What scale is this?

[deastman]

Disclaimer: I have a basic working understanding of music theory, ten years of childhood piano lessons, and several decades of music-making experience, but anything beyond the basic major and minor scales and modes is somewhat out of my depth. Or at least I have to think pretty hard about it.

I've been playing around with the following scale, and I'm just curious how it would be named or described: D# F G G# A# B C#

It seems sort of half major and half minor...

[Ogg Vorbis]

Disclaimer: I have a basic working understanding of music theory, ten years of childhood piano lessons, and several decades of music-making experience, but anything beyond the basic major and minor scales and modes is somewhat out of my depth. Or at least I have to think pretty hard about it.

I've been playing around with the following scale, and I'm just curious how it would be named or described: D# F G G# A# B C#

It seems sort of half major and half minor...

Re-spelled, you've got Eb Mixo with a flatted sixth degree.

Eb F G Ab Bb Cb Db Eb

Kind of like a major scale with a natural minor arse-end.

[cryophonik]

I'd describe it as a D# (or Eb) major scale with a flattened 6 and 7 notes (e.g., borrowed from pure minor).

Incidentally, when naming notes in scales, you should make use of all letters and not repeat letters. In other words, your scale should read:

D# E# Fx G# A# B C#

No biggie, just thought I'd mention it for future reference.

[deastman]

Thanks to both of you! I was looking at it kind of the way cryophonik described, but I also suspected it might be in a different mode. I suppose there's more than one way to skin that cat...

[psenior]

If you added a D to this scale, I would call it Eb 6th-diminished.

[milkshakeiii]

Eb F G Ab Bb Cb Db

I actually love this scale and use it all the time. (Mostly just when messing around, but a looooong time ago I did write a song in it http://henrysolberg.com/secretgarden.zip )

Minor five going to major one is soooo good-sounding, I think.

I've never heard a real name for it, except as Ogg Vorbis said, mixolydian with a flat six. Natural minor on top, major on bottom is how I think of it.

[Melkor]

Eb Mixolydian b6

5th Mode of Ab Melodic Minor

EDIT: I think it sounds very "India" .... for want of a better term.

[trewq]

can also call it the 5th mode of the G#(Ab) Melodic minor, since it starts on D#. There is probably a name for that mode, but why bother?

You clicked submit before me

[Laura's Dad]

Half diminished, half augmented = demented.

[Aroused by JarJar]

I'd call it major-minor conjunct tetrachords. You can modulate in a more Eastern way by sticking to the same tonic and just changing the nature of the tetrachords. Jam on it a while, without going up the octave, then drop the first tetrachord into say phyrigian (flat the second and third), voila eastern/ancient music without the aug.2nd cliche.

[deastman]

Guess I'll have to google tetrachords...

[karacha]

I'd call it major-minor conjunct tetrachords.

That's exactly what it is. A major-minor (heptatonic) scale.

You can also do this (starting with C):

C D Eb F G A B

which is a melodic minor scale -- but if you play it the same way back it is really a minor/major scale with conjuct tetrachords. (Melodic minor would revert to natural minor in this situation.)

[jancivil]

Guess I'll have to google tetrachords...

'tetra' = four. 'chord' = string, or 'note'.

four notes in a successive row.


Eb F G Ab
Ab Bb Cb Db

4 + 4 = 8, but a 'conjunction' (here, Ab) makes it = 7.