List of musical scales and modes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The following is a list of musical scales and modes. Degrees are relative to the major scale.
Name | Image | Sound | Degrees | Intervals | # of pitch classes | Lower tetrachord | Upper tetrachord | Use of key signature usual or unusual |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 equal temperament | ![]() |
— | — | 15 | — | — | — | |
16 equal temperament | ![]() |
— | — | 16 | — | — | — | |
17 equal temperament | ![]() |
— | — | 17 | — | — | — | |
19 equal temperament | ![]() |
— | — | 19 | — | — | — | |
21 equal temperament | ![]() |
— | — | 21 | — | — | — | |
Acoustic scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | W-W-W-H-W-H-W | 7 | whole tone | minor | ||
Aeolian mode or natural minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-W-W-H-W-W | 7 | minor | Phrygian | Usual | |
Algerian scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 etc. | W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H-W-H-W | variable | — | — | ||
Alpha scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | 15.39 | — | — | — |
Altered scale or Super Locrian scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-W-H-W-W-W-W | 7 | diminished | whole tone | ||
Augmented scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7 | 3H-H-3H-H-3H-H | 6 | — | — | ||
Bebop dominant scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 | W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H | 8 | — | — | ||
Beta scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | 18.75 | — | — | — |
Blues scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-H-H-3H-W | 6 | — | — | ||
Bohlen–Pierce scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — | — |
Chromatic scale | ![]() |
1 ♯1 2 ♯2 3 4 ♯4 5 ♯5 6 ♯6 7 7 ♭7 6 ♭6 5 ♭5 4 3 ♭3 2 ♭2 1 |
H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H | 12 | — | — | — | |
Delta scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | 85.7 | — | — | — |
Dorian mode | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W-H-W-W-W-H-W | 7 | minor | minor | Usual | |
Double harmonic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H | 7 | harmonic | harmonic | Unusual | |
Enigmatic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7 | H-3H-W-W-W-H-H | 7 | Unusual | |||
Euler–Fokker genus | ![]() |
— | — | 6 | — | — | — | |
Flamenco mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Gamma scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | 34.29 | — | — | — |
"Gypsy" scale | ![]() "Gypsy" [sic] scale on C. |
![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-3H-H-H-W-W | 7 | Gypsy | Phrygian | Unusual |
Half diminished scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-W-H-W-W-W | 7 | minor | whole tone | ||
Harmonic major scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | W-W-H-W-H-3H-H | 7 | major | harmonic | ||
Harmonic minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 (♮)7 | W-H-W-W-H-3H-H | 7 | minor | harmonic | ||
Harmonic Scale | ![]() |
— | — | 144 | — | — | — | |
Hexany | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hirajoshi scale | ![]() |
1 3 ♯4 5 7 | 2W-W-H-2W-H | 5 | — | — | — | |
Hungarian "Gypsy" scale/Hungarian minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 | W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H | 7 | Gypsy | harmonic | Unusual | |
Hungarian major scale | ![]() |
1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | 3H-H-W-H-W-H-W | 7 | — | minor | Unusual | |
In scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 | H-2W-W-H-2W | 5 | — | — | ||
Insen scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7 | H-2W-W-3H-W | 5 | — | — | — | |
Ionian mode or major scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | W-W-H-W-W-W-H | 7 | major | major | Usual | |
Istrian scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 5 | H-W-H-W- | 6 | diminished | — | — | |
Iwato scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7 | H-2W-H-2W-W | 5 | — | — | — | |
Locrian mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-W-W-H-W-W-W | 7 | Phrygian | whole tone | Usual | |
Lydian augmented scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 | W-W-W-W-H-W-H | 7 | whole tone | diminished | ||
Lydian mode | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | W-W-W-H-W-W-H | 7 | whole tone | major | Usual | |
Major bebop scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 (♯5/♭6) 6 7 | W-W-H-W-(H-H)-W-H | 7(8) | — | — | ||
Major Locrian scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-W-H-H-W-W-W | 7 | major | whole tone | ||
Major pentatonic scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 5 6 | W-W-3H-W-3H | 5 | — | — | Usual | |
Melodic minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♮6 ♮7 8 ♭7 ♭6 5 4 ♭3 2 1 | W-H-W-W-W-W-H (ascending)
W-W-H-W-W-H-W (descending) |
9 | minor | varies | ||
Melodic minor scale (ascending) | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | W-H-W-W-W-W-H | 7 | minor | major | ||
Minor pentatonic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-W-3H-W | 5 | — | — | Usual | |
Mixolydian mode or Adonai malakh mode | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W-W-H-W-W-H-W | 7 | major | minor | Usual | |
Neapolitan major scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | H-W-W-W-W-W-H | 7 | Phrygian | major | Unusual | |
Neapolitan minor scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-W-W-W-H-3H-H | 7 | Phrygian | harmonic | Unusual | |
Non-Pythagorean scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — | — |
Octatonic scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7
|
W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H
|
8 | — | — | ||
Pelog | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
Persian scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-H-W-3H-H | 7 | harmonic | unusual | ||
Phrygian dominant scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-3H-H-W-H-W-W | 7 | harmonic | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Phrygian mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-W-W-W-H-W-W | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Usual | |
Prometheus scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7 | W-W-W-3H-H-W | 6 | — | — | ||
Quarter tone scale | ![]() |
1 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q-Q | 24 | — | — | — | |
Scale of harmonics | ![]() |
1 ♭3 3 4 5 6 | 3H-H-H-W-W-3H | — | — | — | — | |
Slendro | ![]() ![]() |
— | — | 5 | — | — | — | |
Tritone scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 ♭5 5 ♭7 | H-3H-W-H-3H-W | 6 | — | — | ||
Two-semitone tritone scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♮2 ♯4 5 ♭6 | H-H-4H-H-H-4H | 6 | — | — | ||
Ukrainian Dorian scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | W-H-3H-H-W-H-W | 7 | Gypsy | minor | Unusual | |
Vietnamese scale of harmonics | ![]() |
1 ![]() |
5Q-Q-H-H-W | 6 | — | — | ||
Whole tone scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 | W-W-W-W-W-W | 6 | — | — | ||
Yo scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-W-3H-W | 5 | — | — |
Tetrachords | Semitones | Letters |
---|---|---|
Chromatic | 1 1 1 | H-H-H |
Diminished | 1 2 1 | H-W-H |
Gypsy [sic] | 2 1 3 | W-H-3H |
Harmonic | 1 3 1 | H-3H-H |
Major | 2 2 1 | W-W-H |
Minor | 2 1 2 | W-H-W |
Phrygian/ Upper minor |
1 2 2 | H-W-W |
Whole tone | 2 2 2 | W-W-W |