Major locrian scale

Major locrian scale

In music, the major locrian scale, also called the "locrian major scale", is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third degrees of the 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 augmented second interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.

A version of the major locrian scale is listed as "mode 3" in the French translation of Safi Al-Din's treatise Kitab Al-Adwar. This was a Pythagorean version of the scale.

Aside from this Arabic version, interest in the major locrian is a phenomenon of the twentieth century, but the scale is definable in any meantone system. It is notable as one of the five proper seven-note scales in equal temperament, and as strictly proper in any meantone tuning with fifths flatter than 700 cents. If we take the tonic in the scale given above to be G♭ rather than C, we obtain the "leading whole-tone scale", which with a tonic on C is C D E F♯ G♯ A♯ B; this can equally well be characterized as one of the five proper seven-note scales of equal temperament.

The major locrian scale has only two perfect fifths, but it has in some sense a complete cycle of thirds if one is willing to count a diminished third as a third: four major thirds, two minor thirds and a diminished third making up two octaves. In 12-equal temperament, the diminished third is enharmonically equivalent to a major second, but in other meantone systems it is wider and more nearly like a third.

The major locrian in 12 equal temperament

Howard Hanson in his "Harmonic Materials of Modern Music" devotes several pages to the major locrian, or more precisely to its transpositional set class, a concept Hanson pioneered. He names this transpositional class the "seven-tone impure major second scale", and notes that the various modes of the major locrain can all be defined as the whole tone scale with one additional note, and where that note occurs does not affect the transpositional class. He also notes that the scale has the property that every three-note chord possible in the twelve tone chromatic scale already appears in the major locrian.

Examples are given of the use of this scale by Claude Debussy in his opera Pelléas et Mélisande and Alban Berg in his song Nacht.

References

*Howard Hanson, "Harmonic Materials of Modern Music", Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1960

Further reading

*Rodolfe d'Erlanger, "La Musique Arab", vol. 3, Paul Geunther, 1930
*Vincent Persichetti, "Twentieth-Century Harmony", W. W. Norton & co., 1961


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Major Locrian scale — Major Locrian on C  Play (help· …   Wikipedia

  • Major scale — Major scales In music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables Do …   Wikipedia

  • Locrian mode — The Locrian mode is a musical mode or diatonic scale. It may be considered a minor scale with the second and fifth scale degrees lowered a semi tone. The Locrian mode may also be considered as a scale beginning on the seventh scale degree of any… …   Wikipedia

  • Arabic scale — In music, the term Arabic scale refers to: *The double harmonic major scale Stetina, Troy (1999). The Ultimate Scale Book , p.59. ISBN 0793597889.] , a scale whose gaps evoking exotic music to Western listeners, though in actual Arabic music many …   Wikipedia

  • Jazz scale — One chord scale option for +7th chords is the whole tone scale[1]: C D E F♯ G♯ A …   Wikipedia

  • Altered scale — In jazz, the altered scale or altered dominant scale is a seven note scale that differs from the Locrian mode in having a lowered fourth scale degree. Starting on C, it contains the notes: C, D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭ and B …   Wikipedia

  • Diatonic scale — Qualities Number of pitch classes 7 Maximal evenness Well formed generated collection Myhill s property Deep scale property Cardinality equals variety Struc …   Wikipedia

  • Pentatonic scale — The first two phrases of the melody from Stephen Foster s Oh! Susanna are based on the major pentatonic scale[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Minor scale — For the simulated nuclear detonation, see Minor Scale. Minor scale Qualities Number of pitch classes 7 Maximal evenness …   Wikipedia

  • Musical scale — For psychoacoustic scale, see bark scale and mel scale. Pattern of whole and half steps in the Ionian mode or major scale on C   …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”