All the way from the exotic Orient…the melodic major scale! Often associated with the music of India!
The melodic major scale, also known as the Aeolian Dominant Scale, is Ionian major scale with a diminished 6th and diminished 7th. Alternatively, it is the natural minor scale (or Aeolian scale) with a raised third.
Again using the C major scale as a base, the Melodic Major scale would play an A flat and B flat instead of A and B natural (see featured image)
WHAT’S IN A NAME? The melodic major comes from its derivation from the melodic minor, but with a major third. The Aeolian Dominant Scale refers to one of the regional tribes that the ancient Greeks divided themselves into, and the “dominant” comes from how the raised third enables this scale to create dominant 7th chords. As with all things European/Western, the Greeks turn up a lot as the “root”.
This scale is also known as the “Hindu Scale”, due to its prominence in Carnatic music, the system of music associated with Southern India. As usual, any Ionian major scale can be made into a Melodic Major scale with application of its corresponding formula. Ironic that, despite the name, the Aeolian dominant scale is associated less with Greek music and more with Indian music.
Fun fact: In Carnatic music, the concept of “raga” is almost identical to the Western concept of “mode” as a scale that a composition is “Set” in: or to put it more academically, a set of rules to build a melody upon based on a scale.
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