Major scale
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox musical scale
The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double its frequency so that it is called a higher octave of the same note (from Latin "octavus", the eighth).
The simplest major scale to write is C major, the only major scale not requiring sharps or flats:
The major scale has a central importance in Western music, particularly that of the common practice period and in popular music.
In Carnatic music, it is known as Sankarabharanam. In Hindustani classical music, it is known as Bilaval.
Structure
A major scale is a diatonic scale. The sequence of intervals between the notes of a major scale is:
- whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
where "whole" stands for a whole tone (a red u-shaped curve in the figure), and "half" stands for a semitone (a red angled line in the figure).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Whole steps and half steps are explained mathematically in a related article, Twelfth root of two. Notably, in terms of the sound frequency ratio in equal temperament, a whole tone has twice the sound frequency ratio of a semitone and an octave has twelve half steps (semitones) spaced equally. The sound frequency doubles for corresponding notes from one octave to the next. The ratio is 3/2 = 1.5 for a perfect fifth, for example from C to G on a major scale, and 5/4 = 1.25 for a major third, for example from C to E.
A major scale may be seen as two identical tetrachords separated by a whole tone. Each tetrachord consists of two whole tones followed by a semitone (i.e. whole, whole, half).
The major scale is maximally even.
Scale degrees
The scale degrees are:
- 1st: Tonic
- 2nd: Supertonic
- 3rd: Mediant
- 4th: Subdominant
- 5th: Dominant
- 6th: Submediant
- 7th: Leading tone
- 8th: Tonic
Triad qualities
The triads built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown in parentheses.
- 1st: Major triad (I)
- 2nd: minor triad (ii)
- 3rd: minor triad (iii)
- 4th: Major triad (IV)
- 5th: Major triad (V)
- 6th: minor triad (vi)
- 7th: diminished triad (viio)
Seventh chord qualities
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The seventh chords built on each scale degree follow a distinct pattern. The roman numeral analysis is shown in parentheses.
- 1st: Major seventh chord (IM7)
- 2nd: minor seventh chord (ii7)
- 3rd: minor seventh chord (iii7)
- 4th: Major seventh chord (IVM7)
- 5th: Dominant seventh chord (V7)
- 6th: minor seventh chord (vi7)
- 7th: half-diminished seventh chord (viiø7)
Relationship to major keys
If a piece of music (or part of a piece of music) is in a major key, then the notes in the corresponding major scale are considered diatonic notes, while the notes outside the major scale are considered chromatic notes. Moreover, the key signature of the piece of music (or section) will generally reflect the accidentals in the corresponding major scale.
For instance, if a piece of music is in ETemplate:Music major, then the seven pitches in the ETemplate:Music major scale (ETemplate:Music, F, G, ATemplate:Music, BTemplate:Music, C and D) are considered diatonic pitches, and the other five pitches (ETemplate:Music, FTemplate:Music/GTemplate:Music, ATemplate:Music, BTemplate:Music, and CTemplate:Music/DTemplate:Music) are considered chromatic pitches. In this case, the key signature will have three flats (BTemplate:Music, ETemplate:Music, and ATemplate:Music).
The figure below shows all 12 relative major and minor keys, with major keys on the outside and minor keys on the inside arranged around the circle of fifths.
The numbers inside the circle show the number of sharps or flats in the key signature, with the sharp keys going clockwise, and the flat keys counterclockwise from C major (which has no sharps or flats.) The circular arrangement depends on enharmonic relationships in the circle, usually reckoned at six sharps or flats for the major keys of FTemplate:Music = GTemplate:Music and DTemplate:Music = ETemplate:Music for minor keys.<ref name="Drabkin">Template:Cite book</ref> Seven sharps or flats make major keys (CTemplate:Music major or CTemplate:Music major) that may be more conveniently spelled with five flats or sharps (as DTemplate:Music major or B major).
Broader sense
The term "major scale" is also used in the names of some other scales whose first, third, and fifth degrees form a major triad.
The harmonic major scale<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> has a minor sixth. It differs from the harmonic minor scale only by raising the third degree.
The melodic major scale is the combined scale that goes as Ionian ascending and as Aeolian dominant descending. It differs from melodic minor scale only by raising the third degree to a major third.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Block indent
The double harmonic major scale<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> has a minor second and a minor sixth. It is the fifth mode of the Hungarian minor scale.
Other notations and usage
(As shown in this template), When expressing the names of major scale keys as abbreviations, the alphabet of the corresponding tonic note name can be written in upper case to indicate only the tonic note name. For example, when expressing the English notation of C major, It can be abbreviated as 'C'. Plus, when expressing the names of minor scale keys as abbreviations, the Roman alphabet of the corresponding tonic note is sometimes lower case to indicate only the tonic note name. For example, when expressing the English notation of A minor, It is abbreviated as 'a'.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>