The Hungarian minor scale,Christiansen, Mike (2000). ''Guitar Scale Dictionary'', p. 14. .Stetina, Troy (2007). ''Fretboard Mastery'', p. 126. .Kent Cleland, Mary Dobrea-Grindahl (2010). ''Developing Musicianship Through Aural Skills'', p. 495. Carlos Agon, Emmanuel Amiot, Moreno Andreatta, Gérard Assayag, Jean Bresson, John Manderau; eds. (2011). ''Mathematics and Computation in Music'', p. 89. . "'gypsy' ic(or 'Hungarian minor') scale."Christiansen, Mike (2003). ''Complete Guitar Scale Dictionary'', p. 16. . double harmonic minor scale,Podolsky, Joshua Craig (2010). ''Advanced Lead Guitar Concepts'', p. 111. . Also "Gypsy scale". or Gypsy minor scaleHanson, Paul and Stang, Aaron (1996). ''Shred Guitar'', p. 114. . is a type of combined

musical scale In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale. Often, especially in t ...

. It is the fourth mode of the double harmonic scale. It is the same as the

harmonic minor scale In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which als ...

, except that it has a raised fourth

scale degree In music theory, the scale degree is the position of a particular note on a scale relative to the tonic, the first and main note of the scale from which each octave is assumed to begin. Degrees are useful for indicating the size of intervals an ...

to introduce an additional gap, or augmented second. It is a symmetrical scale with a slightly ambiguous tonal centre, due to the many half steps. Its step pattern is W, H, +, H, H, +, H, where W indicates a

whole step In Western music theory, a major second (sometimes also called whole tone or a whole step) is a second spanning two semitones (). A second is a musical interval encompassing two adjacent staff positions (see Interval number for more detai ...

, H indicates a

half step A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...

, and + indicates an

augmented second In classical music from Western culture, an augmented second is an interval that, in equal temperament, is sonically equivalent to a minor third, spanning three semitones, and is created by widening a major second by a chromatic semitone.Benw ...

(three half steps,

enharmonically equivalent In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but "spelled", or named differently. The enharmonic spelling of a written ...

to a

minor third In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...

but functionally distinct). While in intervallic terms, it would be described as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
The scale contains two augmented seconds, one in each

tetrachord In music theory, a tetrachord ( el, τετράχορδoν; lat, tetrachordum) is a series of four notes separated by three intervals. In traditional music theory, a tetrachord always spanned the interval of a perfect fourth, a 4:3 frequency pr ...

.Kahan, Sylvia (2009). ''In Search of New Scales'', p. 39. . Cites Liszt. ''Des Bohémians'', p. 301. It also contains an

augmented fourth Augment or augmentation may refer to: Language * Augment (Indo-European), a syllable added to the beginning of the word in certain Indo-European languages * Augment (Bantu languages), a morpheme that is prefixed to the noun class prefix of nouns ...

between the first and fourth degree.
This scale (and its modes like the double harmonic scale) is the one perfectly balanced seven-note subset of the

equally tempered An equal temperament is a musical temperament or tuning system, which approximates just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into equal steps. This means the ratio of the frequencies of any adjacent pair of notes is the same, w ...

chromatic scale: when its pitches are represented as points in a circle whose full circumference represents an octave, their average position (or "centre of mass") is the centre of the circle. Other examples include the

Dorian mode Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the medieval musical modes; or—mo ...

of major and fifth mode of melodic minor.
The axis of balance for the Hungarian minor passes through the fifth and the flat nine, which is not included in the pitch set. The scale may be used with minor or m+7 chords. See: chord-scale system. Chords that may be derived from the B Hungarian minor scale are Bm(maj7), C#75, Dmaj7#5, E#6sus2b5, F#maj7, Gmaj7, G7, A#m6 and more. This scale is obtainable from the double harmonic scale by starting from the fourth of that scale, so the C Hungarian minor scale is equivalent to the G double harmonic scale. In Indian classical

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...

, Hungarian minor scale corresponds to

Simhendramadhyamam Simhendramadhyamam is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 57th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Sumadyuti in Muthuswami Dikshitar school ...

, while the Gypsy variant corresponds to

Shanmukhapriya Shanmukhapriya is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 56th ''melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chāmaram in Muthuswami Dikshi ...

. This scale is sometimes also referred to as "Gypsy Run", or alternatively "Egyptian Minor Scale", as mentioned by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

who describes it in his autobiography as "something that I'd learned at Juilliard". Gypsy Minor Scale

An alternative (and less common) version is the asymmetric

Aeolian Aeolian commonly refers to things related to either of two Greek mythological figures: * Aeolus (son of Hippotes), ruler of the winds * Aeolus (son of Hellen), son of Hellen and eponym of the Aeolians * Aeolians, an ancient Greek tribe thought to ...

♯4 scale, the only difference with the Hungarian minor scale being that the 7th degree of the scale is not raised. This form of the scale can also be used in the fourth mode and would then be referred to as the

Neapolitan scale In music, the major Neapolitan scale and the minor Neapolitan scale are two musical scales. Both scales are minor, in that they both contain the note a minor third above the root. The major and minor Neapolitan scales are instead differentiate ...

Usage

Measures 5–6 of

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. In both the original piano solo form and in the orchestrated version this ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

’s piece, “ Marche slave”, has a main theme using the Hungarian minor scale. '' The Pink Panther Theme'', originally played in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes nee ...

, is noted for its quirky, unusual use of chromaticism which is derived from this scale.

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...

has composed several songs using the Hungarian minor scale (" Musterion"). Oli Herbert of the American melodic metalcore band All That Remains uses the Hungarian minor scale in his playing (" Become the Catalyst").

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little rad ...

's song "Rabid" off of their ''

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

'' album is written in the Hungarian minor scale. The second section of

Klaus Schulze Klaus Schulze (4 August 1947 – 26 April 2022) was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and The Cosmic Joke ...

's long composition "Ludwig II" from the album X has a theme built on an ascending Hungarian minor scale. The song " Worth It" by

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group si ...

features a saxophone riff written in this scale.

Modes

References

External links

Hungarian minor scale mapped out for guitarHungarian minor scale themeHungarian minor scale – analysis
*http://jguitar.com/scale/C%23/Hungarian%20Gypsy - Illustration of the scale on a guitar of Double Harmonic variety
Illustration
of the scale on a guitar of Aeolian #4 as Hungarian Gypsy *http://dragonguitar.com/play/guitar/hungarian-minor-scales/a – Diagram of A Hungarian minor {{Hungarian Folk Music Heptatonic scales Hemitonic scales Tritonic scales Musical scales with augmented seconds

Usage

Modes

See also

References

Further reading

External links