Major Scale

INTRODUCTION

• The major scale developed from the modal system of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Along with the minor scale, these scales are the foundation for Western harmony and our study of intervals and chords

• Elements of the major scale:

  • Has eight diatonic notes (adjacent letter names)

  • Spans one octave, beginning and ending with the same letter name

  • Lowest note gives the scale its name

  • Consists of two tetrachords

  • Has adjacent notes which are whole steps except for half steps between 3 and 4 and between 7 and 8.

• This pattern may begin on any note; when one changes the starting pitch while keeping the same arrangement of whole and half steps, this is called transposition.

  • Each resulting scale will sound similar because the interval distance between each of the notes remains the same.

• All major scales except C major will need at least one accidental.

• Use sharps or flats exclusively in a major scale

• The tetrachord pattern that is used in the major scale is a whole step, whole step, followed by a half step.

DEGREE NAMES

• Each of the seven notes of a scale is given a name called a scale degree name. These names are the same for every scale regardless of the letter name of the scale or the octave placement of the notes.

  • Tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone, tonic

  • Dominant – five notes UP from the tonic, counting the tonic as 1.

    • Second note in importance after the tonic.

  • Subdominant – note below the dominant.

    • (Also five notes DOWN from the tonic.)

  • Submediant – three notes DOWN from the tonic, counting the tonic as the eighth note of the scale.

  • Mediant – three notes UP from the tonic, midway between the tonic and dominant

  • Leading tone – the seventh note of the scale, LEADS to the tonic; may be referred to as a tendency tone.

  • Supertonic – note ABOVE the tonic.

• Transposition in music occurs when a melody or piece is played or sung higher or lower than the original.

• The transposed melody will sound “the same” as the original because the relationship between the pitches is the same.

• Transposition may be accomplished by using the scale degree number or solfège symbol of the original scale of the melody.

• Six scales form three pairs of enharmonic scales, scales that sound the same but are written either with sharps or with flats (never both sharps and flats.)

  • The six enharmonic keys are B and Cb, F# and Gb, and C# and Db.

• TENDENCY TONE: Notes in a scale or chord that “tend” to lead to up or down to another note; for example, the leading tone “leads” up to the tonic.