Best Use of Major Scales in Music

[indy4 155]

What are you favorite uses of major scales in music? here are a few of mine:

Adventures of Mutt beginning:

0:14 of "Dance of the Prince and Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)

19:10 of Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony 1st movmenet:

[Datameister 2,042]

A passage near the end of the concert version of "The Forest Battle." Williams literally just takes the low brass up and down a major scale twice, throws in some other material on top of it, and just like magic, it sounds amazing.

[indy4 155]

A passage near the end of the concert version of "The Forest Battle." Williams literally just takes the low brass up and down a major scale twice, throws in some other material on top of it, and just like magic, it sounds amazing.

Ohhhh good one! That's one of my favorites for sure.

[mrbellamy 6,286]

First one that came to mind was The Beatles' "Hello Goodbye", that little run up C Major in the chorus

[filmmusic 1,827]

[Ludwig 1,120]

For me, nothing trumps the slow introduction to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. He makes some of the most powerful music out of nothing but major scales, their continual rise feeling like exuberant joy bursting forth with emotional force. It's not just the scales themselves, it's how he uses them. Listen to how he builds up with a few coy statements from 0:38 before veritably exploding at 0:57. After a number of grand proclamations of the scales, you'd think he'd burnt himself out. Not at all. At 2:06 - another explosion. And that's not all. In the movement proper, there's another use of rising scales (minor this time) that again starts shyly and builds up to a huge climax that leads to the return of the main theme. Only genius can produce such magic.

Here's the movement conducted by Carlos Kleiber, one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters in the world. I post both the first and second parts of the recording because once you start listening, you have to hear it to the end. All timestamps above are for the first part.

[Red 75]

Beginning of "Hook-Napped". The scales recall the waves of a turbulent ocean.

[indy4 155]

Hmmm, I don't think those are major scales. In any case, you shoudl check out "The Slaves Liberate Themselves, Murder" from The Sea Hawk. Definitely inspired "Hook-Napped"

[Sixers 0]

This part of Barnstorming from Close Encounters is absolutely glorious (around 2 minutes 32 seconds).

[indy4 155]

Candide's Lament by Leonard Bernstein:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

"Major scales?" - Hans Zimmer

[indy4 155]

LOL I think his theme from Man of Steel may be based on a major scale, but point taken!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Probably an oversight.