- Harmonic major scale
In
music theory , the harmonic major scale is a musical scale which found occasional use during thecommon practice era and is now often employed, particularly injazz .It may be considered as a
major scale with the sixth degree flattened, or theharmonic minor scale with the third degree sharpened. It is also a mode of the inversion of the harmonic minor scale.For example, an A major scale consists of the notes: A B Cmusic|♯ D E Fmusic|♯ Gmusic|♯; whereas an A harmonic major scale consists of the notes: A B Cmusic|♯ D E F Gmusic|♯. Notice the sixth note in the sequence is flattened, from Fmusic|♯ to F. The A harmonic major scale can also be obtained from the A harmonic minor scale, which is A B C D E F Gmusic|♯, by sharpening the C to Cmusic|♯.
The harmonic major scale may be used in any system of meantone tuning, such as
19 equal temperament or31 equal temperament , as well as12 equal temperament . The musical effect of the harmonic major scale is a sound intermediate between harmonic minor and diatonic major, and partaking of both.The harmonic major scale is one of the five proper seven-note scales of
equal temperament , and while less often used than the diatonic major, diatonic (or natural) minor, harmonic minor or ascending minor scales, belongs to the same family and can be regarded as a natural member of the diatonic system of scales. Like those other scales, it has a complete circle of thirds; starting from the tonic the pattern is MmmmMMm, where M is a major third and m is a minor third.External links
* [http://www.andymilne.dial.pipex.com/Harmonicma.shtml The Tonal Center page]
References
*Peter Burt, "The Music of Toru Takemitsu", Cambridge University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-521-78220-1
*Frank Haunschild, "The New Harmony Book", Ama Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-927190-68-3
*Bret Willmott, "Mel Bay's Complete Book of Harmony Theory and Voicing", Mel Bay Publications, 1994, ISBN 1-56222-994-X
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