7806 / 18210 · Workshop 61 — Melodic Minor as a Practical Color System: Altered Dominants, Lydian Dominant, Minor-Major Harmony, Locrian ♮2, and Choosing Tension by Destination← prev⊞ allnext →
61.65Hear the functional difference
Dorian:
more modal/stable.
Melodic minor:
more leading-tone tension toward C.
Therefore:
Dorian works beautifully for vamp.
Melodic minor often works beautifully for sophisticated tonic color or lines with directional pull.