Pentatonic modes are modes consisting of only five tone levels

Pentatonic modes are modes consisting of only five tone levels.

I. Concept

Five-tone modulation, the ancient Han Chinese meter. As the name suggests, pentatonic modes are modes consisting of five tones (rather than seven). Pentatonic modulation is widely found in ancient Chinese and folk music, and on this basis the variations of Chinese folk modulation and a complete system of music theory have been formed.

Therefore, although pentatonic mode can be found in the traditional music of many countries and regions, it is often referred to as "Chinese mode" or "national mode". Pentatonic modes are organized in intervals of pure fifths, and are modulated by five tones.

Because this tuning is unique to our country, it can also be called the National Tuning. The names of these five tones are: Gong, Shang, Horn, Zheng and Yu.

The characteristics of the tone levels

The characteristics of the tone levels of the five-tone tuning are different in the stability and instability shown in monophonic and polyphonic music.

In polyphonic music, the stability of a pentatonic scale is mainly determined by the harmonic configuration of the mode. The same tonality may be stabilized differently due to different harmonic configurations, so in polyphonic music, the harmonic configurations must be specifically analyzed in order to clarify which levels are stable.

In monophonic music, it is the 1st, 4th, or 5th level that is stabilizing. Level 1 is the main tone. It is the most stable. Levels 4 and 5 are in a fourth or fifth degree relationship to the dominant and are less stable, but have greater support for the dominant.

Musical characteristics and singing characteristics of pentatonic tuning

I. Musical characteristics

1. The lack of semitones and three whole tone such intervals of the seemingly sharp, between the palace angle to form a large third in pentatonic debugging (small sixths), so that makes a person feel particularly good to listen to. Only do re mi so la.

2. The "triads" of major second and minor third are the basic tones in the melodic progression of the pentatonic mode.

Singing characteristics

The pentatonic mode not only requires the singer's talent, but also can not be separated from the long-term training and development of the singing technique. And the five-tone modulation as a display of American vocal singing and representatives, pay special attention to the expressive power of vocal skills, often by composers, singers, as the highest state of vocal skills. Because the pentatonic mode originated in the Chinese nation, we usually also called "national pentatonic mode".