The Major Scale - A Complete Perspective

Introduction

The western-type music I grew up listening to, and I'm assuming that most of you who read this article did so also, is primarily based on intervallic combinations which are historically grouped and labelled by the denominator "Major Scale". And it really is..... MAJOR.

I'm estimating that 99.8% of pop music is based on this collection of tones. And since the unextended, unaltered note-collections we identify as the major and minor pentatonic scales, are embedded within the Major Scale, we can certainly extend our estimation to include various stylistically idiosynchratic traditions like Irish music, Country music, Rock music, Classical music, Jazz music and many, many folkloric types of music, including African, Indian, Balinese, Maori and Asian styles. I submit to you that these styles and their derivates are based on the Major Scale in larger or lesser degrees, but based on it nonetheless.

This being the case, wouldn't we be prudent, were we to study it prodigiously, striving to reach the point of exhausting its vast range of harmonic and melodic possibilities?

I think so.

For this purpose, in this series of articles, we are going to make the Major Scale our sole domain. We are going to make it our bread and butter, our scotch and soda, our coffee and tea.
We will make it the window through which we gaze upon the wondrous textures of the landscape of this world called: MUSIC!

(drumroll please!)

I am writing to you from a guitarist's perspective, but the principles are generic and universally adaptable by all musicians.

Let's begin! - Part 1 Coming Soon... Stay Tuned!


Read some more about scales here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_scale