Name | Image | Sound | Degrees | # of pitch classes | Lower tetrachord | Upper tetrachord | Usual or unusual key signature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 equal temperament | — | ![]() |
— | 17 | — | — | — |
Acoustic scale |
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Acoustic scale on C.
|
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1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | 7 | whole tone | Dorian | |
Adonai malakh mode |
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Adonai malakh mode on C.
|
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1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Lydian | Phrygian | Unusual |
Aeolian mode or natural minor scale |
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Aeolian on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Dorian | Phrygian | Usual |
Algerian scale |
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Algerian scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 etc. | variable | — | — | |
Alpha scale | — | ![]() |
— | 15.39 | — | — | — |
Altered scale |
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Altered scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | whole tone | ||
Augmented scale |
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Augmented scale on C.
|
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1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7 | 6 | — | — | |
Bebop dominant scale |
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Bebop dominant scale on C.
|
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1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 | 8 | — | — | |
Beta scale | — | ![]() |
— | 18.75 | — | — | — |
Blues scale (more on Blues music theory here) |
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Blues scale on C.
|
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1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7 | 6 | — | — | |
Bohlen-Pierce scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — |
Chromatic scale |
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Chromatic scale on C.
|
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1 ♯1 2 ♯2 3 4 ♯4 5 ♯5 6 ♯6 7 7 ♭7 6 ♭6 5 ♭5 4 3 ♭3 2 ♭2 1 |
12 | — | — | — |
Delta scale | — | ![]() |
— | 85.7 | — | — | — |
Dorian mode |
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Dorian on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | 7 | Dorian | Dorian | Usual |
Double harmonic scale |
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Double harmonic scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Mixolydian | Unusual | |
Enigmatic scale |
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Enigmatic scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7 | 7 | Unusual | ||
Euler–Fokker genus | — | ![]() |
— | 6 | — | — | — |
Flamenco mode |
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Flamenco mode on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Unusual |
Gamma scale | — | ![]() |
— | 34.29 | — | — | — |
Gypsy scale |
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Gypsy scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Half diminished scale |
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Half diminished scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | whole tone | ||
Harmonic major scale |
|
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1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Lydian | Mixolydian | |
Harmonic minor scale |
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Harmonic minor scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 (♮)7 | 7 | Dorian | Mixolydian | |
Harmonic Scale |
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Harmonic scale chromatic on C.
|
— | — | 144 | — | — | — |
Hirajoshi scale |
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Hirajoshi scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 | 5 | — | — | — |
Hungarian gypsy scale |
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Hungarian gypsy scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Mixolydian | Unusual | |
Hungarian minor scale |
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Hungarian minor scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Mixolydian | ||
In scale |
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Miyako-bushi scale on D, equivalent to in scale on D, with brackets on fourths.
|
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1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 | 5 | — | — | |
Insen scale |
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Insen scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7 | 5 | — | — | — |
Ionian mode or major scale |
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Ionian on C.
|
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 7 | Lydian | Lydian | Usual |
Istrian scale |
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Istrian mode on C.
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 5 | 6 | — | — | — |
Iwato scale |
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Iwato scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7 | 5 | — | — | — |
Locrian mode |
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Locrian on C.
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Phrygian | whole tone | Usual |
Lydian augmented scale |
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Lydian augmented scale on C.
|
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1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 | 7 | whole tone | ||
Lydian mode |
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Lydian on C.
|
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1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | 7 | whole tone | Lydian | Usual |
Major bebop scale |
|
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1 2 3 4 5 (♯5/♭6) 6 7 | 7(8) | — | — | |
Major Locrian scale |
|
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1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Lydian | whole tone | |
Major pentatonic scale (more on major scales here) |
|
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1 2 3 5 6 | 5 | — | — | Usual |
Melodic minor scale |
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Melodic minor scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♮6 ♮7 8 ♭7 ♭6 5 4 ♭3 2 1 | 9 | Dorian | — | |
Melodic minor scale (ascending) |
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Melodic minor scale on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | 7 | Dorian | ||
Minor pentatonic scale |
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Minor pentatonic scale on A.
|
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1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 5 | — | — | Usual |
Mixolydian mode |
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Mixolydian on C.
|
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1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | 7 | Lydian | Mixolydian | Usual |
Neapolitan major scale |
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | 7 | Phrygian | Lydian | Unusual |
Neapolitan minor scale |
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Neapolitan minor scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | 7 | Phrygian | Mixolydian | Unusual |
Non-Pythagorean scale | — | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — |
Octatonic scale |
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Octatonic scales on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 |
8 | — | — | |
Pelog | — | ![]() |
— | — | — | — | — |
Persian scale |
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Persian scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 | 7 | |||
Phrygian dominant scale |
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Phrygian dominant on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Phrygian | Unusual | |
Phrygian mode |
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Phrygian on C.
|
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1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 7 | Phrygian | Phrygian | Usual |
Prometheus scale |
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Prometheus scale on C.
|
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1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7 | 6 | — | — | |
Quarter tone scale |
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Quarter tone scale C.
|
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1 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
24 | — | — | — |
Scale of harmonics |
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Scale of harmonics C.
|
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— | — | — | — | — |
Slendro |
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Slendro on C compared to a whole tone scale on C.
|
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— | 5 | — | — | — |
Tritone scale (more on tritones and other intervals here) |
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Tritone scale on C.
|
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1 ♭2 3 ♭5 5 ♭7 | 7 | — | — | |
Ukrainian Dorian scale |
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Ukrainian Dorian mode on C.
|
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1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | 7 | — | Dorian | Unusual |
Whole tone scale |
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Whole tone scale on C.
|
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1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 | 6 | — | — | |
Yo scale | ![]() |
1 ♭3 4 5 7 |
5 | — | — |
From Major to Mixolydian scales – the complete list of musical scales and modes
