How could it be that the worlds music is based upon the major scale?
Are you kidding? Most of the world’s music is NOT based on the Major Scale. A brief study of the music of Asia, India, South America, and any other country that isn’t “Anglo-Saxon-Centric” will prove this to be true. The “Major-minor” tonality of late Baroque – Classical – Romantic music was the result of the evolution of hundreds of years of Western practice. Accepted conventions throughout the history of music led to a point where one can see the almost exclusive usage of Major or Minor scales in the works of any Western composer from Bach all the way to Brahms. Beyond that short time frame of about 200 years, most of the music ever written, played, or heard is(was) strikingly NOT based on the Major scale. Good question….check out the books of W.A. Mathieu or a nice volume on North Indian Classical music if you would like to learn about what I think is some pretty great stuff. I borrow a lot of ideas from this area to teach my own students. Thanks for the question.
