Neapolitan scale

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Neapolitan minor scale on C Play. Neapolitan minor scale on C.png
Neapolitan minor scale on C Play .
Neapolitan major scale on C Play. Neapolitan major scale on C.png
Neapolitan major scale on C Play .

In music, the major Neapolitan scale and the minor Neapolitan scale are two musical scales. Both scales are minor, in that they both contain a minor third above the root. The major and minor Neapolitan scales are instead differentiated by the quality of their sixth.

Contents

The sequence of scale steps for the Neapolitan minor is as follows: [1] [2] [3] [4]

1  2  3 4  5  6 7  8 A  B  C  D  E  F  G A
[H, W, W, W, H, WH, H
C D E F G A B C]

And for the Neapolitan major: [1] [2] [3] [4]

1  2  3 4  5  6  7  8 A  B  C  D  E  F G A
[H, W, W, W, W, W, H
C D E F G A B C]

The scales are distinguished from the harmonic and ascending melodic minor scales by the lowered supertonic or second scale degree. This could also be known as the "Phrygian harmonic minor" or "Phrygian melodic minor." The scale therefore shares with the Phrygian mode the property of having a minor second above the tonic.

Both are accompanied well by power or minor chords. [1]

The 4th mode of the Neapolitan major, also known as the Lydian Dominant 6 scale, is an excellent choice for the 911/13 (no 5) chord. Said mode contains all the alterations plus the 5. A whole tone scale is often used but that mode tends to be minus the 5 that the Lydian Minor contains.

The 5th mode of the Neapolitan major is also known as the major Locrian scale.

Modes

The scale contains the following modes: [5] [6]

ModeName of scaleDegreesNotes (on C Neap. Minor)Triad ChordsSeventh Chords
1Neapolitan Minor12345678CDEFGABCCmCmmaj7
2Lydian 612345678DEFGABCDDDmaj7 or D6 (equivalent to D7)
3Mixolydian Augmented12345678EFGABCDEE+E+7
4Romani Minor

(or Aeolian/Natural Minor 4)

12345678FGABCDEFFmFm7
5Locrian Dominant12345678GABCDEFGG♭5G7♭5
6Ionian/Major 212345678ABCDEFGAA or AmAmaj7 or Ammaj7
7Ultralocrian/Altered Diminished Doubleflat.svg 312 Doubleflat.svg 3456 Doubleflat.svg 78BCDEFGAB*B♭5**B 6♭5
ModeName of scaleDegreesNotes (on C Neap. Major)Triad ChordsSeventh Chords
1Neapolitan Major12345678CDEFGABCCmCmmaj7
2Leading Whole Tone

(or Lydian Augmented 6)

12345678DEFGABCDD+D+maj7 or D+6 (equivalent to D+7)
3Lydian Augmented Dominant12345678EFGABCDEE+E+7
4Lydian Dominant ♭612345678FGABCDEFFF7
5 Major Locrian 12345678GABCDEFGG♭5G7♭5
6Half-Diminished 4

(or Altered Dominant 2)

12345678ABCDEFGAAο or *A♭5Aø7 or ***A7♭5
7 Altered Dominant Doubleflat.svg 312 Doubleflat.svg 345678BCDEFGAB*B♭5***B7♭5
Notes :
  • * While this triad consisted of 1, 4 (~3), and 5 notes, this is not really a normal triad since no use of 3rd-grade notes (in B : D or D/E). Instead, this triad more likely shaped as sus4 triad (although 4 is enharmonic to 3).
  • ** Doubleflat.svg 7 enharmonic to 6, so the 6th chords is available instead of 7th (thus being used here).
  • *** These chords can actually be respelled as 7alt (the 75 is one of the altered dominant chords).

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 Celentano, Dave (1991). Monster Scales and Modes, p.44. Published by CentreStream. ISBN   0-931759-59-5.
  2. 1 2 Burrows, Terry (1999). How to Read Music: Reading Music Made Simple, p.90. ISBN   9780312241599.
  3. 1 2 Roth, Dana (2011). Encyclopedia of Scales and Modes for Electric Bass, p.9. ISBN   9781609749767.
  4. 1 2 Blatter, Alfred (2012). Revisiting Music Theory: A Guide to the Practice, p.87 & 89. ISBN   9781135870393.
  5. "Neapolitan Scale and ITS Modes".
  6. "MyMusicTheory | Neapolitan Minor scale modes".

Further reading

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