List of musical scales and modes

The following is a list of musical scales and modes. Degrees are relative to the major scale.

List of musical scales and modes
Name Image Sound Degrees Intervals Integer notation Binary (Big-Endian)[1] # of pitch classes Lower tetrachord Upper tetrachord Use of key signature usual or unusual
15 equal temperament Play 15
16 equal temperament Play 16
17 equal temperament Play 17
19 equal temperament Play 19
21 equal temperament Play 21
Acoustic scale or Lydian dominant scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-W-H-W-H-W (0,2,4,6,7,9,10) 101010110110 7 Whole tone Minor Usual
Aeolian mode or natural minor scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-W-W-H-W-W (0,2,3,5,7,8,10) 101101011010 7 Minor Phrygian Usual
Algerian scale Play 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 Play 15.39
Altered scale or Super Locrian scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-W-H-W-W-W-W (0,1,3,4,6,8,10) 110110101010 7 Diminished Whole tone Unusual
Augmented scale Play 1 3 3 5 5 7 3H-H-3H-H-3H-H (0,3,4,7,8,11) 100110011001 6 Usual
Bebop dominant scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H (0,2,4,5,7,9,10,11) 101011010111 8 Major Chromatic Usual
Beta scale Play 18.75
Blues scale Play 1 3 4 5 5 7 3H-W-H-H-3H-W (0,3,5,6,7,10) 100101110010 6
Bohlen–Pierce scale Play
Chromatic scale Play 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) 111111111111 12 Chromatic Chromatic Unusual
Delta scale Play 85.7
Dorian mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-W-W-W-H-W (0,2,3,5,7,9,10) 101101010110 7 Minor Minor Usual
Double harmonic scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H (0,1,4,5,7,8,11) 110011011001 7 Harmonic Harmonic Unusual
Enigmatic scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-3H-W-W-W-H-H (0,1,4,6,8,10,11) 110010101011 7 Harmonic Unusual
Euler–Fokker genus Play 6
Flamenco mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H (0,1,4,5,7,8,11) 110011011001 7 Harmonic Harmonic Unusual
Gamma scale Play 34.29
"Gypsy" scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-3H-H-H-W-W (0,2,3,6,7,8,10) 101100111010 7 Gypsy Phrygian Unusual
Half diminished scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-W-H-W-W-W (0,2,3,5,6,8,10) 101101101010 7 Minor Whole tone Unusual
Harmonic major scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-H-W-H-3H-H (0,2,4,5,7,8,11) 101011011001 7 Major Harmonic Usual
Harmonic minor scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 ()7 W-H-W-W-H-3H-H (0,2,3,5,7,8,11) 101101011001 7 Minor Harmonic Usual
Harmonic scale Play 12
Hirajōshi scale Play 1 3 4 5 7 2W-W-H-2W-H (0,4,6,7,11) 100010110001 5 Usual
Hungarian "Gypsy" scale/Hungarian minor scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H (0,2,3,6,7,8,11) 101100111001 7 Gypsy Harmonic Unusual
Hungarian major scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3H-H-W-H-W-H-W (0,3,4,6,7,9,10) 100110110110 7 Minor Unusual
In scale Play 1 2 4 5 6 H-2W-W-H-2W (0,1,5,7,8) 110001011000 5 Unusual
Insen scale Play 1 2 4 5 7 H-2W-W-3H-W (0,1,5,7,10) 110001010010 5 Unusual
Ionian mode or major scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-H-W-W-W-H (0,2,4,5,7,9,11) 101011010101 7 Major Major Usual
Istrian scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 5 H-W-H-W-H-5H (0,1,3,4,6,7) 110110110000 6 Diminished Unusual
Iwato scale Play 1 2 4 5 7 H-2W-H-2W-W (0,1,5,6,10) 110001100010 5 Unusual
Locrian mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-W-W-H-W-W-W (0,1,3,5,6,8,10) 110101101010 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) 110101100110 7 Phrygian Gypsy Unusual
Lydian augmented scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-W-W-H-W-H (0,2,4,6,8,9,11) 101010101101 7 Whole tone Diminished Usual
Lydian diminished scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-3H-H-W-W-H (0,2,3,6,7,9,11) 101100110101 7 Gypsy Major Usual
Lydian mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-W-H-W-W-H (0,2,4,6,7,9,11) 101010110101 7 Whole tone Major Usual
Major bebop scale Play 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) 101011011101 7(8) Major Diminished Usual
Major Locrian scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-H-H-W-W-W (0,2,4,5,6,8,10) 101011101010 7 Major Whole tone Usual
Major pentatonic scale Play 1 2 3 5 6 W-W-3H-W-3H (0,2,4,7,9) 101010010100 5 Usual
Melodic minor scale Play 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)

101101010101 (ascending)

101101011010 (descending)

9 Minor (ascending)

Major (descending)

Major (ascending)

Minor (descending)

Usual (ascending)

Usual (descending)

Melodic minor scale (ascending) Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-W-W-W-W-H (0,2,3,5,7,9,11) 101101010101 7 Minor Major Usual
Minor pentatonic scale Play 1 3 4 5 7 3H-W-W-3H-W (0,3,5,7,10) 100101010010 5 Usual
Mixolydian mode or Adonai malakh mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-W-H-W-W-H-W (0,2,4,5,7,9,10) 101011010110 7 Major Minor Usual
Neapolitan major scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-W-W-W-W-W-H (0,1,3,5,7,9,11) 110101010101 7 Phrygian Major Unusual
Neapolitan minor scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-W-W-W-H-3H-H (0,1,3,5,7,8,11) 110101011001 7 Phrygian Harmonic Unusual
Non-Pythagorean scale Play
Octatonic scale Play 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)

101101101101

110110110110

8 Minor

Diminished

Diminished

Minor

Unusual

Unusual

Pelog Play
Persian scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-3H-H-H-W-3H-H (0,1,4,5,6,8,11) 110011101001 7 Harmonic Unusual
Phrygian dominant scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-3H-H-W-H-W-W (0,1,4,5,7,8,10) 110011011010 7 Harmonic Phrygian Unusual
Phrygian mode Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H-W-W-W-H-W-W (0,1,3,5,7,8,10) 110101011010 7 Phrygian Phrygian Usual
Prometheus scale Play 1 2 3 4 6 7 W-W-W-3H-H-W (0,2,4,6,9,10) 101010100110 6 Whole tone Usual
Quarter tone scale Play 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7

8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 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 Play 1 3 3 4 5 6 3H-H-H-W-W-3H (0,3,4,5,7,9) 100111010100 6 Usual
Slendro Play or Play 5
Tritone scale Play 1 2 3 5 5 7 H-3H-W-H-3H-W (0,1,4,6,7,10) 110010110010 6 Unusual
Two-semitone tritone scale Play 1 2 2 4 5 6 H-H-2W-H-H-2W (0,1,2,6,7,8) 111000111000 6 Unusual
Ukrainian Dorian scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W-H-3H-H-W-H-W (0,2,3,6,7,9,10) 101100110110 7 Gypsy Minor Unusual
Vietnamese scale of harmonics Play 1 3 3 3 4 5 5Q-Q-H-H-W (0,5/2,3,4,5,7) 6
Whole tone scale Play 1 2 3 4 5 6 W-W-W-W-W-W (0,2,4,6,8,10) 101010101010 6 Whole tone Whole tone Unusual
Yo scale Play 1 2 4 5 6 W-3H-W-W-3H (0,2,5,7,9) 101001010100 5 Unusual

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

See also

References

  1. ^ "Combinatorial Music Theory". andrewduncan.net. Retrieved 2025-03-28.