The Neapolitan Major Scale.

Hey guys, have you ever tried using the neapolitan major scale in any of your compositions? Its constructed with a phrygian tetrachord on bottom, and major tetrachord on top.

In C:

C Db Eb F G A B C

I think it is a very strange sounding scale and I can't find a use for it, I also can't seem to find any music that uses it.

One strange thing is that although the base triad is a minor chord, it is known as the Neopolitan "Major" scale. The Neapolitan minor scale (which I find much more usefull) is as follows starting from C:

C Db Eb F G Ab B C

So, is there any real pratical use for Neapolitan Major? Do you know of or have composed any compositions that use it?

Err, it's a harmonic c minor scale with a Db? Well melodic I guess with the A natural.

I never heard of a neapolitan scale, though the chord is rather well known. Where are you getting this? Sounds like electric guitar terminology.

Yes, the Neapolitan scale. The most interesting thing about it is the b2 degree, which gives it the specific, peculiar mood. The N6 chord occurs naturally in this scale. I cannot really tell you any pieces that use this scale, but you can figure out how to use it yourself by building all chords and exploring the possibilities, both theoretically and experimentally. The second degree is obviously a tendency tone, like an upper leading tone. I find the "minor" form to be more characteristic thanks to the natural hiatus between the 6 and 7 degrees.

It reminds me of Phrygian, more specifically - the "ascending melodic" and "harmonic" forms of it, if I may invent a slang. Actually, you could decide to treat it just like that (like minor with b2). It also reminds me of the double harmonic major and minor scales:

C Db E F G Ab B C

C D Eb F# G Ab B C (which, with the B/Bb change, is also called the Hungarian gypsy scale)

These two scales can be found in gypsy music and they feature two augmented seconds. Interestingly, I've seen some people to confuse the double harmonic scale with hijaz. Hijaz has only one augmented second and implies microtonality: the 6th degree is 3/4 above the 5th and 3/4 below the 7th in the ascending form, and 1/2 above the 5th in the descending form; also, compared to our tempered system, the second degree is usually tuned a little higher and the third a little lower.

As for the Neapolitan scale, perhaps you can use the chord on the 2nd degree in two ways. The more classical way is to look at it as an intensified subdominant function (like a Neapolitan chord) before the dominant, which is a diminished chord - compare it to the altered dominant (Vb5) from the traditional chromatic harmony. Perhaps, another way to approach it is to construct it like this: Db-F-Ab-B, which is a dominant seventh sonority, so here you can look at it from a more jazzy perspective and use it in the same way as tritone substitution chords (with dominant function, regular resolution to I).

Err, it's a harmonic c minor scale with a Db? Well melodic I guess with the A natural.

I never heard of a neapolitan scale, though the chord is rather well known. Where are you getting this? Sounds like electric guitar terminology.

Intrestlingly, yes most of the information I have found on it has been guitar oriented, here is a guitar solo that uses it:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/exotic-scales-neapolitan-major-solo/

Its sort of like the whole tone scale, but with more intresting harmony involved.

This page says the scales origin is Italian, which makes sense regarding the name, but I don't think it SOUNDS very Italian:

http://pianoencyclopedia.com/scales/neapolitan-major/C-neapolitan-major.html

Of course, this page is also calling it an octatonic scale for some reason, even though it is clearly heptatonic. (must be counting the octave)

Yes, the Neapolitan scale. The most interesting thing about it is the b2 degree, which gives it the specific, peculiar mood. The N6 chord occurs naturally in this scale. I cannot really tell you any pieces that use this scale, but you can figure out how to use it yourself by building all chords and exploring the possibilities, both theoretically and experimentally. The second degree is obviously a tendency tone, like an upper leading tone. I find the "minor" form to be more characteristic thanks to the natural hiatus between the 6 and 7 degrees.

It reminds me of Phrygian, more specifically - the "ascending melodic" and "harmonic" forms of it, if I may invent a slang. Actually, you could decide to treat it just like that (like minor with b2). It also reminds me of the double harmonic major and minor scales:

C Db E F G Ab B C

C D Eb F# G Ab B C (which, with the B/Bb change, is also called the Hungarian gypsy scale)

These two scales can be found in gypsy music and they feature two augmented seconds. Interestingly, I've seen some people to confuse the double harmonic scale with hijaz. Hijaz has only one augmented second and implies microtonality: the 6th degree is 3/4 above the 5th and 3/4 below the 7th in the ascending form, and 1/2 above the 5th in the descending form; also, compared to our tempered system, the second degree is usually tuned a little higher and the third a little lower.

As for the Neapolitan scale, perhaps you can use the chord on the 2nd degree in two ways. The more classical way is to look at it as an intensified subdominant function (like a Neapolitan chord) before the dominant, which is a diminished chord - compare it to the altered dominant (Vb5) from the traditional chromatic harmony. Perhaps, another way to approach it is to construct it like this: Db-F-Ab-B, which is a dominant seventh sonority, so here you can look at it from a more jazzy perspective and use it in the same way as tritone substitution chords (with dominant function, regular resolution to I).

I suppose the minor neopolitan scale is simliar to double harmonic, it just has a b3. But the Neopolitan Major scale is very diffrent, it dosen't even contaion any augmented secconds.

I think the second scale you pointed out (C D Eb F# G Ab B C) is better named harmnoic minor #4, just to prevent confusion, because, depending on who you ask, the Hungarian Gypsy scale (or the Hungarian Minor, as I usualy call it) can refer either to harmonic minor #4, or Aeolean #4.

Double Harmonic Minor also seems like a good name, but I have never heard that term be used before to describe the scale. (the first scale I've always referred to as simply the double harmonic scale.)

The tricky thing about all these exotic scales is, they often don't have one, univerally accepted name.