Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.
This week’s challenge:
Misirlou and Hava Nagila use two different scales that are almost identical. In fact, only one note makes the difference between Misirlou’s scale and Hava Nagila’s. What are these two scales, and what makes them different? Hint: the Hava Nagila excerpt here does not start on DO (the tonic).
Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, July 23rd to see the answer!
ANSWER for 7/19/21
Misirlou is an Eastern Mediterranean melody that uses the Double Augmented Major scale. It’s made from two identical tetrascales, each with an augmented 2nd flanked by half-steps. In solfege, it’s DO-RA-MI-FA-SO-LE-TI-DO:
Hava Nagila is a Jewish song based on a Hasidic melody. It uses the Phrygian Dominant scale, so called because it’s what you get if you build a scale on the fifth note (or dominant) of the harmonic minor scale; and because of the half-step between the first two notes, characteristic of the Phrygian mode. The only difference with Double Augmented Major is that Phrygian Dominant has only one augmented second. The seventh note makes that difference: it makes a whole step with the 6th note, whereas in Misirlou it makes another augmented 2nd. The solfege for Phrygian Dominant scale is nearly the same:DO-RA-MI-FA-SO-LE-TE-DO:
The Double Augmented Major scale is also called Hijaz-Kar in Arabic. The Phrygian Dominant mode, when used in Jewish prayers, is also called Ahava Rabbah or Freygish.
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