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.
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 9♯11/♭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.
The scale contains the following modes: [5] [6]
Mode | Name of scale | Degrees | Notes (on C Neap. Major) | Triad Chords | Seventh Chords | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Neapolitan Major | 1 | ♭2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | A | B | C | Cm | Cmmaj7 |
2 | Leading Whole Tone (or Lydian Augmented ♯6) | 1 | 2 | 3 | ♯4 | ♯5 | ♯6 | 7 | 8 | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | A | B | C | D♭ | D♭+ | D♭+maj7 or D♭+♯6 (equivalent to D♭+7) |
3 | Lydian Augmented Dominant | 1 | 2 | 3 | ♯4 | ♯5 | 6 | ♭7 | 8 | E♭ | F | G | A | B | C | D♭ | E♭ | E♭+ | E♭+7 |
4 | Lydian Dominant ♭6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ♯4 | 5 | ♭6 | ♭7 | 8 | F | G | A | B | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | F | F7 |
5 | Major Locrian | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ♭5 | ♭6 | ♭7 | 8 | G | A | B | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | G♭5 | G7♭5 |
6 | Half-Diminished ♭4 (or Altered Dominant ♯2) | 1 | 2 | ♭3 | ♭4 | ♭5 | ♭6 | ♭7 | 8 | A | B | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | A | Aο or *A♭5 | Aø7 or ***A7♭5 |
7 | Altered Dominant 3 | 1 | ♭2 | 3 | ♭4 | ♭5 | ♭6 | ♭7 | 8 | B | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G | A | B | *B♭5 | ***B7♭5 |
An altered chord is a chord that replaces one or more notes from the diatonic scale with a neighboring pitch from the chromatic scale. By the broadest definition, any chord with a non-diatonic chord tone is an altered chord. The simplest example of altered chords is the use of borrowed chords, chords borrowed from the parallel key, and the most common is the use of secondary dominants. As Alfred Blatter explains, "An altered chord occurs when one of the standard, functional chords is given another quality by the modification of one or more components of the chord."
A jazz scale is any musical scale used in jazz. Many "jazz scales" are common scales drawn from Western European classical music, including the diatonic, whole-tone, octatonic, and the modes of the ascending melodic minor. All of these scales were commonly used by late nineteenth and early twentieth-century composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, often in ways that directly anticipate jazz practice. Some jazz scales, such as the bebop scales, add additional chromatic passing tones to the familiar diatonic scales.
In music theory, an augmented sixth chord contains the interval of an augmented sixth, usually above its bass tone. This chord has its origins in the Renaissance, was further developed in the Baroque, and became a distinctive part of the musical style of the Classical and Romantic periods.
In Classical music theory, a Neapolitan chord is a major chord built on the lowered (flatted) second (supertonic) scale degree. In Schenkerian analysis, it is known as a Phrygian II, since in minor scales the chord is built on the notes of the corresponding Phrygian mode.
B, also known as Si, Ti, or, in some European countries, H, is the seventh note and the twelfth semitone of the fixed-Do solfège. Its enharmonic equivalents are C♭ (C-flat) and A.
A heptatonic scale is a musical scale that has seven pitches, or tones, per octave. Examples include:
In music theory, the harmonic major scale is a musical scale found in some music from the common practice era and now used occasionally, most often in jazz. In George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept it is the fifth mode (V) of the Lydian Diminished scale. It corresponds to the Raga Sarasangi in Indian Carnatic music, or Raag Nat Bhairav in Hindustani music.
A or La is the sixth note and the tenth semitone of the fixed-do solfège.
In music, the acoustic scale, overtone scale, Lydian dominant scale, or the Mixolydian ♯4 scale is a seven-note synthetic scale. It is the fourth mode of the ascending melodic minor scale.
In music, the major Locrian scale, also called the Locrian major scale, is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third notes of the diatonic Locrian mode. With a tonic of C, it consists of the notes C D E F G♭ A♭ B♭. It can be described as a whole tone scale extending from G♭ to E, with F introduced within the diminished third interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the Locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.
A synthetic mode is a mode that cannot be derived from the diatonic scale by starting on a different note. Whereas the seven modes are all derived from the same scale and therefore can coincide with each other, synthetic modes work differently.
D is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the fixed-Do solfege system. Its enharmonic equivalents are C and E. It is the third semitone of the solfège.
E is the third note and the fifth semitone of the C major scale, and mi in fixed-do solfège. It has enharmonic equivalents of F♭ [(F-flat) which is by definition a diatonic semitone above E♭] and D, amongst others.
F is a musical note, the fourth above C or fifth below C. It is the fourth note and the sixth semitone of the solfège. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège. It has enharmonic equivalents of E♯ (E-sharp) and G, amongst others.
G, also called Sol or So, is the fifth note of the fixed-do solfège starting on C. It is the fifth note and the eighth semitone of the solfège. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C or perfect fourth below C.
A♯ is the eleventh semitone of the solfège. In some countries, it is also called B.
B♭ (B-flat), or, in some European countries, B, is the eleventh step of the Western chromatic scale. It lies a diatonic semitone above A and a chromatic semitone below B, thus being enharmonic to A♯, even though in some musical tunings, B♭ will have a different sounding pitch than A♯. B-flat is also enharmonic to C.
A♭ is the ninth semitone of the solfège.
The Hungarian major scale is a heptatonic scale subset of the octatonic scale with an omitted ♭2 degree. It has the following interval structure in semitones: 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, giving it the notes C D♯ E F♯ G A B♭ in the key of C. It is, "used extensively in Hungarian gypsy music [sic]", as well as in classical music by composers including Franz Liszt and Zoltán Kodály ," as well as in Thea Musgrave's Horn Concerto (1971). As a chord scale, Hungarian Major is both a dominant and a diminished scale, with a fully diminished seventh chord composed of C, D#, F#, and A, and a dominant seventh chord composed of C, E, G, and Bb. This is an enharmonic mode of Bb Harmonic Major, along with G Harmonic Minor and E Hungarian Minor. The root note of D Aeolian Dominant is raised a semitone to D#, and the root note of B Phrygian Dominant lowered a semitone to Bb. There is also a ♮6 & ♮2 with the Bb Super Lydian Augmented scale, lowering the C# & G# to C♮ & G♮.
The Romanian major scale is a heptatonic scale subset of the octatonic scale with an omitted ♭3 degree. It is noted for its flattened 2nd and sharpened fourth degrees, the latter a distinctive feature of Romanian traditional music. It has the following interval structure in semitones: 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, giving it the notes C, D♭, E, F♯, G, A, B♭ in the key of C. Though it is called a major scale, it is typically played over a C13 dominant chord. This is an enharmonic mode of B Harmonic Minor, along with D Harmonic Major. The root note of F Harmonic Major is raised a semitone to F#, and the root note of D Aeolian Dominant lowered a semitone to Db. There is also a ♮6 with the Db Super Lydian Augmented scale, lowering the B♮ to Bb.