Scalar Shift in Popular Music

1. Scales in Popular MusicExample 1. Dionne Warwick and the Spinners, "Then Came You"(click to enlarge, see the rest, and hear the audio)[1.1] The current study is an attempt to explain certain phenomena in the perception and composition of popular music-phenomena that have puzzled and intrigued me for many years, and that do not seem well accounted for by current theories. As an illustration, consider Example 1a: the chorus of "Then Came You," by Dionne Warwick and the Spinners.(1) The beginning of the chorus, like the preceding verse, is clearly in major mode (with a tonal center of F): this is conveyed by both the vocals and the harmonic progression. The move to VII (Emajor) in the seventh measure of the chorus is a surprise. It is emphasized by the prolongation of the syllable "you" and a forceful eighth-note reiteration of the VII harmony in the accompaniment; it also seems to have lyrical significance, expressing the change in the singer's situation brought about by the arrival of "you." The VII chord introduces the scale degree (E), moving outside the previously established major scale; note also the ornamentation of the melody over the VII chord, introducing (A), in contrast to the natural (A) heard earlier in the chorus. (Notably, the parallel point in the third chorus features a different melodic elaboration, but one that also introduces ; see Example 1b.)[1.2] The surprise and reorientation caused by the VII-in addition to the shift from to in the melody-seems to suggest some kind of shift in the underlying scale or pitch collection of the song at that point; we will call this a "scalar shift." It is not obvious, however, how to characterize this shift. From a common-practice perspective, we might be tempted to describe it as a shift from major to minor mode (or at least, as a leaning toward minor). But most theorists agree that the major/minor distinction is not really applicable to modern popular music; and in any case, the VII chord is fairly rare in common-practice minor mode.(2) One could also invoke the system of diatonic modes, but this explanation, too, is not fully satisfactory; VII combined with would be compatible with either Dorian or Aeolian modes, and it seems arbitrary to have to choose between them. I will argue that a more flexible approach to scalar shift is required to account for such situations. The idea is simple: The scale-degree content of a song (or a section of a song) tends to occupy a certain region on the "line of fifths," the circle of fifths stretched out infinitely in both directions. Moving outside this region-especially if the move is emphasized (by rhythmic, textural, or other means) and involves multiple pitch classes-creates a sense of scalar shift. Such shifts may be momentary, as in the case of "Then Came You"; in other cases, they may be longer in duration, and may play a role in defining the large-scale formal structure of the song. I will argue, also, that scalar shifts often have interesting expressive implications-sometimes simply indicating a change in mood or situation, and sometimes carrying more specific emotional connotations, analogous to the expressive meanings of major and minor in common-practice music.[1.3] I stated in the opening paragraph that my aim was to explain "phenomena of composition and perception." "Then Came You" illustrates both kinds of phenomena. On the one hand, what has to be explained is a fact of perception: the fact that the move to VII creates a feeling of surprise. (Of course, it is only with regard to my own perception that I can confidently treat this as a "fact"; I must hope that it holds true, at least to some extent, for other listeners.) But there are facts of composition to be explained as well, such as the fact that the VII chord in this example is given unusual emphasis on the musical surface (by the means described above). There may also be more general facts to be discovered about the style as a whole-for example, the fact that certain chords and scale degrees tend to occur together while others do not. …