6. MAJOR SCALES-IDENTIFICATION AND TYPES

6. MAJOR SCALES-IDENTIFICATION AND TYPES 

The major scale is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. Like many musical scales it is made up of seven notes, and the eighth duplicates the first at almost double its frequency so that it is called a higher octave of the same note.

Structure of a Major Scale(C Major)

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 u-shaped curve in the figure), and "half" stands for a semitone (a broken line in the figure). 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:

• whole, whole, half.

The Simple formula for identifying the Major Scale for a Note can be by moving “Two tones, One Semitone, Three tones, One Semitone” from the Note itself by arranging in the ascending order.

Steps to Follow

1. Write the 12 notes starting with the note for which you want to identify the notes of that particular note’s major scale, (For instance, Here it had been chosen to find notes of D Major Scale)        

D      D#/Eb       E          F        F#/Gb       G      G#/A      A       A#/Bb     B       C          C#/Db           D

2. Apply the Simple Formula

 

3. Write down the Notes that are marked, this would be notes of the Major Scale that is chosen

D         E            F#/Gb       G            A             B           C#/Db       D

4. Likewise, continue to find the notes in any of the 12 major scales

THE CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

The circle of fifths, first described in 1728 by Johann David Heinichen in his book Der General-bass, has been used ever since as a means of illustrating the relative harmonic distance between musical keys.

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 F♯ = G♭ and D♯ = E♭ for minor keys. Seven sharps or flats make major keys (C♯ major or C♭ major) that maybe more conveniently spelled with five flats or sharps (as D♭ 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 (Chord) whereas other notes might be different from the basic major scale.

The harmonic major scale has the sixth degree lowered. Example: C-D-E-F-G-A♭-B-C. It differs from the harmonic minor scale only by the third degree.

The melodic major scale is the fifth mode of the jazz minor scale. Example: C-D-E-F-G-A♭-B♭-C. It differs from the major scale by lowering the sixth and the seventh degrees and from the natural minor scale by raising the third degree. The combi`    ned scale that goes as major ascending and as melodic major descending is also called melodic major: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-B♭-A♭-G-F-E-D-C (differs from melodic minor only by raising the third degree).

The double harmonic major scale has the second and the sixth degrees lowered. Example: C-D♭-E-F-G-A♭-B-C. It is the fifth mode of the Hungarian minor scale.

6.1. SARALI VARISAIGAL

1	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
2	S	R-	S	R-	|	S	R	|	G	M	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N-	Ṡ	N-	|	Ṡ	N	|	D	P	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
3	S	R	G-	S	|	R	G-	|	S	R	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D-	Ṡ	|	N	D-	|	Ṡ	N	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
4	S	R	G	M-	|	S	R	|	G	M-	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P-	|	Ṡ	N	|	D	P-	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
5	S	R	G	M	|	P	,-	|	S	R	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	,-	|	Ṡ	N	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
6	S	R	G	M	|	P	D-	|	S	R	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G-	|	Ṡ	N	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
7	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	,	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	,	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
8	S	R	G	M	|	P	M	|	G	R	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	P	|	D	N	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
9	S	R	G	M	|	P	M	|	D	P	||
	S	R	G	M	|	P	D	|	N	Ṡ	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	P	|	G	M	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
10	S	R	G	M	|	P	,	|	G	M	||
	P	,	,	,	|	P	,	|	,	,	||
	G	M	P	D	|	N	D	|	P	M	||
	G	M	P-	G	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
11	Ṡ	,	N	D	|	N	,	|	D	P	||
	D	,	P	M	|	P	,	|	P	,	||
	G	M	P	D	|	N	D	|	P	M	||
	G	M	P-	G	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
12	Ṡ	Ṡ	N	D	|	N	N	|	D	P	||
	D	D	P	M	|	P	,	|	P	,	||
	G	M	P	D	|	N	D	|	P	M	||
	G	M	P-	G	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
13	S	R	G	R	|	G	,-	|	G	M	||
	P	M	P	,-	|	D	P	|	D	,	||
	M	P	D	P	|	D	N	|	D	P	||
	M	P	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||
14	S	R	G	M	|	P	,	|	P	,	||
	D	D	P	,	|	M	M	|	P	,	||
	D	N	Ṡ	,	|	Ṡ	N	|	D	P	||
	Ṡ	N	D	P	|	M	G	|	R	S	||