Synthetic \sin-`the-tik\ adj: produced artificially; also : made by humans to imitate nature. In musical terms, a synthetic scale is a set of pitches assembled for a specific purpose, sonority or sound.

With that definition in mind, you would have to agree that there is an infinite amount of synthetic scales. For the purpose of this column, I would like to arrange synthetic scales for jazz improvisation into three functional categories:

1. Synthetic Mixture
	Synthetic Mixture #5/Dom13 #11 #5
	Synthetic Mixture b2/Dom13 #11 b9
	Synthetic Mixture #2/Dom13 #11 #9
	Synthetic Mixture b2 #5/Dom13 #11 b9 #5
	Synthetic Mixture #2 #5/Dom13 #11 #9 #5

2. Synthetic Blues
	Synthetic Major Blues
	Synthetic Minor Blues

3. Synthetic 8 Note
	Synthetic 8 Note Ionian
	Synthetic 8 Note Aeolian
	Synthetic 8 Note Dorian
	Synthetic 8 Note Mixolydian
	Synthetic 8 Note Lydian
	Synthetic 8 Note Mixture
	Synthetic 8 Note Half Diminished
	Synthetic 8 Note Full Diminished 

For my next series of articles, I would like to devote my space to the topic of the Synthetic Mixture scales and their applications for jazz improvisation. Before we delve into the different Synthetic Mixture scales, I believe a quick review of the Mixture scale is in order.

There are four ways of conceiving this scale. 1. A major scale with a raised fourth degree and a lowered seventh (parallel major application). i.e., G major with a C sharp and an F natural.
2. A scale that borrows the ascending form of the melodic minor scale (a.k.a. „jazz minor¾ scale) from a fourth below, which I¼ll refer to as lydian position. i.e., G mixture = D melodic minor (ascending form)
3. A lydian scale with a lowered seventh degree (parallel lydian application).
4. A mixolydian scale with a raised fourth degree (parallel mixolydian application).

This scale has many pseudonyms: mixolydian/lydian or mixolydian #4, lydian/mixolydian or lydian b7, just to name a few. I have a problem calling this scale lydian b7 because the term lydian leaves the impression of a scale with a tonic function, and this scale has a dominant function. So, to clarify, or further confuse the issue, I created the term mixture because the scale combines or mixes the two important aspects of the lydian and mixolydian modes (raised fourth degree and lowered seventh).
If I may go off on tangent just for a second, jazz terminology has long been a pet peeve with many jazz theorists. I recall a clinic that Jamey Aebersold held at the 1990 International Association of Jazz Educators Convention in New Orleans that dealt specifically with the subject of having a common language in jazz theory. The clinic was titled Jazz Nomenclature: The Great Debate. The description of his clinic read: How to quickly and correctly identify chord symbols. Simplifying and standardizing chord/scale application. Believe it or not, this was one of the most controversial subjects at the convention, and the clinic was very well attended. Most of the attendees had their own idea of what „common language¾ should be, and wanted to be vocal about it. Yes, I¼ll admit that there will always be arguments about what is the „right way¾ to teach improvisation, but the bottom line is that it all should take a backseat to putting the horn in your face and blowing. But, I also believe that everyone must do their homework (listening to the recordings of the jazz greats, and shedding your scales, patterns and progressions) before one is able to easily "put their horn in their face and just blow".
Back to the subject at hand, I believe the reason why the Mixture scale has so many different names and is talked about so frequently in jazz improvisation texts is that it is a very important, highly functional scale. Why? Well, probably from day one in your improvisation class/lesson you were instructed (and rightfully so) that the fourth degree of mixolydian scale is a „wrong¾ note - a klinker. But did your instructor ever tell you why that note is bad? Here¼s my best explanation: With any chord configuration, the third and the seventh are active notes, telling our ears what the function and sonority of the chord is. A held note that is a half step higher than the third or the seventh of any chord creates an unacceptable dissonance because it is in direct conflict with the mode (third) or sonority (seventh in tandem with the third) of the chord. The half steps in the mixolydian scale occur between the third and fourth degrees and the sixth and seventh. One of the first rules we learn in jazz arranging is to write our voicings so they don¼t disturb the clarity the melody. In jazz improvisation we should learn to play without cluttering the active notes of the chord. The sixth degree creates color against the seventh because the half step occurs on the lower side of an active note, but the fourth degree creates an unacceptable dissonance with the third because this half step occurs on the higher side of an active note. I¼m not saying that you can¼t use the mixolydian scale in conjunction with the dominant seventh chord; you can, but you must use the fourth degree as a passing tone to the third or the fifth, not as a cadential tone. If we raise the fourth degree of the mixolydian mode to get rid of the unacceptable dissonance, we have constructed the perfect scale for the unaltered dominant chord family - the Mixture Scale.

But what if a dominant chord contains some type of alteration? If the chord symbol reads C7 b5 (or C9 b5), the Mixture scale is still the perfect choice (b5 = #4). If the chord symbol reads b9, #9, or #5 in any altered combination, the Mixture scale becomes less perfect because of the natural 9 and natural five found in the scale. So, just like we altered the mixolydian scale to achieve the Mixture scale, we can now alter to Mixture scale to get a Synthetic Mixture scale for a specific alteration or altered combination.

The first altered dominant chord I would like to look at is the C7 #5. If we can add an altered fifth to a chord, we can also add an altered five to a scale. Example one shows this added alteration to the Mixture scale by its intervallic construction W W W W H H W. An interesting aspect of the Synthetic Mixture #5 scale is that two consecutive half-steps occur between the fifth and seventh degrees of the scale. You could conceive this scale as a Whole Tone scale with a chromatic passing tone between the fifth and sixth degrees. The Synthetic Mixture #5 can also be thought of as a major scale with raised fourth, fifth and lowered seventh degrees (see example two).

The vertical equivalent of the Mixture scale is the C13 #11 chord. Once we have altered the fifth degree of the scale, we must also alter the fifth degree of its vertical equivalent. Example three demonstrates how the fully extended Dom13 #11 #5 chord breaks down intervallically M3 M3 d3(M2) M3 M3 m3. Example four shows how the same chord relates to a major scale - 1 3 #5 b7 9(2) #11(#4) 13(6), while Example five compares the chord tones to a Mixture scale - 1 3 #5 7 9(2) 11(2) 13(6). If you break down the C13 #5 #11 chord even further, you will find that it contains a D major triad (starting on the extension of the 9) stacked on top of a C7 #5 chord (see Example 6). Example 7 is a linear and vertical exercise for the Synthetic Mixture #5 scale and the Dom13 #11 #5 chord. This exercise should be transposed and practiced in all twelve keys.
Next time, we will explore the implications of the flat nine on a dominant chord and its Synthetic Mixture applications.

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