The Whistle And Its Modal Scales - Part 2

The flattened 3^rd note

The easiest fingerhole to half-cover is the fifth hole from the top, which is usually the largest hole on a standard whistle. With practice this will lower the third note of the basic scale a semitone (b3).

A Melodic Minor scale

By using a flattened 3^rd instead of the normal 3^rd, we get a Melodic Minor scale and its modes, with Melodic Major from 5. In classical music the Melodic Minor scale is used only when ascending, and the Natural Minor when descending. In Jazz it is used also descending if wanted.

Melodic Minor modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII
Melodic Minor, Jazz Minor	1	2	b3	4	5	6	7	1
Dorian b2, Jazz Minor inverse	2	b3	4	5	6	7	1	2
Lydian #5	b3	4	5	6	7	1	2	b3
Lydian b7, Lydian Dominant	4	5	6	7	1	2	b3	4
Melodic Major	5	6	7	1	2	b3	4	5
Locrian #2, Minor Locrian	6	7	1	2	b3	4	5	6
Locrian b4	7	1	2	b3	4	5	6	7

The flattened 6^th note

Another finger hole suitable for half-covering is the second hole from the top. This will produce a lowered sixth note in our basic scale. An alternative for half-covering is to use a forked fingering, like XOXXXX, which works for some whistles. On a D whistle this introduced the Bb.

A Harmonic Minor scale

If we use a flattened 3^rd as above for the Melodic Minor, plus a flattened 6^th, we get Harmonic Minor modal scales. Note the augmented whole-tone (3 semitone) interval from b6 to 7. Harmonic Minor retains a semitone step to the octave, as in a Major scale.

Harmonic Minor modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII
Harmonic Minor, Spanish Gypsy, Minor #7	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	7	1
Locrian #6	2	b3	4	5	b6	7	1	2
Ionian #5	b3	4	5	b6	7	1	2	b3
Romanian, Nakriz, Misheberekh, Dorian #4	4	5	b6	7	1	2	b3	4
Spanish Gypsy (Flamenco), Hijaz, Ahava Rabah	5	6	7	1	2	b3	4	5
Lydian #2	b6	7	1	2	b3	4	5	b6
Ultralocrian	7	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	7

More Diatonic scales

Now if we flatten the 7^th in the above Harmonic Minor, we loose the semitone step to the Octave. Using b3, b6 and b7 we get a set of Diatonic modal scales with Natural Minor in first position. For example: on a D whistle, which plays normally in D Major, we now play in D Minor.

Diatonic modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	For D Whistle
Aeolian, Natural Minor	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	1	D Minor
Locrian	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	1	2	E Locrian
Ionian, Major	b3	4	5	b6	b7	1	2	b3	F Major
Dorian	4	5	b6	b7	1	2	b3	4	G Dorian
Phrygian	5	b6	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	A Phrygian
Lydian	b6	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	Bb Lydian
Mixolydian	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	C Mixolydian

If we use a flattened 3^rd and 7^th , but not a flattened 6^th as above, we get another set of Diatonic scales, with Dorian in first position. On a D whistle we use F and C instead of F# and C#:

Diatonic modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	For D Whistle
Dorian	1	2	b3	4	5	6	b7	1	D Dorian
Phrygian	2	b3	4	5	6	b7	1	2	E Phrygian
Lydian	b3	4	5	6	b7	1	2	b3	F Lydian
Mixolydian	4	5	6	b7	1	2	b3	4	G Mixolydian
Aeolian, Minor	5	6	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	A Minor
Locrian	6	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	6	B Locrian
Ionian, Major	b7	1	2	b3	4	5	6	b7	C Major

More Melodic Minor scales

We can explore yet another set of Melodic Minor scale modes, by using a flattened 6^th and 7^th. This set starts with a Melodic Major scale, the associated Melodic Minor starts on 4.

Melodic Minor modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII
Melodic Major	1	2	3	4	5	b6	b7	1
Locrian #2, Minor Locrian	2	3	4	5	b6	b7	1	2
Locrian b4	3	4	5	b6	b7	1	2	3
Melodic Minor, Jazz Minor	4	5	b6	b7	1	2	3	4
Dorian b2, Jazz Minor inverse	5	b6	b7	1	2	3	4	5
Lydian #5	b6	b7	1	2	3	4	5	b6
Lydian b7, Lydian Dominant	b7	1	2	3	4	5	b6	b7

Harmonic Major scales

If we only use a flattened 6^th, we get Harmonic Major modal scales. These are like Harmonic Minor modal scales above, but the 3^rd is not flattened, so the scale retains its Major character up to V.

Harmonic Major modal scales	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII
Harmonic Major, Ionian b6	1	2	3	4	5	b6	7	1
Dorian b5	2	3	4	5	b6	7	1	2
Phrygian b4	3	4	5	b6	7	1	2	3
Lydian b3, Jazz Minor #4	4	5	b6	7	1	2	3	4
Mixolydian b2	5	b6	7	1	2	3	4	5
Lydian #2 #5	b6	7	1	2	3	4	5	b6
Locrian bb7	7	1	2	3	4	5	b6	7

Going further

So far we used combinations of three flattened notes, b3, b6 and b7. From these b7 can usually be achieved with forked fingering, and b6, depending on the whistle, too. But b3 must be produced by semi-covering the fifth hole.

To go further with our exploration of modal scales on a whistle, we need to learn half covering the third hole (from the top) and the sixth (lowest) hole.

The third hole may be smaller than hole two, and producing the note with half covering may be tricky. The sixth hole may be also a bit small, and producing the half-covered note may even proof not possible. It helps if it is larger. Lets see what modal scales we can find! → Go to Part 3