List of musical scales and modes


The following is a list of musical scales and modes. Degrees are relative to the major scale.
NameImageSoundJSID DegreesIntervalsInteger notation# of pitch classesLower [|tetrachord]Upper tetrachordUse of key signature usual or unusual
15 equal temperamentโ€”โ€”โ€”15โ€”โ€”โ€”
16 equal temperamentโ€”โ€”โ€”16โ€”โ€”โ€”
17 equal temperamentโ€”โ€”โ€”17โ€”โ€”โ€”
19 equal temperamentโ€”โ€”โ€”19โ€”โ€”โ€”
21 equal temperamentโ€”โ€”โ€”21โ€”โ€”โ€”
Acoustic scale/
Lydian dominant scale		2742 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-H-W-H-W7Whole toneMinorUsual
Aeolian mode/
natural minor scale		2906 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-H-W-W7MinorPhrygianUsual
Algerian scale2873/2880 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 etc.W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H-W-H-WVariableโ€”โ€”โ€”
Alpha scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”15.39โ€”โ€”โ€”
Altered scale/
Super Locrian scale		3498 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-H-W-W-W-W7DiminishedWhole toneUnusual
Augmented scale2457 1 3 3 5 5 73H-H-3H-H-3H-H6โ€”LydianUnusual
Bebop dominant scale2775 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7W-W-H-W-W-H-H-H8MajorChromaticUsual
Beta scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”18.75โ€”โ€”โ€”
Blues scale2418 1 3 4 5 5 73H-W-H-H-3H-W6โ€“โ€“Unusual
Bohlenโ€“Pierce scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Chromatic scale4095 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-H12ChromaticChromaticUnusual
Delta scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”85.7โ€”โ€”โ€”
Dorian mode2902 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-W-H-W7MinorMinorUsual
Double harmonic scale3289 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-W-H-3H-H7HarmonicHarmonicUnusual
Enigmatic scale3243 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-W-W-W-H-H7Harmonicโ€“Unusual
Eulerโ€“Fokker genusโ€”โ€”โ€”6โ€”โ€”โ€”
Gamma scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”34.29โ€”โ€”โ€”
"Gypsy" scale2874 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-H-W-W7GypsyPhrygianUnusual
Half diminished scale2922 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-H-W-W-W7MinorWhole toneUnusual
Harmonic major scale2777 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-H-3H-H7MajorHarmonicUsual
Harmonic minor scale2905 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-H-3H-H7MinorHarmonicUsual
Harmonic scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”12โ€”โ€”โ€”
Hirajลshi scale2225 1 3 4 5 72W-W-H-2W-H5โ€”โ€”Unusual
Hungarian "Gypsy" scale/
Hungarian minor scale		2873 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-H-3H-H7GypsyHarmonicUnusual
Hungarian major scale2486 1 2 3 4 5 6 73H-H-W-H-W-H-W7โ€”MinorUnusual
In scale3160 1 2 4 5 6H-2W-W-H-2W5โ€”โ€”Unusual
Insen scale3154 1 2 4 5 7H-2W-W-3H-W5โ€”โ€”Unusual
Ionian mode/
major scale		2773 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-W-W-H7MajorMajorUsual
Istrian scale3504 1 2 3 4 5 5H-W-H-W-H-5H6Diminishedโ€”Unusual
Iwato scale3170 1 2 4 5 7H-2W-H-2W-W5โ€”โ€”Unusual
Locrian mode3434 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-H-W-W-W7PhrygianWhole toneUsual
Locrian โ™ฎ6โ€”โ€”3430 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-H-3H-H-W7PhrygianGypsyUnusual
Lydian augmented scale2733 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-W-H-W-H7Whole toneDiminishedUnusual
Lydian diminished scaleโ€”2869 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-W-W-H7GypsyMajorUnusual
Lydian mode2741 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-W-H-W-W-H7Whole toneMajorUsual
Major bebop scale2781 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W--W-H7MajorDiminishedUnusual
Major Locrian scale2794 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-H-W-W-W7MajorWhole toneUsual
Major pentatonic scale2708 1 2 3 5 6W-W-3H-W-3H5โ€”โ€”Usual
Melodic minor scale2901\2906 1 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
9Minor
Major 		Major
Minor 		Unusual
Unusual
Melodic minor scale /
Hawaiian scale		2901 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-W-W-W-W-H7MinorMajorUsual
Minor pentatonic scale2386 1 3 4 5 73H-W-W-3H-W5โ€”โ€”Usual
Mixolydian mode/
Adonai malakh mode		2774 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-W-H-W-W-H-W7MajorMinorUsual
Neapolitan major scale3413 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-W-W-H7PhrygianMajorUnusual
Neapolitan minor scale3417 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-H-3H-H7PhrygianLydianUnusual
Non-Pythagorean scaleโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Octatonic scale2925
3510 		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
8Minor
Diminished		Diminished
Minor		Unusual
Unusual
Pelogโ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
Persian scale3305 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-H-W-3H-H7Lydianโ€”Unusual
Phrygian dominant scale3290 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-3H-H-W-H-W-W7LydianPhrygianUsual
Phrygian mode3418 1 2 3 4 5 6 7H-W-W-W-H-W-W7PhrygianPhrygianUsual
Prometheus scale2726 1 2 3 4 6 7W-W-W-3H-H-W6Whole toneโ€”Unusual
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-Q24โ€”โ€”Unusual
Scale of harmonics2516 1 3 3 4 5 63H-H-H-W-W-3H6โ€”โ€”Unusual
Slendro or โ€”โ€”โ€”5โ€”โ€”โ€”
Tritone scale3250 1 2 3 5 5 7H-3H-W-H-3H-W6โ€”โ€”Unusual
Two-semitone tritone scale3640 1 2 2 4 5 6H-H-2W-H-H-2W6โ€”โ€”Unusual
Ukrainian Dorian scale2870 1 2 3 4 5 6 7W-H-3H-H-W-H-W7GypsyMinorUnusual
Vietnamese scale of harmonics1 3 3 3 4 55Q-Q-H-H-W6โ€”โ€”Unusual
Whole tone scale2730 1 2 3 4 5 6W-W-W-W-W-W6Whole toneWhole toneUnusual
Yo scale2644 1 2 4 5 6W-3H-W-W-3H5โ€”โ€”Unusual

TetrachordsSemitonesLetters
Chromatic1 1 1H-H-H
Chromatic 3 1 13H-H-H
Diatonic2 2 1W-W-H
Diminished1 2 1H-W-H
Gypsy2 1 3W-H-3H
Harmonic/Lydian1 3 1H-3H-H
Major/Dominant2 2 1W-W-H
Minor/Dorian2 1 2W-H-W
Phrygian/Locrian/
Upper minor		1 2 2H-W-W
Whole tone2 2 2W-W-W