List of musical scales and modes
Appearance
The following is a list of musical scales and modes. Degrees are relative to the major scale.
Name | Image | Sound | Degrees | Intervals | Integer notation | # 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 or Lydian dominant scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | W-W-W-H-W-H-W | (0,2,4,6,7,9,10) | 7 | whole tone | minor | — | |
Aeolian mode or natural minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-W-W-H-W-W | (0,2,3,5,7,8,10) | 7 | minor | Phrygian | Usual | |
Algerian scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 etc. | W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H-W-H-W | (0,2,3,6,7,9,11,12,14,15,17) | 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 | (0,1,3,4,6,8,10) | 7 | diminished | whole tone | — | |
Augmented scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7 | 3H-H-3H-H-3H-H | (0,3,4,7,8,11) | 6 | — | — | — | |
Bebop dominant scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 | W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H | (0,2,4,5,7,9,10,11) | 8 | — | — | — | |
Beta scale | — | — | — | — | 18.75 | — | — | — | |
Blues scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-H-H-3H-W | (0,3,5,6,7,10) | 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 | (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11) | 12 | — | — | — | |
Delta scale | — | — | — | — | 85.7 | — | — | — | |
Dorian mode | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W-H-W-W-W-H-W | (0,2,3,5,7,9,10) | 7 | minor | minor | Usual | |
Double harmonic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H | (0,1,4,5,7,8,11) | 7 | harmonic | harmonic | Unusual | |
Enigmatic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7 | H-3H-W-W-W-H-H | (0,1,4,6,8,10,11) | 7 | Unusual | |||
Euler–Fokker genus | ![]() |
— | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | |
Flamenco mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H | (0,1,4,5,7,8,11) | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Gamma scale | — | — | — | — | 34.29 | — | — | — | |
"Gypsy" scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-3H-H-H-W-W | (0,2,3,6,7,8,10) | 7 | Gypsy | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Half diminished scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-H-W-H-W-W-W | (0,2,3,5,6,8,10) | 7 | minor | whole tone | — | |
Harmonic major scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | W-W-H-W-H-3H-H | (0,2,4,5,7,8,11) | 7 | major | harmonic | — | |
Harmonic minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 (♮)7 | W-H-W-W-H-3H-H | (0,2,3,5,7,8,11) | 7 | minor | harmonic | — | |
Harmonic Scale | ![]() |
— | — | — | 144 | — | — | — | |
Hexany | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hirajoshi scale | ![]() |
1 3 ♯4 5 7 | 2W-W-H-2W-H | (0,4,6,7,11) | 5 | — | — | — | |
Hungarian "Gypsy" scale/Hungarian minor scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 | W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H | (0,2,3,6,7,8,11) | 7 | Gypsy | harmonic | Unusual | |
Hungarian major scale | ![]() |
1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | 3H-H-W-H-W-H-W | (0,3,4,6,7,9,10) | 7 | — | minor | Unusual | |
In scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 | H-2W-W-H-2W | (0,1,5,7,8) | 5 | — | — | — | |
Insen scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7 | H-2W-W-3H-W | (0,1,5,7,10) | 5 | — | — | — | |
Ionian mode or major scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | W-W-H-W-W-W-H | (0,2,4,5,7,9,11) | 7 | major | major | Usual | |
Istrian scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 5 | H-W-H-W-H-5H | (0,1,3,4,6,7) | 6 | diminished | — | — | |
Iwato scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7 | H-2W-H-2W-W | (0,1,5,6,10) | 5 | — | — | — | |
Locrian mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-W-W-H-W-W-W | (0,1,3,5,6,8,10) | 7 | Phrygian | whole tone | Usual | |
Locrian ♮6 | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 | H-W-W-H-3H-H-W | (0,1,3,5,6,9,10) | 7 | Phrygian | gypsy | — | ||
Lydian augmented scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 | W-W-W-W-H-W-H | (0,2,4,6,8,9,11) | 7 | whole tone | diminished | — | |
Lydian diminished scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7 | W-H-3H-H-H-W-H | (0,2,3,6,7,9,11) | 7 | gypsy | major | Usual | |
Lydian mode | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | W-W-W-H-W-W-H | (0,2,4,6,7,9,11) | 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 | (0,2,4,5,7,(8),9,11) | 7(8) | — | — | — | |
Major Locrian scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | W-W-H-H-W-W-W | (0,2,4,5,6,8,10) | 7 | major | whole tone | — | |
Major pentatonic scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 5 6 | W-W-3H-W-3H | (0,2,4,7,9) | 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) |
(0,2,3,5,7,9,11) (ascending)
(12,10,8,7,5,3,2) (descending) |
9 | minor | varies | — | |
Melodic minor scale (ascending) | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | W-H-W-W-W-W-H | (0,2,3,5,7,9,11) | 7 | minor | major | — | |
Minor pentatonic scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-W-3H-W | (0,3,5,7,10) | 5 | — | — | Usual | |
Mixolydian mode or Adonai malakh mode | ![]() |
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W-W-H-W-W-H-W | (0,2,4,5,7,9,10) | 7 | major | minor | Usual | |
Neapolitan major scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | H-W-W-W-W-W-H | (0,1,3,5,7,9,11) | 7 | Phrygian | major | Unusual | |
Neapolitan minor scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | H-W-W-W-H-3H-H | (0,1,3,5,7,8,11) | 7 | Phrygian | harmonic | Unusual | |
Non-Pythagorean scale | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Octatonic scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7
1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 |
W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H
H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W |
(0,2,3,5,6,8,9,11)
(0,1,3,4,6,7,9,10) |
8 | — | — | — | |
Pelog | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — | - | — | |
Persian scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 | H-3H-H-H-W-3H-H | (0,1,4,5,6,8,11) | 7 | harmonic | unusual | — | |
Phrygian dominant scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-3H-H-W-H-W-W | (0,1,4,5,7,8,10) | 7 | harmonic | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Phrygian mode | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | H-W-W-W-H-W-W | (0,1,3,5,7,8,10) | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Usual | |
Prometheus scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7 | W-W-W-3H-H-W | (0,2,4,6,9,10) | 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 | (0,1/2,1,3/2,2,5/2,
3,7/2,4,9/2,5,11/2, 6,13/2,7,15/2,8,17/2, 9,19/2,10,21/2,11,23/2) |
24 | — | — | — | |
Scale of harmonics | ![]() |
1 ♭3 3 4 5 6 | 3H-H-H-W-W-3H | (0,3,4,5,7,9) | — | — | — | — | |
Slendro | ![]() |
or | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — |
Tritone scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 3 ♭5 5 ♭7 | H-3H-W-H-3H-W | (0,1,4,6,7,10) | 6 | — | — | — | |
Two-semitone tritone scale | ![]() |
1 ♭2 ♮2 ♯4 5 ♭6 | H-H-4H-H-H-4H | (0,1,2,6,7,8) | 6 | — | — | — | |
Ukrainian Dorian scale | ![]() |
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | W-H-3H-H-W-H-W | (0,2,3,6,7,9,10) | 7 | Gypsy | minor | Unusual | |
Vietnamese scale of harmonics | ![]() |
1 ![]() |
5Q-Q-H-H-W | (0,5/2,3,4,5,7) | 6 | — | — | — | |
Whole tone scale | ![]() |
1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 | W-W-W-W-W-W | (0,2,4,6,8,10) | 6 | — | — | — | |
Yo scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 3H-W-W-3H-W | (0,3,5,7,10) | 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 |