List of musical scales and modes


The following is a list of musical scales and modes. Degrees are relative to the major scale.
NameImageSoundDegreesIntervals# of pitch classesLower [|tetrachord]Upper tetrachordUse 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 scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-H-W-H-W7whole toneminor
Aeolian mode or natural minor scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-H-W-W7minorPhrygianUsual
Algerian scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7 etc.W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H-W-H-Wvariable——
Alpha scale———15.39———
Altered scale or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-H-W-W-W-W7diminishedwhole tone
Augmented scale1 3 3 5 5 73H-H-3H-H-3H-H6——
Bebop dominant scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H8——
Beta scale———18.75———
Blues scale1 3 4 5 5 73H-W-H-H-3H-W6——
Bohlen–Pierce scale———————
Chromatic scale1 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-H12———
Delta scale———85.7———
Dorian mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-W-H-W7minorminorUsual
Double harmonic scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H7harmonicharmonicUnusual
Enigmatic scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-W-W-W-H-H7Unusual
Euler–Fokker genus——6———
Flamenco mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H7PhrygianPhrygianUnusual
Gamma scale———34.29———
"Gypsy" scaleImage:Gypsy Minor Scale.png|thumb|"Gypsy" scale on C.1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-H-W-W7GypsyPhrygianUnusual
Half diminished scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-H-W-W-W7minorwhole tone
Harmonic major scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-H-3H-H7majorharmonic
Harmonic minor scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-H-3H-H7minorharmonic
Harmonic Scale——144———
Hexany————————
Hirajoshi scale1 3 4 5 72W-W-H-2W-H5———
Hungarian "Gypsy" scale/Hungarian minor scaleImage:Hungarian gypsy scale C.png|thumb|Hungarian "Gypsy" scale on C.1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H7GypsyharmonicUnusual
Hungarian major scale1 2 3 4 5 6 73H-H-W-H-W-H-W7—minorUnusual
In scale1 2 4 5 6H-2W-W-H-2W5——
Insen scale1 2 4 5 7H-2W-W-2W-W5———
Ionian mode or major scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-W-W-H7majormajorUsual
Istrian scale1 2 3 4 5 5H-W-H-W-6diminished——
Iwato scale1 2 4 5 7H-2W-H-2W-W5———
Locrian mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-H-W-W-W7Phrygianwhole toneUsual
Lydian augmented scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-W-H-W-H7whole tonediminished
Lydian mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-H-W-W-H7whole tonemajorUsual
Major bebop scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W--W-H7——
Major Locrian scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-H-W-W-W7majorwhole tone
Major pentatonic scale1 2 3 5 6W-W-3H-W-3H5——Usual
Melodic minor scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1W-H-W-W-W-W-H
W-W-H-W-W-H-W 		9minorvaries
Melodic minor scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-W-W-H7minormajor
Minor pentatonic scale1 3 4 5 73H-W-W-3H-W5——Usual
Mixolydian mode or Adonai malakh mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-W-H-W7majorminorUsual
Neapolitan major scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-W-W-H7PhrygianmajorUnusual
Neapolitan minor scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-H-3H-H7PhrygianharmonicUnusual
Non-Pythagorean scale———————
Octatonic scale1 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		8——
Pelog——————
Persian scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-H-W-3H-H7harmonicunusual
Phrygian dominant scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-W-H-W-W7harmonicPhrygianUnusual
Phrygian mode1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-H-W-W7PhrygianPhrygianUsual
Prometheus scale1 2 3 4 6 7W-W-W-3H-H-W6——
Quarter tone scale1 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-Q24———
Scale of harmonics1 3 3 4 5 63H-H-H-W-W-3H————
Slendro or ——5———
Tritone scale1 2 3 5 5 7H-3H-W-H-3H-W6——
Two-semitone tritone scale1 2 2 4 5 6H-H-4H-H-H6——
Ukrainian Dorian scale1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-W-H-W7GypsyminorUnusual
Vietnamese scale of harmonics1 3 3 3 5 75Q-Q-H-H-W6——
Whole tone scale1 2 3 4 5 6W-W-W-W-W-W6——
Yo scale1 3 4 5 73H-W-W-3H-W5——

TetrachordsSemitonesLetters
Chromatic1 1 1H-H-H
Diminished1 2 1H-W-H
Gypsy 2 1 3W-H-3H
Harmonic1 3 1H-3H-H
Major2 2 1W-W-H
Minor2 1 2W-H-W
Phrygian/
Upper minor		1 2 2H-W-W
Whole tone2 2 2W-W-W