Scales

by: Fillamenta, N

From the earliest times, theorists have abstracted the tones used in a musical composition and placed them on a staff in order to study them. The tones are arranged in ascending stepwise order from the keynote.

We will begin with the three most useful types of scale, chromatic, major, and minor, since these have the greatest use in eighteenth and nineteenth-century music. Later we will discuss the medieval modal scales and some others, such as whole-tone, pentatonic, and symmetrical scales.

The nonselective scale, which contain all of the possible tones in equal temperament, is called the chromatic scale (or sometimes the twelve-tone or duodecuple scale). Today it is usually notated in sharps ascending, and in falts descending.

The most used selective scale for music of the last three hundred years is called the major scale. In this scale, half steps occur between the third and fourth and between the seventh and eighth degrees; between all other degrees there is a whole step.

The next most useful scale, the minor scale, has three forms, that is, a basic pattern of whole and half steps and two variations of this pattern.

The natural minor scale was derived from the Aeolian mode (which is discussed bellow). In it, half steps occur between the second and third (B-C) and between the fifth and sixth (E-F) degrees.

In practical composition it was customary to raise the seventh degree of this sscale to strengthen cadential points; the produced the harmonic form of the minor scale. In it, half steps occur between the second and third (B-C), the fifth and sixth (E-F), and the seventh and eighth steps (G#-A). One and a half steps (augmented second) occur betwee the sixth and seventh (F-G#) degrees.

In order to avoid the awkward interval between the sixth and seventh degrees of this scale, another adjustment was often made, particulary in vocal music. The melodic minor scale raises both the sixth and seventh (F#_G#) degrees in its ascending form; the descending form of the melodic minor scale revers to the form of the natural minor. In it, half steps occur between the second and third (B-C) and between the seventh and eighth (G-A’)degrees ascending, and it reverts to the natural minor scale descending.