Stupnica

Stupnica is the Polish term for a musical scale, an ordered sequence of pitches that typically spans one octave and serves as the framework for melodies, harmonies, and tonal centers. In Polish music theory the word is used to describe both the specific collection of pitches and the practice of playing or studying those pitches.

The most common types of stupnica are diatonic stupnica, chromatic stupnica, and pentatonic stupnica. A diatonic stupnica consists of seven distinct pitches per octave and includes the major and natural minor scales. The major stupnica follows a pattern of whole steps and half steps (for example, C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C, with a whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half sequence). The natural minor stupnica has a different pattern of whole and half steps (whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole). The chromatic stupnica uses all twelve semitones within an octave, while a pentatonic stupnica uses five pitches per octave and is common in folk and world music traditions.

In practice, stupnice are fundamental in training and technique, helping musicians develop intonation, finger positioning, and tonal reference. They are used for warm-ups, sight-reading preparation, and for understanding keys, modes, and harmonic relationships. While the term is Polish, scales are a universal concept across Western music, with many traditions adapting the concept to their tuning systems and musical languages.