A heptatonic scale is a musical scale that has seven pitches, or tones, per

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

. Examples include: * the

diatonic scale In music theory a diatonic scale is a heptatonic scale, heptatonic (seven-note) scale that includes five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by eith ...

; including the major scale and its modes (notably the natural minor scale, or Aeolian mode) * the

melodic minor scale A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

, like the Aeolian mode but with raised 6th and 7th ascending * the

harmonic minor scale The harmonic minor scale (or Aeolian ♮7 scale) is a Scale (music), musical scale derived from the natural minor scale, with the minor seventh degree raised by one semitone to a major seventh, creating an augmented second between the sixth and ...

, like the Aeolian mode but with raised 7th * the

harmonic major scale In music theory, the harmonic major scale is a Scale (music), musical scale found in some music from the common practice era and now used occasionally, most often in jazz. It corresponds to the Raga Sarasangi in Indian Carnatic music, or Raag Nat ...

, like the major scale but with lowered 6th Indian classical theory postulates seventy-two seven-tone scale types, collectively called ''

melakarta Mēḷakartā is a collection of fundamental musical scales ( ragas) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). ''Mēḷakartā'' ragas are parent ragas (hence known as ''janaka'' ragas) from which other ragas may be derived. A ''melaka ...

'' or ''

thaat A ''thaat'' () is a "parent scale" in North Indian or Hindustani music. It is the Hindustani equivalent of the term '' Melakartha raga'' of Carnatic music. The concept of the ''thaat'' is not exactly equivalent to the western musical scal ...

'', whereas others postulate twelve or ten (depending on the theorist) seven-tone scale types. Several heptatonic scales in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, Roman, Spanish, Hungarian, and Greek music can be analyzed as juxtapositions of tetrachords.Dupré, Marcel (1962). ''Cours Complet d'Improvisation a l'Orgue'', v.2, p. 35, trans. John Fenstermaker. Paris: Alphonse Leduc. ASIN: B0006CNH8E. All heptatonic scales have all intervals present in their interval vector analysis,Hanson, Howard. (1960) ''Harmonic Materials of Modern Music'', p. 362 ff. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138. and thus all heptatonic scales are both hemitonic and tritonic. There is a special affinity for heptatonic scales in the Western

key signature In Western musical notation, a key signature is a set of sharp (), flat (), or rarely, natural () symbols placed on the staff at the beginning of a section of music. The initial key signature in a piece is placed immediately after the cl ...

system.

Diatonic scale

A diatonic scale is any seven-note scale constructed sequentially using only whole tones and half tones, repeating at the octave, having a tonal center, and comprising only one

tritone In music theory, the tritone is defined as a interval (music), musical interval spanning three adjacent Major second, whole tones (six semitones). For instance, the interval from F up to the B above it (in short, F–B) is a tritone as it can be ...

interval between any two scale members, which ensures that the half tone intervals are as far apart as possible. In Western music, there are seven such scales, and they are commonly known as the modes of the

major scale The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at doubl ...

( Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian).

Melodic minor scale

In traditional classical theory, the

has two forms, as noted above, an ascending form and a descending form. Although each of these forms of itself comprises seven pitches, together they comprise nine, which might seem to call into question the scale's status as a heptatonic scale. In certain twentieth-century music, however, it became common systematically to use the ascending form for both ascending and descending passages. Such a use has been notably ascribed to the works of

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

and to bop and post-bop

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

practice. The traditional descending form of the melodic minor scale is equivalent to the natural minor scale in both pitch collection (which is diatonic) and tonal center.

Harmonic minor scale

The harmonic minor scale is so called because in tonal music of the

common practice period In Western classical music, the common practice period (CPP) was the period of about 250 years during which the tonal system was regarded as the only basis for composition. It began when composers' use of the tonal system had clearly supersede ...

(from approximately 1600 to approximately 1900) chords or harmonies are derived from it more than from the natural minor scale or the melodic minor scale. The augmented second between its sixth degree and its raised seventh degree (the "

leading tone In music theory, a leading tone (also called subsemitone or leading note in the UK) is a musical note, note or pitch (music), pitch which resolution (music), resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper lea ...

"), traditionally considered undesirable in melodic progression, is avoided by placing these pitches in different voices in adjacent chords, as in this progression: F A D, F G B, F A C (ii°_b–V7_d–iv in C minor). The A in the middle voice does not ascend to B, and the B in the upper voice does not descend to A.

Heptatonia prima and secunda

The names ''heptatonia prima'' and ''heptatonia secunda'' apply to seven-note scales that can be formed using five tones (t) and two semi-tones (s), (also called whole-steps and half-steps), but without two semi-tones in succession. Throughout history and to the present day, some have occurred much more commonly than others, namely Ionian (also called the major scale), Aeolian (also called the natural minor scale), melodic ascending minor, Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Lydian dominant, Aeolian dominant, and altered scales.

Heptatonia prima

In these scales the semi-tones are maximally separated. They are known most commonly as the

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair ...

modes. Beginning on keynote C and working up the notes of the 'major' scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C), the seven modes are: *

Ionian mode The Ionian mode is a Mode (music), musical mode or, in modern usage, a diatonic scale also called the major scale. It is named after the Ionians, Ionian Greeks. It is the name assigned by Heinrich Glarean in 1547 to his new Gregorian mode#Authent ...

(major) t-t-s-t-t-t-s *

Dorian mode The Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek music, Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the mediev ...

t-s-t-t-t-s-t *

Phrygian mode : The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the medieval Phrygian mode, and the m ...

s-t-t-t-s-t-t *

Lydian mode The modern Lydian mode is a seven-tone musical scale formed from a rising pattern of pitches comprising three whole tones, a semitone, two more whole tones, and a final semitone. : Because of the importance of the major scale in modern m ...

t-t-t-s-t-t-s *

Mixolydian mode Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic s ...

t-t-s-t-t-s-t *

Aeolian mode The Aeolian mode is a musical mode or, in modern usage, a diatonic scale also called the natural minor scale. On the piano, using only the white keys, it is the scale that starts with A and continues to the next A only striking white keys. Its a ...

(natural minor) t-s-t-t-s-t-t *

Locrian mode The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale. It is either a musical mode or simply a diatonic scale. On the piano, it is the scale that starts with B and only uses the white keys from there on up to the next higher B. Its ascending form ...

s-t-t-s-t-t-t

Heptatonia secunda

While the diatonic modes have two and three tones on either side of each semitone, the heptatonia secunda modes have one and four. These are sometimes called modes of the melodic ascending minor since that is the most commonly used scale of this type, but other modes can be produced by starting on the different scale notes in turn. Thus starting on keynote A as above and following the notes of the ascending melodic minor (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) yields these seven modes: *

Ascending melodic minor scale The jazz minor scale or ascending melodic minor scale is a derivative of the melodic minor scale, except only the ascending form of the scale is used. As the name implies, it is primarily used in jazz, although it may be found in other types of m ...

t-s-t-t-t-t-s *

Dorian ♭2 scale The Dorian 2 scale, also known as the Phrygian 6 scale, is the second mode of the jazz minor scale (or the ascending melodic minor scale). It is on the second degree of the jazz minor scale. Without the minor second above the root, the scale w ...

or Phrygian 6 scale s-t-t-t-t-s-t combines the Phrygian flat second and Dorian raised sixth * Lydian augmented scale t-t-t-t-s-t-s combines the Lydian fourth with a raised fifth * Acoustic scale or Lydian dominant scale t-t-t-s-t-s-t So-called because it is close to the scale built on natural overtones and combines Lydian raised fourth with Mixolydian (Dominant) flat seventh * Aeolian dominant scale or Mixolydian 6 scale t-t-s-t-s-t-t Like natural minor (aeolian) but with a major third * Half diminished scale t-s-t-s-t-t-t This is like the Locrian with a raised second * Altered scale s-t-s-t-t-t-t Like Locrian with diminished fourth These modes are more awkward to use than those of the diatonic scales due to the four tones in a row yielding augmented intervals on one hand while the one tone between two semitones gives rise to diminished intervals on the other. For example, the last two modes listed above both have 'Locrian' diminished triads built on their tonics, giving them unstable tonality, while the third mode not only has an augmented fourth a la the Lydian mode but also an augmented fifth making the dominant and subdominant essentially unusable.

Heptatonia tertia

The last group of seven-note tone/semitone scales is ''heptatonia tertia'', and consists of scales with two adjacent semitones—which amounts to a whole-tone scale, but with an additional note somewhere in its sequence, e.g., B C D E F G A. One such example is the Neapolitan major scale.

Other heptatonic scales

If the interval of the augmented second is used, many other scales become possible. These include Gypsy I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII Hungarian I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII The scales are symmetrical about the tonic and dominant respectively and the names are sometimes used interchangeably. The double harmonic scale, also known as the Byzantine or Hungarian,''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001) scale, contains the notes C D E F G A B C. Phrygian dominant or dominant harmonic minor I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII This differs from the Phrygian in having a major third. It may also be considered built on the dominant of the harmonic minor scale. Neapolitan minor differs from the Phrygian in having a major seventh. Verdi's Scala Enigmatica I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII i.e. G A B C D E F, which is similar to the heptatonia tertia mentioned above, differing only in that the second degree here is flattened.

Melakarta

Melakarta is a South Indian classical method of organizing Raagas based on their unique heptatonic scales. The postulated number of melakarta derives from arithmetical calculation and not from Carnatic practice, which uses far fewer scale forms. Seven-pitch melakarta are considered subsets of a twelve-pitch scale roughly analogous to the Western chromatic scale. The first and fifth melakarta tones, corresponding to the first and eighth chromatic tones, are invariable in inflection, and the fourth melakarta tone, corresponding to the sixth or seventh chromatic tone, is allowed one of two inflections only, a natural () position and a raised () position. The second and third melakarta tones can be picked from the 4 chromatic tones (second through fifth), and similarly for the sixth and seventh. Thus the number of possible forms is equal to twice the square of the number of ways a two-membered subset can be extracted from a four-membered set: :

2\cdot\left(\frac\right)^2 = 2\cdot6^2 =72

Thaat

Hindustani heptatonic theory additionally stipulates that the second, third, sixth and seventh degrees of heptatonic scale forms (''saptak'') are also allowed only two inflections each, in this case, one natural position, and one lowered (''komal'') position. Arithmetically this produces 2⁵, or thirty-two, possibilities, but Hindustani theory, in contradistinction to Carnatic theory, excludes scale forms not commonly used.

Chinese Gongche notation

Gongche notation heptatonic scale gives a do, re, mi, (between fa and fa), sol, la, (between ti and ti) heptatonic scale.

References

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