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Compiling global examples of music in the Melodic Minor Scale

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1-2-b3-4-5-6-7

(C-D-E^b-F-G-A-B)

o • o o • o • o • o • o o

• Melodic Minor: Sounds •

Real-world examples of the scale in action:

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• General: 

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• India: Known in North India as Patdeep, a raga thought to have evolved from the Dorian-congruent Dhanashree lineage – which abandons the ♮2 and ♮6 in ascending melodies (khayal vocalist Aarshin Karande describes Patdeep as being “suited to themes of anxiety, relief, and mystery, with a hauntingly intense Nishad [♮7]…”). Known in South Indian Carnatic music as Ragam Gourimanohari (melakarta scale #23), used for classical compositions as well as proving popular in filmi and fusion – including the eclectic piece below, composed by Rajan Somasundaram to honour the release of Jeyamohan’s epic Venmurasu (which, by some counts, is the world’s longest novel).

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—A Tribute to Venmurasu (South India)—

Rajan Somasundaram (fusion composer)

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“Venmurasu is a Tamil novel of epic proportions, spanning 26 volumes and 26,000 pages. Jeyamohan started writing it in 2014 and finished it in 2020, thus creating the longest novel ever written. This musical tribute by Rajan Somasundaram…was composed as the theme music for the epic, with lyrics were compiled using lines from the novels in the series, chosen for their lyrical beauty and profound spiritual depth. This song features legendary actor Kamal Haasan, a German Brass band, North Carolina-based string musicians, as well as Sriram Parthasarathy, Saindhavi Prakash, and the composer himself.” (Vishnupuram Literary Circle)

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• Melodic Minor: More •

Features, classifiers, quirks, etc…

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[analysis: coming soon]

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—Classifiers & Quirks—

• Modes: Melodic Minor set (Melodic Minor; Dorian b2; Lydian Augmented; Lydian Dominant; Mixolydian b6; Aeolian b5; Superlocrian)
• Quirks: Hemitonic; Maximal; Reflectional sym. (imperfect: b3, ♮6, ♮7; detached: b3, ♮7)
• Names: Melodic Minor, Mel. Minor Ascending, Jazz Minor (Western); Patdeep (Hindustani); Gourimanohari (Carnatic)

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n.b. For more detailed geometric and mathematical analysis, refer to this scale’s entry in Ian Ring’s fantastic Exciting Universe of Music Theory project (for which I am an occasional ‘raga consultant’)

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