chord, even though they contain the same notes. Where your notes resolve and tend to want to cling on back to is different.
But if we're talking when to use notes that don't belong, or say not diatonic, it really depends. Passing tones are one way to do it, whether it's the Perfect Fourth of a major key or some of the blues notes in a blues scale. However, when you play a chord progression, every chord has its own scale. For example...
Dm7 - Amaj
You can play A Natural Minor first, then A Major.
You can play D Dorian first, then A Mixolydian.
So, you don't really play B in a C Natural Minor scale because, then, it wouldn't be a C Natural Minor. It would be C Harmonic Minor.
These scales are tools, and it all really depends on what sounds you're going for, finding out the best way to express what you want through these compositional tools.
But if we're talking when to use notes that don't belong, or say not diatonic, it really depends. Passing tones are one way to do it, whether it's the Perfect Fourth of a major key or some of the blues notes in a blues scale. However, when you play a chord progression, every chord has its own scale. For example...
Dm7 - Amaj
You can play A Natural Minor first, then A Major.
You can play D Dorian first, then A Mixolydian.
So, you don't really play B in a C Natural Minor scale because, then, it wouldn't be a C Natural Minor. It would be C Harmonic Minor.
These scales are tools, and it all really depends on what sounds you're going for, finding out the best way to express what you want through these compositional tools.
