GB2592847A

GB2592847A - Music learning tool

Info

Publication number: GB2592847A
Application number: GB1909989.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mullen Andrew
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-07-11
Filing date: 2019-07-11
Publication date: 2021-09-15
Also published as: GB201909989D0

Abstract

A device made from two discs, to determine the modes, scales, diatonic chords, tonic notes, thirds, fifths, sevenths, ninth, eleventh and thirteenths notes in every key, major and minor. The discs are fixed to each other and rotate on a central point. The unique positioning of the windows (1) in the front disc in relation to the unique positioning of the letters (9) on the rear disc allow the device to work. The front disc is labelled with all the information required to decipher the keys, scales, chords, diatonic chords and modes

Description

Music learning tool A device to determine the modes, scales, diatonic chords, tonic notes, thirds, fifths, sevenths, ninth, eleventh and thirteenths notes in every key, major and minor.

In music, each key has a different number of flat and sharp notes, some keys have none. Each key has a set of chords which are a mixture of major and minor and diminished. To establish which notes make up a chord can be daunting and complicated.

Each key has seven modes, including major and minor. This means a student has to learn 12 major scales and 12 minor scales plus the seven diatonic chords for each of those 24 keys. On top of that the student must learn the seven modes for each of the 24 keys.

This invention will display all of this information. All the student needs to do is select the tonic note in ring (2) of any of the 12 keys and the wheel will show all notes in the scale of the selected key, all the diatonic chords in that scale in triad form and 7ths. At the same time, you will see the all of the relative modes of that key.

In major keys the wheel will display the seven chords as: Major I Ionian, minor ii Dorian, minor iii Phrygian, Major IV Lydian, Major V mixolydian, minor vii Aeolian and diminished vii Locrian. This is displayed on the outer ring (2) combined with the ring (7) immediately outside the centre circle and the letters (9) in the 18 windows (1).

In minor keys the wheel will display the chords as: Minor i Aeolian, diminished ii Locrian, Major III Ionian, minor iv Dorian, minor v Phrygian, Major VI Lydian and Major VII Mixolydian.

This is displayed on the outer ring (2) combined with the centre circle (8) and the letters (9) in the 18 windows (1).

Chords are made up of the root note on ring (3), marked "root", the third note in the scale on ring (4), marked "third" and the 5th note in the scale on ring (5), marked "5th". These chords are known as triads. In addition to this, the wheel also shows 7th notes in ring (6). This is the 7" note in the scale and makes 7" chords. In the case of the Locrian chord, as a triad it is known as diminished and as a seventh chord is known as half diminished or minor 7' flat five.

The seven notes of the scale in any key will be shown in the seven windows (1) in the ring (3) marked root.

In major keys the root note is at the top of the wheel, marked Major I and the notes in the scale follow round the wheel in the outer ring (2). I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii.

In minor keys the root note is indicated by the centre circle marked minor i, ii, Ill, iv, v, VI and VII.

To find a relative minor key, select a major key in the top window Major I Ionian and the relative minor will be shown in the vi Aeolian window (also marked in the centre ring as minor i).

Both wheels are solid, the front one has windows but no moving parts, all rings are fixed. The only movement is the rotation of the two discs.

The unique positioning of the windows in the front disc in relation to the unique positioning of the letters on the rear disc allow all of the above to work.

Offsetting the windows gives the variation of major, minor, diminished, half diminished and dominant chords.

Triads and 7th chords are displayed. The 9', 11' and thirteens chords can be worked out by counting every second note on the ring marked "7"", ring labelled as (6). For example, in figure 3 you can see the Major C Chord has the notes C E G and B as shown on the Root, 3rd) 5th and 7" rings. Continue on the 7th ring clockwise two windows and you get the 9th note, D, two more windows gives you the 11" note, F and two more windows gives you the 11th note, A. The same principal works in all the major keys and all the minor keys.

This is shown in physical form but is also workable as digital data such as apps and software forms.

Figure 1 shows the top disc, or the front disc. This is a solid disc with 18 windows, as marked (1). There are 18 windows because some windows have been grouped together as 1 instead of 2,3 or 4 separate windows. The unique positioning of the windows work either as a group or 28 individual windows or the 18 grouped windows or any variation in between.

Figure 2 shows the rear disk with the letters, which will make up the scales, chords and modes. Figure 3 shows both discs together, in the key of major.

(1) Are the windows (2) Is the outer ring showing the modes and the major scale (3) Is the ring which indicates the key and the root note of the chords (4) Is the ring which indicates the 3"d note in the chord (5) Is the ring which indicates the 5th note in the chord (6) Is the ring which indicates the 7th note in the chord (7) Is the ring which confirms whether the chord is major or minor (8) Is the centre disc which shows the minor scale (9) Are the letters on the lower disc Figures 4 through to 12 show each key, using both discs. Figure 4 In the key of C a. Major Scale CD EF G AB b. Diatonic chords C major, D minor E minor, F major, G major, A minor, B diminished c. Modes C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, B Locrian d. Relative minor A minor, B dim, C major, E minor, F major, G major e. Modes A Aeolian, B Locrian, C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian Figures 5 through to 12 show all the other keys and also reveal the Major scale and diatonic chords and modes, along with the relative minors and modes.

Parallel modes can be determined by Taking the Tonic, for example C major (C Ionian) (figure 3) and rotating the wheel so you view C Dorian (figure 14). This gives you all the notes and chords of C Dorian, a parallel mode of C Ionian. In the same way the parallel modes of C Ionian are C Dorian -figure 14, C Phrygian -figure 12, C Lydian -figure 11, C mixolydian -figure 9, C Aeolian -figure 7 and C Locrian -figure 5 This is the same for every key.

Figure 5 is in the key of C# also known as D flat (Db) Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of C# / Db Figure 6 is in the key of D Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of D Figure 7 is in the key of D# also known as Db Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of D# / Eb Figure 8 is in the key of E Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of E Figure 9 is in the key of F Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of F Figure 10 is in the key of F# also known as Gb Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of F44 / Db Figure 11 is in the key of G Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of G Figure 12 is in the key of G# also known as Ab Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of G# / Ab Figure 13 is in the key of A Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of A Figure 14 is in the key of A# also known as Bb Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of MI Bb Figure 15 is in the key of B Following the same steps as we did above for figure 4 we can determine the scales, chords and modes for the key of B

Claims

Claims 1 A music learning tool which shows the major and minor scales in all keys 2 A music learning tool which shows the notes used to create chords 3 A music learning tool which shows the diatonic chords in every scale, major and minor 4 A music learning tool which shows the relative modes in every key A music learning tool which shows parallel modes in every key