What scale is between minor and Major in quality?

Question

I remember learning something about this in regular Music Education class, (not in Music Theory class), when I was in Elementary School. I don’t remember what grade I learned it in, but it was definitely sometime between Kindergarten and 6th Grade. The Music Teacher was teaching us this particular scale, but I forget now what it was called, and she was saying all Major Scales and all minor Scales are built from this scale because this scale was neither Major nor minor in quality, but it was also still a scale that was able to be played on an ordinary 12-key Piano tuned in 12-Tone Equal Temperament. Does anyone know what this scale is called? I don’t think it was the Solfège Scale, but I could be wrong. It definitely was not the C Major Scale, though, because that is a Major Scale, and it is also not between Major and minor in quality. The Music Teacher did, in fact, say that the scale I am asking about in this question is, in fact, between Major and minor in quality. I wish I remembered what she was calling that specific scale.

UPDATE: Just as Natural is between Flat and Sharp, the scale I am asking about is the BASIS for ALL minor Scales AND Major Scales.

Answer 1

There are a few scales that might fit the description of being "between" major an minor. For example, the Dorian mode shared its 3rd and 7th notes with minor, but its sixth note with major. The ascending melodic minor scale has the minor third, but the sixth and seventh of major.

However, given the age of the students involved, the most likely candidate is the chromatic scale, which comprises every pitch within an octave. It contains every possible scale in the 12-tone equal tempered system, so in that sense might be considered "between" every scale — especially if describing it to elementary school kids.

Answer 2

Especially since most children often sing out-of-tune, (causing some, most, or sometimes even all, of the sung Musical Pitches to be at least slightly out-of-tune; thereby, producing a scale in-between a minor Scale and a Major Scale; for example, if children, (especially in Grades K–3), sing the Solfège Scale in the Key of C, chances are they will sing Mi, La and Ti either too Flat or too Sharp, sometimes causing the scale to sound in-between minor and Major in quality), but also since the Solfège Scale is one of the scales that are used to teach children to sing and to distinguish different Musical Pitches, I think the scale I’m looking for might just be the Solfège Scale, (both ascending and descending): (Do—Re—Mi—Fa—Sol—La—Ti—Do and Do—Ti—La—Sol—Fa—Mi—Re—Do).

Answer 3

Maybe the Harmonic Minor scale, in its ascending version. That's a major scale with just one note changed, the 3rd.

On a more basic level, all scales are selected from the chromatic scale. But, in the terms of your question, I wouldn't say that made it 'between' major and minor any more than a pile of bricks is 'between' two different styles of house.

But maybe 'between' isn't quite what you meant? Any more than you meant 'an ordinary 12-key Piano' quite literally!

Answer 4

The question is somewhat nebulous, but reading between the lines, if it's not referencing the chromatic scale, which indeed is neither major nor minor,(or could be construed as both...), the whole tone scale could be the next candidate, although why anyone would introduce kids (how old are 6th grade?) to it is a mystery.

Answer 5

The part where you say "she was saying all Major Scales and all minor Scales are built from this scale" makes me think it was the chromatic scale - the scale that comprises all 12 semitones.

I wouldn't say it's "between" major and minor, though. That's a very weird take on it, IMO. "Kind of both major and minor" would be more like it, if you wanted to classify it in this way at all.

Answer 6

Reading your question before the update, I was thinking of the Dorian scale, due to its inclusion of the major sixth interval. However, taking into your account that this scale is the basis of all major and minor scales, I second musiklanger regarding the pentatonic scale.

While I disagree that this scale is neither minor or major (as it specifically has major and minor modes, both of which contain a third/flat third respectively), I feel like one could make a strong justification for all diatonic modes being built from this scale, considering it is a subset of them.

Some people might also be confused by the fact that it sounds consonant to play both a minor and major pentatonic scale over a 12-bar blues, which is a unique characteristic of the pentatonic scale. In fact, the minor pentatonic scale, and the associated blues scale, are somewhat unique in that in some contexts it is consonant to improvise with them over a major chord progression.

But, I disagree with the statement that it is neither major or minor - however I can understand that a teacher may explain it like this. I would agree that the diatonic scales are built from it.

So while I don't think that your teacher described it well (if they were referring to the pentatonic), I do feel like this is the most likely scale. Especially considering that they were teaching elementary students, and the pentatonic is such an important scale to know about.

Peoples' ears naturally gravitate to the pentatonic, as is demonstrated by Bobby McFerrin in this Youtube video:

. This scale is widely used in melodies and improvisation, and sounds very pleasing to the ear.

Answer 7

What scale is between minor and Major in quality?

Unfortunately, whatever you remember of what the teacher said it isn't enough to give a definitive answer, to either give a single answer, or somehow deduce what the teacher said.

It could be the chromatic scale.

It could be the diatonic scale/gamut.

Just about any collection of pitches will be called a scale be someone. The scale degrees ^1 ^2 ^4 ^5, which are the common degrees between all major and minor key scales, is defined as scale 165 genus primum at: https://ianring.com/musictheory/scales/165. (Most of what I find online about that "scale" just loops back to Ian Ring.)

Other ideas could be proposed.

Whatever the original idea was, my basic sense is it is not a good conception of the major/minor system of keys. The unity between major and minor in that system is the tonal scale degrees and the varying qualities come from the modal degrees. The system is based on a clear distinction of major and minor quality of thirds of either scales or chords.

You can find certain ambiguities in that system, such as minor seventh chords which are a kind of superimposing of minor and major triads. But that isn't "in between" major and minor. Certain chords like a dominant seventh sharp ninth chromatically augment the diatonic palette, but that also isn't between major and minor. Not in the sense of some prototype tonality from which is generated major and minor keys.

I'll go out on a limb and say there is not such an "in between major and minor" scale, and the original idea seems dubious.

Answer 8

I wonder why noone mentioned the "pentatonic scale" with the intervals of the black keys. Without a major or minor third (if it is possible to take the hiatus? "third" as the fourth actually) and without a leading tone either, you cannot hear major and minor quality, but by adding those you decide the quality. Mixolydian (M3, b7) and harmonic minor (m3, 7) would be possible, too.

In the scope of this question at least, I could argue that it does not make much of a difference if a (chromatic) scale includes both thirds and sevenths, or none as the pentatonic scale does – both are reluctant of decision, do not provide information about minor or major.