Music Fundamentals A Balanced Approach

BASICS OF PITCH

141

What Is a Major Scale?

The major scale (from scala, Italian for “ladder”) developed from the modal system of the Middle Ages and
Renaissance (see Appendix 4). Along with the minor scale (Module 9), these scales are the foundation for
Western harmony and our study of intervals (Module 10) and chords (Modules 11, 13 , 14 ).

The pattern for the Western major scale can be shown by the white keys from C to C. Notice the arrangement
of whole steps (W) and half steps (H) between each pair of keys.

As early as 500 BCE, understanding about how pitches may be organized developed in Greece and subsequently influenced the

development of Western scales, perhaps through Roman or Arabic scholars. Greek ideas included:

• Acoustical theory (the science of sound), which is founded on mathematical principles of physics.


• Scales formed by joining two four-note groups of notes called tetrachords. (See page 142 for a further discussion on
  tetrachords.)

Greek words were used to name the seven medieval modes. The medieval Ionian mode has the same construction as the present-

day major scale, and the Aeolian mode has the same construction as the minor scale.

Other scales were created in countries around the world, varying the number of notes in the scale and the distance between

adjacent notes of the scale. These range from Indian ragas (from Sanskrit for “color” or “aura”), which are sometimes defined as

melodic modes, to five-note pentatonic scales of Japan, China, and early American blues.

Historical note: The scale

141 What Is a Major Scale?

142 Writing Major Scales: Using Tetrachords

145 Writing Major Scales: Using Whole and Half Steps

147 Scale Degree Names–Major Keys

149 Changing the Tonic—Singing

152 Transposition

153 Enharmonic Scales–Major Keys

155 Workbook

MODULE 6 MAJOR SCALE