Mood Name: Pygmy
Standard tone sequence: F/ G Ab C Eb FG Ab C
Atmosphere: Meditative - Introverted - Floating
Tonal center: DING
Mode: Aeolian minor
Pitch: Pentatonic
Semitones: 2-1-4-3-2-2-1-4
Mood Description Pygmy:
Pygmy is an extremely popular scale. Apart from the name, the only thing that this scale has in common with the music of the pygmies is the number of tones up to the octave (pentatonic scale). For our Western ears, the equi-pentatonic scale traditionally used by some African peoples would probably also be very unfamiliar. Nevertheless, both rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases can be implemented very well with this hemitonic pentatonic scale.
A special feature of both Pygmy versions is that four of the five tones are each an octave higher and the overtones can thus be amplified (cf. natural scale).
Pygmy is often referred to as the dorian pentatonic . This designation is not comprehensible for us, since there is no sixth level. The term dorian pentatonic probably arose in analogy to the church scales. This approach makes little sense in connection with pentatonic scales, since in this example the tone of the major sixth, which is absolutely essential for the Dorian mode, is not present. Other than that, Pygmy is a very cool sounding scale!
The peculiarity of this Pygmy tuning is that it is a hemitonic pentatonic scale. This means that, in contrast to a normal major or minor pentatonic scale (anhemitonic pentatonic scales), there is also a semitone step (cf. semitone). This is between the first tone and the second tone, so the first three tones of the natural minor scale (Aeolian) are present without a crack in Pygmy. In the F Pygmy example, that would be FG-Ab. From this tone there is a jump of a major third (also called a major third) to the fifth tone (in the example: tone C). This is followed by a minor third jump and a whole step, which leads to the octave. From here there is the same tone sequence up to the twelfth (fifth tone in the upper octave).
Despite the presence of a semitone and its potential for friction, Pygmy is very easy and intuitive to play. Clear recommendation also for beginners!
Matching Moods:
Very well suited for joint, improvised play:
- Ab Major (parallel tuning)
- Ab Sabye (parallel tuning)
- Bb Celtic Minor /Amara
- F Kurd
- Eb Ragadesh
- F equinox
-
F Magic Voyage
- C Aeolia
- C Low Pygmy
- DB Jibuk
- F Mystic
- F integral
- DB Aegean
- BB La Sirena
Also good for composing together:
