This Scale Sounds SO GOOD: The Harmonic MAJOR Scale

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This scale should be more famous.
Or better... this scale is famous, thanks to its 'sexy' name. I mean, it's called the "harmonic major" scale - a far cry from 'mathematical formulas' like "dorian #4" or "locrian natural 2", right?
No, being famous is not the problem. The problem is: this scale deserves to be used more.
Because it drips with feeling and drama.
I mean, a scale that sounds this way when I play a standard 1-4-5 progression on it would deserve to be used in top 40 songs and international hits every other week.
But no.
Let's write another song with the same old scales, because 'the public does not like anything new'.
No, let's just give them 'more of the same but different'.
(The first pop songwriter or producer who puts their hands on this scale and who takes it seriously will make millions)
So here's what we are going to do - because I know you are super-busy and have no time, and this is a busy period and you are so tired that your attention span is shorter than a squirrel's.
Just click on the link below, and go straight to these two examples: the first at 3:47 and the second at 4:45.
If you agree with me that these chord progressions sound great and that there is potential there... then watch the rest of the video to see how I wrote them.
Otherwise, go ahead with your day, and I'll see you next week.
Deal?
P.S. If you write a pop song with this scale... and it becomes the next big hit... don't forget where it came from! ;-)
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[@noahorlowski3328]

"with a little abuse of notation" is a concept I wish more people would support

[@Wayne_Robinson]

Notation is a very useful tool but it's not the music!

[@manwithaplan8543]

People forget a rose is a still a rose by any other name 😩 #shakespearewouldabusenotation

[@kenzuercher7497]

Since some of us learned the Harmonic Minor scale first, The Harmonic Major is the same but with the major third. Just one note different. makes it easier to find from a known pattern. Melodic Minor is also a major scale with the third flatted. Just another way to sort all of this out. Great explanation in the video!

[@gabrielmahutasoit8953]

Unfortunately, the key signature theory doesn't allow that simplification. Like, both A harmonic minor and A melodic minor uses the key sign of Am/C maj, and A harm. major uses A maj key sign. Imagine how many times you have to add the accidentals.

[@markvb305]

5:10 Challenge accepted! A, A+Δ, Dm/A, A+Δsus4, AΔ

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

The Sad Cafe by the Eagles uses this mode if anyone wanted an example.

[@minstorm]

If I can recommend something: in the start of the video rather than just saying the notes. Also play the scale up and down once or twice to let the listeners get a feel for it

[@peterkeys1105]

Yeah that's literally what I was looking for lol

[@poison_corpse3140]

You can find the notes he has on the white board on the neck of your guitar and play the scale up and down, what I'm about to do. Or just play the major scale as you know it and flatten the 6th degree. Hope this helps.

[@JTuaim]

This really adds a lot of melodic possibilities.

[@Mohammed8778]

Would've loved to have a sound example for the scale in the beginning. nice video tho

[@Aurora-oe2qp]

If I'm not mistaken, it's the scale from Miserlou, most famously covered by Dick Dale and his Deltones. But yeah, it would be nice with an audio example of the scale in the beginning Edit: Wait, never mind, I'm fairly certain that the scale from Miserlou is double harmonic major (major b2 b6).

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

@@Aurora-oe2qp The Miserlou scale is this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/laW4oohmnLOtn6c

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Thanks again Tommaso. Always love your videos and look forward to them. Until next time; enjoy!

[@sunkintree]

You do a major service for people who might otherwise overlook these scales because not many people seem to talk about them

[@joebermuda6452]

This scale sounds beautiful for jazz

[@scottblair8261]

I lost it at the flying bleep, made me laugh very hard. Great video as per usual.

[@TheAtheistworld]

Major with a supergap!! Cool vid. Thnx

[@johndoc4483]

Another great presentation, I cant wait to try this one, its got a real nice vibe !

[@frenchiesfrankieandhenry]

Tommaso! Thanks for the clinic invite, Sir! Haven't had a chance to work on dorian b2 solo, as I just got married and have been extremely busy. Always look forward to Mondays now. You're Closing in on 200k subs, which is awesome. This channel should hopefully reach the level subs of Rick Beato's channel. You really are a fantastic teacher, my friend. As always, thanks for the fun, always informative, inspirational videos.

[@chiju]

Whenever I see that portrait of JS Bach, I will always imagine the artist was lecturing him for using augmented second intervals in his melodies.

[@fingerzfrienemy2226]

Bach was such a badboy.

[@johndoc4483]

I'm going to check out your course, hopefully I can afford it. I need a course I can work with in sections, and wrap up the learning to get all this music outta my head, ty again.

[@ArtinSinger]

Your videos are so great and mind opening 👍

[@miikayak]

I like how this gives a little hint behind the scenes about how you create these videos :)

[@davidbaise5137]

You are just scratching the surface with these.

[@LouisSerieusement]

So cool !! I was really looking for your thoughts on this scale and I'm not disapoint at all :o thank you so much ! Cheers and love from france

[@rgsudusky]

Another gem - thanks!

[@sebastiankreck]

Cool sounding scale!

[@moistness482]

This is the nostalgic sounding scale for me

[@anirudhsilai5790]

I love a spicy augmented 2nd

[@Pawn936]

5:10 1. A major 2. A major 7 (flat13) 3. D minor 4. G# fully diminished 7th over A 5. A major 7

[@maxkelter3561]

It sounds like a second semester Calculus Class only for music. Seems interesting but I'm not there yet......

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Playlist for you then: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGjaeHyupbxoqK8

[@walterleitgeb8484]

I wanted to say you are the best theory teacher i have seen. I wish we could collaborate. Bless you! ❤

[@edrdavenport78]

I’ve been thinking about this for two weeks! I was gonna make an instagram post about why the b6 is the best chromatic note in the major scale and harmonic major is a good example.

[@tdubasdfg]

This is a really cool lesson. Reminds me of Barry Harris' lessons on what he calls the 6th diminished scale. He plays it as an 8 note scale including both the flat 6th and natural 6th scale degrees. When you make chords from this scale you get a really nice sound that goes (in C): C6 (or A minor7 in 1st inversion) Do7 Em13 (or A minor7 in 2nd inversion) Fo7 GM13 (or A minor7 in 3rd inversion) Am7 Bo7 C6 It has a nice sense of symmetry to it 👍

[@Nikoo033]

That’s how I am going to qualify my mistakes from now on: I am playing a harmonic major scale 😂

[@MelodyPainterStudio]

The chords are A C#/A Dm/A Ddim/A Amaj7 Is that right?

[@dangerkeith3000]

It's a valid way of writing it. All the notes are correct. The 2nd and 4th chords could be written differently, but your naming makes sense with the sound of the progression and is easy to understand. To me, it's the most intuitive written how you did.

[@AntHenson]

My favourite scale! I deffo think the C# and C#7 should be included in the main list if the B°7 is though...

[@gabrielmahutasoit8953]

Ah, yeah... C# root-scale is Phrygian b4, so it can me minor (1-b3-5/ C#-E-G#) or major (1-b4(=3)-5/C#-F-G#)

[@radiozelaza]

I like to use the fifth mode of Harm Maj as a substitute for Phrygian Dominant

[@metaljay2896]

5:15 A , A Major7#5, F Major13/A, Bb7/A, A Major7. The last 3 chords mimic a plagal cadence a bit to my ear, or a phrygian cadence

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Always appreciate your topics and insights. The chords/progression you said to write in the comments ...this is what I would name them at first glance. Amaj, C#/A, Dmin/A, D°/A, A major7. Slash chords with Amaj and Amaj7 as starting and finishing points.

[@Winklebott]

Chords at 5:09 are as follows methinks. A - C#/A - (Dm - Dm(flat5) both are inversions with the 5 in the root). And Amaj7

[@kalamartintanegra]

I alway loved that augmented 5th. Now I understand that it is a flatten 6th XD. Anyway, I love theat sound

[@saschaz1]

Really appreciate your videos. Now I think in an italian accent when applying your knowledge. 😂

[@malcolmjohnston4624]

Thanks again for your insight, I will try to name the chords. Didn't know the name of the scale, I always thought of it as a major tetrachord followed by a minor tetrachord. Ref. William L Fowler ( Berkley) guitar patterns for improvisation. 4X4 tetrachords = 16 modes, with no tritones.

[@conquerncam]

So early I have no idea what the video is about yet

[@stevehurl298]

Sounds good to you.....

[@pullmeunder116]

I miss when you used to play the scale straight on guitar. It was really useful in understanding the sound of it!

[@slickwillie3376]

I was messing around with C harmonic major, and wanted a pentatonic, or maybe a 9th chord arpeggio to use as a pentatonic, and came up with this interesting sound. C D E G Ab Very haunting methinks...

[@greymatters6015]

Woah! That F bomb outta nowhere!😂

[@heybuddyguyfriendpal8281]

4:25 ahhh , ya I got this.!!!

[@mikecassell8953]

This scale is used in the Zelda theme. At least in parts of it.

[@peterkeys1105]

Which one?

[@christopherenders8153]

You missed the great harmonic altered scale on the 3rd scale-degree. It's perfect to play over a dominant chord with the 5th.

[@noahk.3696]

hey man i like your videos great work !!! ist master of the modes worth it for me as a sayplayer ?

[@poison_corpse3140]

Hi everyone! Is it posible to transpose songs from the Major scale to Harmonic Major scale and how?

[@bleedingrevenge12]

One of my favorite Tigran Hamasyan songs is in the fifth mode of harmonic major: mixolydian flat9. It's called _To Negate_ I know this because I am trying to learn how to play it on guitar.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Tigran is amazing.

[@Wind-nj5xz]

Shouldn't it be called mixolydian b2?

[@bleedingrevenge12]

@@Wind-nj5xz I've seen it both ways; call it an abuse of notation.

[@Wind-nj5xz]

2:18 What if you don't but you use the lowered 6th a lot in the melody?

[@hansongnaily]

Sound like radiohead chords!

[@faprama]

A, A7+(#5), Asus4 (#5), A7+ sus4 (#5), A7+

[@ProffessorMusic]

There could be quite a few answers but in the context you used them it sounds like A, A+ma7, Dmi/A, Dº/A, Ama7. I'm actually kind of tempted to say the 3rd and 4th chords are F6 and Fmi6 because it's sounds like the classic McCartney-ish resolution. Does the A bass note mess that up or does the fact that we're pedaling A make it ok?

[@mikebryant4146]

So what would be the definitive 3-chord Harmonic Major progression?: I-ii-V?, I-iv-V? or I-vii-V?

[@byronofcalgary6985]

is there a starting point on a keyboard that would give these intervals on white keys aka whole notes ? ? it would make it easier to find the chord components knowing they're also all white keys = whole notes - - thx

[@travistoole]

So after I watched that Playlist you sent me, my guitar fell and the headstock broke off my razorback. Im gonna try to fix it.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Oh my. I'm sorry to hear that.

[@travistoole]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar It happens

[@daneoduran2674]

Let's name the chords: I'd call them: (1: A major) - (2: A maj 7 aug 5) - ( 3: A6 maj add 9) - (4: A maj 7 add 6 sus 4) and (5: A maj 7). Thanks for this fab video as always Tommaso. How lovely of you to think of singers when considering melodies. However, we can always cheat using pitch correction in the DAW. Could yield interesting results.

[@gabrielhededal270]

Any songs written in this scale?

[@lamelamelame8]

I think the chords are: A, A major 7 #5, Dmin/A, D dim/A, A maj 7.

[@sevag33]

In which type of music is this scale used? It's the first time I hear about it

[@williamcompitello2302]

I learned a little jazz theory some years back by watching videos. However, I get tired of applying modes and scales to other things. I like harmonic major for what it is. I think "what if a song is in harmonic major rather than the song just using harmonic major?"

[@barryvisoc6851]

Allan Holdsworth's favorite Scale.starts on the 4th mode,Lydian b3rd.

[@user-pm2xj9st6f]

Holdsworth would think of it as melodic minor #4. He called it Lydian Diminished. Alot of jazz guys followed him on that. It's does have a "hidden" dim7 on the root chord. 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 7 (1 b3 b5 bb7) I like to think of it as Dorian #4 maj7 and Use it as a minor scale. You can use lydian b3 ascending and Dorian #4 descending. (OR descend dorian) that way you have the leading tone (major 7th) ascending. The #4 is a great leading tone to the 5th also when ascending. My favorite mode of harmonic major is mode 3 Phrygian b4. It is very similar to phrygian dom and works well with phrygian dom. Phry b4 can be used as a minor scale or a dom7 scale. It works well with The altered scale and the dominant diminished scale. (Octatonic diminished mode 2)

[@rpycmHblu1]

A, C#/A, Dm/A, Dm#11/A, Amaj7 maybe? Loving your content

[@gassug2]

sounds more like a Ddim7 rather than Dm#11 to me

[@dandilion62]

Check out the beautiful Eagles song The Sad Cafe with A Dm E

[@EclecticEssentric]

Weird. Fun. Have a beautiful day!

[@lauroneto3360]

hey, if you use the F(the b6) note to build the C# chord, you'll have a major 3rd (7th) chord: C#(7). I think its used a lot in music with the cadence: ...III - IV - V - I for instance. I think the theory behind that cadence must come from that scale, right? Or maybe its another b6 major scale that I dont know.

[@lauroneto3360]

As a modal interchange cadence, of course.

[@madisont3123]

its interesting that the scale has a C# minor and also a C# major if you see the F as an E#

[@BadToad1963]

I come up with: A, A+M7, F+/A, AM7sus4#5, AM7

[@jimmydonlon6762]

I'm going to name 'em: A A maj 7 augmented Dm/A bass A maj7 augmented sus4 A maj7

[@droobie_]

Interesting you can have C# and C#m very cool

[@oskarliedtke6440]

Can I also think of it as the third mode of the harmonic minor scale?

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

It's not the 3rd mode of harmonic minor

[@Wind-nj5xz]

The third mode of harmonic minor is ionian augmented and C ionian augmented goes CDEFG#AB while C harmonic major goes CDEFGAbB (G# and Ab are enharmonic to each other meaning they produce the same sound but are written differently because the fifth note in C ionian augmented is a semitone higher compared to the fifth note in C major while the sixth in C harmonic major is a semitone lower) so the note that differs it from the major scale is the same, but both are different scales

[@ugajin7348]

After hearing this, I finally went out and bought a (inexpensive) guitar off gumtree. In case you were interested, it was/is a Tim Arnstrong Hellcat. ☠️

[@TimmyRiordan]

Here's my best go at naming the 2 chords*. The 5x666x chord is an Amaj7b13 The x0313x chord is a Dm/A add#4--it could be Dmb11/A as well but there's no 7 so I don't like that answer. I don't like the first answer either because who has ever heard of an add #4? But here we are. Calling the 5x666x chord A augmented major seven doesn't work for me since it requires naming the F from the scale an E# in the chord. Likewise calling the x0313x chord a D Diminished/A requires the G# from the scale be named an Ab in the chord. And now I've officially spent waaay too much time thinking about and this. (And I'm sure to realize I'm wrong somehow moments after I post). *I think Melody Painters Studio nailed the most sensible, (i.e. understandable) way of writing the chords (if you're going to do a little abuse of notation) [hat tip to Noah Orlowski].

[@markvb305]

I went with E# because there was otherwise no 5th in that chord whatsoever, and since it got strummed for a bit, that b13 couldn't really function as a passing note either. Also, now I'm giving it another though: the 5 - b13 interval is a spicy minor 9th. Playing an Amaj7b13 without it just isn't the same! That's like playing C E G and calling it Amin7/C!

[@TimmyRiordan]

@@markvb305 The way I was taught jazz chords (for the guitar in particular), the fifth is always optional. For instance there's not fifth in an A13 (5x567x). That A13 is a good point of reference for the reasoning I used. If you raise the G up a half step to G# and the F# down a half step to F you've got the Amaj7b13 Tomasso played. Anyway, it's all enharmonically equivalent. Thanks for the comment and making think on it a bit more.

[@lamper2]

if chords are being built on these notes, why are they completely different than an A major scale if you're just lowering the 6th? after 18 seconds, i'm lost.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Changing only one note changes 3 triads and 4 7th chords. If all this sounds obscure to you, I recommend this playlist - watch all of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGjaeHyupbxoqK8

[@gabrielmahutasoit8953]

2:49 the minor IV chord in this case is different from the modal interchange : modal interchange allows us to use Dm7 (fourth chord of Am, the paralel scale of A), but in this scale, we have to use DmΔ to keep the scale. But seriously, A - Dm7, despite having a clashy interval of C (of Dm7) - C# (of A), sounds greater than A - DmΔ (in my ear, I love dissonances and clashes😂)

[@Elienguitar]

I don't know how to "feel" when I listen to these chords lol, asympathetic.

[@user-pm2xj9st6f]

A, Amaj7b13, Asus4#5, Amaj7sus4#5, Amaj7

[@anthonyd504]

Could you talk about the hungarian minor scale, one day ? I tried to use it, but I don't know how to use them...

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoOndWtpgbp_a68. ;-)

[@anthonyd504]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Oops, my bad... Thank you so much !!

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

@@anthonyd504 no problem ;-)

[@buellzz]

Even if no one gave a... LMAO too funny

[@muchnoeizdelie4694]

+

[@maddieromg]

How about harmonizing with scales that have more than 7 notes? Barry Harris???

[@joelstephenson8017]

The scale itself is a bit confusing, but still nice.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Takes some getting used to as a composer. Pure listeners take to it immediately (strangely enough)

[@williamhills6927]

Help I play violin what does half of this mean.

[@amanthatthinks]

It sounds like traditional Indian music . .. Yeah its Raga sarasangi in carnatic music of india..

[@Potatointhehood]

Harmonic major scale is bae 3:

[@kukumuniu5658]

Too much #### cdefg a-flat b is easier

[@Bananameow]

Hello internet i haven't practiced and learned my guitar for a few weeks😂 i dont know what lesson im in now😂

[@brickwilliamsguitar6307]

It’s unique, but it doesn’t sound SO GOOD to me. Good example of another scale that doesn’t get used too much because it just doesn’t sound that great.

[@christopherheckman7957]

(1) Classical music theory: "Don't use augmented 2nds!" Bach: "Hold mein Bier." (2) You left out the chords A+maj7, the other Bdim7th, C#+7, Ddim7, E+7. (Some of these are enharmonic.) (3) Now for a general observation about all of your "scale" videos: You've shown how to build chord progressions and leads based on many of those scales, but you've left out bass lines. In today's video, most every bass note is an A. (Not always a problem, though; as a bass player, you can keep hitting that open A while grabbing a drink during a song.)

[@michaelneufeld2649]

This was a mistake to click on, not your fault but I’m way more confused than before. Lol

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

If that's confusing, start here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYSlZJx_oKmsbdE&pp=gAQBiAQB