The double harmonic major scale
The double harmonic major scale and its triads are represented numerically as:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Notes |
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I |
II |
iii |
iv |
V(5) |
VI+ |
II7 |
Chords |
So if the tonic is c, the scale will consist of the following notes and triads:
c |
d |
e |
f |
g |
a |
b |
Hear these notes |
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C |
D |
e |
f |
G(5) |
A+ |
D7 |
Hear these chords |
This scale is usually found as a temporary alteration of the standard major scale. But it can be sustained at length because it supports a strong tonic function on the I triad.
The melodic deficiencies, and the difficulty of simultaneously avoiding parallel fifths and augmented intervals make this scale difficult to use in a manner consistent with common practice classical. But outside of this stylistic convention it can provide some quite extravagant harmonic progressions and is a fertile source of inspiration.
With two augmented seconds - between 2 and 3 and between 6 and 7 - this scale has a somewhat non-western sound to it. Augmented seconds are common in the musics of North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, though they were considered unmelodic in common practice classical music.
This scale provides us with the strange, but effective, cadence of iii - II - I.
It also provides the much more common IIaug6 - I, whose penult is described in classical theory texts as the German, French or Italian Sixth chord, and in jazz theory texts as the Altered Dominant. In both classical and jazz, this cadence is frequently used as a secondary cadence, resolving to IV or V in the scale (i.e. Vaug6 - IV, and VIaug6 - V).
In the following piece of music I have started off sweetly in the c major scale, before veering off into the darker regions of the c double harmonic major scale. The music ends with the cadence G7(5) - D - C.
Descent (midi).