Origin of the name
The Neapolitan scales take their name from the Neapolitan sixth (bII6), the major chord built on the lowered 2nd degree, characteristic of the eighteenth-century Neapolitan school (Alessandro Scarlatti, Pergolesi) and later of all classical and Romantic music. Both scales have the b2 and the b3: that is, the lowered 2nd of the bII inside a minor context.
Neapolitan minor
- Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7.
- Steps: S T T T S 1½ S (1 2 2 2 1 3 1 semitones).
- On C: C Db Eb F G Ab B. On A: A Bb C D E F G#. On E: E F G A B C D#.
It is harmonic minor with a lowered 2nd (or Phrygian with a raised 7th). Alternative name: harmonic Phrygian. Tetrachords: Phrygian (C Db Eb F) + harmonic (G Ab B C).
Color and chords (C Neapolitan minor)
Color: dark, dramatic, Baroque-Mediterranean; the b2 of Phrygian with the leading tone of harmonic minor.
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm(maj7) |
| bII | Db | Dbmaj7 |
| bIII+ | Eb+ | Eb7#5 |
| iv | Fm | Fm7 |
| V(b5) | G B Db | G7b5 |
| bVI | Ab | Abmaj7 |
| vii | B Db F | diminished with a diminished 3rd |
Typical move: i – bII – V – i, that is, the cadence with the Neapolitan sixth: in C minor Db/F – G7 – Cm (the b2 Db falls to C passing through B, the leading tone). In the scale the V has a b5 (Db), so in practice the V7 is taken from harmonic minor: the Neapolitan minor scale describes the area of the Neapolitan cadence rather than a self-sufficient mode.
Neapolitan major
- Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 7.
- Steps: S T T T T T S (1 2 2 2 2 2 1 semitones).
- On C: C Db Eb F G A B. On A: A Bb C D E F# G#.
It is melodic minor with a lowered 2nd (or Phrygian with raised 6th and 7th). The “major” in the name refers to the major 6th: the third stays minor. From the 2nd to the 7th it contains a whole-tone segment (Db Eb F G A B).
Color and chords (C Neapolitan major)
Color: mysterious, bright in the upper part, unstable.
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm(maj7) |
| bII+ | Db+ | Dbmaj7#5 |
| bIII+ | Eb+ | Eb7#5 |
| IV | F | F7 |
| V(b5) | G B Db | G7b5 |
| vi° | A° | Aø7 |
| vii | B Db F A | B7b5 with a diminished 3rd (enharmonically close to a ø) |
The modes (overview)
- Neapolitan minor: 1. Neapolitan minor, 2. Lydian #6, 3. Mixolydian augmented, 4. Romani minor (Aeolian #4), 5. Locrian dominant (Locrian ♮3), 6. Ionian #2, 7. Ultra Locrian bb3.
- Neapolitan major: 1. Neapolitan major, 2. Lydian augmented #6, 3. Lydian augmented dominant, 4. Lydian dominant b6, 5. Major Locrian (1 2 3 4 b5 b6 b7), 6. Half-diminished b4, 7. Altered bb3.
The 4th mode of Neapolitan major (Lydian dominant b6) suits a 9#11b13 chord; the 5th (major Locrian, also called “Arabian”) is a dominant scale with b5 and b13.
Use in genres
- Classical: the Neapolitan sixth is everywhere in the minor-key repertoire. A famous example: Beethoven, Sonata op. 27 no. 2 “Moonlight”, 1st movement, in C# minor, with the D major chord (bII) already in the first bars.
- Neoclassical metal and progressive: Neapolitan minor phrases for a “Baroque-dark” color.
- Film music: cadences with bII – V – i for tragic or solemn moments.
- Flamenco and Mediterranean music: the bII is a close relative of the Phrygian-Andalusian cadence.
Common mistakes
- Thinking that “Neapolitan major” is a major scale: it has a minor 3rd.
- Using the scale over the V7 (dominant): the b2 of the tonic is the b5 of the V, which creates a G7b5; if you want the perfect fifth on the V, use harmonic minor.
- Confusing the Neapolitan scale with the Neapolitan song: the Neapolitan song repertoire is mostly tonal minor/major, with frequent use of the Neapolitan sixth as a color.
Exercise
- Cadence in A minor: Am – Bb/D – E7 – Am. Over Bb/D and E7 play A Neapolitan minor (A Bb C D E F G#) and listen to how the b2 and the leading tone converge on the tonic.
- Cm(maj7) pad with a melody in C Neapolitan major that insists on Db and A.
- Listen to the beginning of the “Moonlight” Sonata and identify the Neapolitan chord.
Related
Neapolitan sixth; Harmonic minor; Melodic minor; Phrygian mode; Tetrachords.