Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder - Melody

Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder - Melody

Listen to the song HERE.

Major Blues Scale-a-rama

Wonder uses the major blues scale to great effect here, with some great surprises thrown in. The major blues scale is built on the major pentatonic, with the addition of the b3.

A “normal” major scale is this...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7...(it then starts over at “1” again)

...a major pentatonic scale uses these notes of that scale...

1 2 3 5 6...(it then starts over at “1” again)

...the major blues adds a single note...

1 2 b3 3 5 6

For those “Wonder-ing” [okay, that was a bad pun, even by MY low standards] Stevie is playing in the key of B major, so the notes of the major blues scale are these...

B C# D D# F# G#

The major blues scale takes up the first two lines of the verses. Things get REALLY interesting in the second two lines.

Chromatic Melody

When he starts singing “just because a record has a groove don’t make it in the groove” he switches from the pentatonic scale to a chromatic scale. A chromatic scale is very unique in pop music because it isn’t used that much. Hmmm? How do I explain chromatic?

Okay, imagine this...you know how I mentioned the major scale uses 7 notes...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Remember how I said that the scale starts over after the 7^th note? For example, a C major scale would be this...

C D E F G A B...C D E F G A B...C D E F G A B C...all the way up the piano

...but those notes are only the white keys (I’m sorry if I’m confusing you about keys. Sir Duke is in the key of B major, but C major is easier to explain. There are actually 12(!) notes between the two C’s.

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B...

...these notes...

C# D# F# G# A#

...are the black keys on the piano, and you don’t normally play them when playing a C major scale (Well, you CAN play them, but they don’t feel like they fit. We’re so used to hearing major scales that anything out of the ordinary draws attention to itself). You could say that these notes are “in between” the notes of the major scale. When you play the “in between” notes, you are playing a chromatic scale. A chromatic scale means that you aren’t sticking to any key, you aren’t skipping over any notes. Like I said, a chromatic scale is pretty unusual in pop music, which is why it is brilliant that Wonder uses it here. It DOES create attention!

Also, think about what the lyrics are saying about the record “grooves”...record grooves are lined up extremely close together, just like these notes of the melody. Same idea happens in the second verse where Wonder lists the musical pioneers. I think it’s cool that he places them so close together using chromatic notes. It’s like he’s saying that Ella, Basie, etc, are all “close together”...if that makes sense. It’s really a brilliant use of chromatics.

One Note Higher

Wonder starts the melody of the chorus on the major pentatonic scale again, but as the section progresses he adds two new notes on top. So overall, the chorus melody is higher than the rest of the song. This is a pretty standard (brilliant) technique that you should all consider in your own songs. In other words, use new notes in the chorus, and use higher notes to make the chorus stand out!

There you have it. Go write something using chromatics!

~Shane

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Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder

(verse)

Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand

With an equal opportunity for all to sing and dance and clap their hands

But just because a record has a groove don’t make it in the groove

But you can tell right away, at letter A, when the people start to move

(chorus)

They can feel it all over, they can feel it all over people

They can feel it all over, they can feel it all over people

(verse)

Music knows it is and always will be one of the things that life just won’t quit

But here is some of music’s pioneers that time will not allow us to forget

For there’s Basie, Miller, Satchimo, and the king of all Sir Duke

And with a voice like Ella’s ringing out there’s no way the band can loose

(chorus)

You can feel it all over, you can feel it all over people

You can feel it all over, you can feel it all over people