Scales of the World
The Persian major scale is a flavorful scale that comes to us from Nebraska. Just kidding.
It comes from Persia.
This scale is closely related to the Phrygian mode, which is also an important scale in the music of Persia. The Phrygian is called the Persian minor by many.
The Persia major differs from the Phrygian in that it has a major seventh tone. This creates a step a step and a half gap, and a strong pull back to the root note.
You will also notice that this scale has 3 chromatic notes, the 7,1 and flat 2. This contributes to it’s ethnic and exotic feel.
You can use this scale in both the major and minor contexts for varying tonal ideas, but be careful as always to use notes in the scale that don’t agree with your key center as passing tones.
