Neapolitan minor scale on C Playⓘ.
Neapolitan major scale on C Playⓘ.

In music, the major Neapolitan scale and the minor Neapolitan scale are two musical scales. Both scales are minor, in that they both contain the note a minor third above the root. The major and minor Neapolitan scales are instead differentiated by the quality of their sixth.

The sequence of scale steps for the Neapolitan minor is as follows:[1][2][3][4]

1  ♭2  ♭3 4  5  ♭6 7  8
A  B♭  C  D  E  F  G♯ A

[H, W, W, W, H, WH, H

C  D♭  E♭ F  G  A♭ B  C]

And for the Neapolitan major:[1][2][3][4]

1  ♭2  ♭3 4  5  6  7  8
A  B♭  C  D  E  F♯ G♯ A

[H, W, W, W, W, W, H

C  D♭  E♭ F  G  A  B  C]

The scales are distinguished from the harmonic and ascending melodic minor scales by the lowered supertonic or second scale degree. This could also be known as the "Phrygian harmonic minor" or "Phrygian melodic minor." The scale therefore shares with the Phrygian mode the property of having a minor second above the tonic.

Both are accompanied well by power or minor chords.[1]

The 4th mode of the Neapolitan major, also known as the Lydian Dominant ♭6 scale, is an excellent choice for the 9♯11/♭13 (no 5) chord. Said mode contains all the alterations plus the ♮5. A whole tone scale is often used but that mode tends to be minus the ♮5 that the Lydian Minor contains.

The 5th mode of the Neapolitan major is also known as the major Locrian scale.

Modes

The scale contains the following modes: [5] [6]

Mode Name of scale Degrees Notes (on C Neap. Minor) Triad Chords Seventh Chords
1 Neapolitan Minor1♭2♭345♭678 C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B C Cm Cmmaj7
2 Lydian ♯6123♯45♯678 D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B C D♭ D♭ D♭maj7 or D♭♯6 (equivalent to D♭7)
3 Mixolydian Augmented1234♯56♭78 E♭ F G A♭ B C D♭ E♭ E♭+ E♭+7
4 Romani Minor

(or Aeolian/Natural Minor ♯4)

 12♭3♯45♭6♭78 F G A♭ B C D♭ E♭ F Fm Fm7
5 Locrian Dominant1♭234♭5♭6♭78 G A♭ B C D♭ E♭ F G G♭5 G7♭5
6 Ionian/Major ♯21♯2345678 A♭ B C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ A♭ or A♭m A♭maj7 or A♭mmaj7
7 Ultralocrian/Altered Diminished double flat31♭2double flat3♭4♭5♭6double flat78 B C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B *B♭5 **B 6♭5
Mode Name of scale Degrees Notes (on C Neap. Major) Triad Chords Seventh Chords
1 Neapolitan Major1♭2♭345678 C D♭ E♭ F G A B C Cm Cmmaj7
2 Leading Whole Tone

(or Lydian Augmented ♯6)

 123♯4♯5♯678 D♭ E♭ F G A B C D♭ D♭+ D♭+maj7 or D♭+♯6 (equivalent to D♭+7)
3 Lydian Augmented Dominant123♯4♯56♭78 E♭ F G A B C D♭ E♭ E♭+ E♭+7
4 Lydian Dominant ♭6123♯45♭6♭78 F G A B C D♭ E♭ F F F7
5 Major Locrian1234♭5♭6♭78 G A B C D♭ E♭ F G G♭5 G7♭5
6 Half-Diminished ♭4

(or Altered Dominant ♯2)

 12♭3♭4♭5♭6♭78 A B C D♭ E♭ F G A Aο or *A♭5 Aø7 or ***A7♭5
7 Altered Dominant double flat31♭2double flat3♭4♭5♭6♭78 B C D♭ E♭ F G A B *B♭5 ***B7♭5
Notes :
  • * While this triad consisted of 1, ♭4 (~3), and ♭5 notes, this is not really a normal triad since no use of 3rd-grade notes (in B : D or D♯/E♭). Instead, this triad more likely shaped as sus♭4 triad (although ♭4 is enharmonic to 3).
  • ** double flat7 enharmonic to 6, so the 6th chords is available instead of 7th (thus being used here).
  • *** These chords can actually be respelled as 7alt (the 7♭5 is one of the altered dominant chords).

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 Celentano, Dave (1991). Monster Scales and Modes, p.44. Published by CentreStream. ISBN 0-931759-59-5.
  2. 1 2 Burrows, Terry (1999). How to Read Music: Reading Music Made Simple, p.90. ISBN 9780312241599.
  3. 1 2 Roth, Dana (2011). Encyclopedia of Scales and Modes for Electric Bass, p.9. ISBN 9781609749767.
  4. 1 2 Blatter, Alfred (2012). Revisiting Music Theory: A Guide to the Practice, p.87 & 89. ISBN 9781135870393.
  5. ↑ "Neapolitan Scale and ITS Modes".
  6. ↑ "MyMusicTheory | Neapolitan Minor scale modes".

Further reading

  • Hewitt, Michael. Musical Scales of the World, . The Note Tree. 2013. ISBN 978-0957547001.
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