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Major Scale: Note-to-Note Movement and State of Unrest
When you play a simple major scale, how does your brain automatically figure out and interpret what it’s hearing? Table 20 below shows the basics. You need context. Your brain needs to process all of the notes successively for you to feel these effects.
TABLE 20 Interval Dynamics, Major Scale
Note Movement |
Interval Name |
Fig. 20 Graphic |
State of Unrest/Tension (with Respect to Tonic Note) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Major second (whole tone) | Thick arrow | Upper note of major second (frequency ratio of 9:8) seeks to resolve down to the tonal centre. Motion against the natural force, 1 – 2, creates high tension. Motion with the natural force, 2 – 1, resolves it. |
| 4 – 3 | Minor second (semitone) | Thick arrow | Upper note of minor second (frequency ratio of 16:15) seeks to resolve down to the closest note, scale degree 3, with its much simpler frequency ratio of 5:4 with respect to the tonal centre. Motion against the natural force, 3 – 4, creates high tension. Motion with the natural force, 4 – 3, resolves it. |
| 7 – 1 (8) | Minor second (semitone) | Thick arrow | Lower note of minor second (frequency ratio of 16:15) seeks to resolve up to the tonal centre. Motion against the natural force, 1 (8) – 7, creates high tension. Motion with the natural force, 7 – 1 (8), resolves it. |
| 3 – 1 | Major third | Medium arrow | Upper note of major third (frequency ratio of 5:4) seeks to resolve down to the closest tonal centre. Motion against the natural force, 1 – 3, creates moderate tension. Motion with the natural force, 3 – 1, resolves it. |
| 6 – 5 or 6 – 1 (8) | Minor second or Minor third | Medium arrow | Scale degree 6 has a roughly equal urge to resolve either down to the simpler frequency ratio of the nearby scale degree 5, or up to the closest tonal centre. Motion against the natural forces, 5 – 6 or 1 (8) – 6, creates moderate tension. Motion with the natural forces, 6 – 5 or 6 – 1 (8) resolves it. |
| 5 – 1 or 5 – 1 (8) | Perfect fifth or Perfect fourth | Thick arrow | Scale degree 5 has a only a slight but roughly equal urge to resolve to either tonal centre. Motion against the natural forces, 1 – 5 or 1 (8) – 5 creates slight tension. Motion with the natural forces, 5 – 1 or 5 – 1 (8) resolves it. |