Hungarian Gypsy Scale
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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 consecutive series of notes that form a progression between one note and its octave", typically by order of pitch or fundamental frequency. The word "scale" originates from the Latin ''scala'', which literal ...
. It is the same as the
harmonic minor scale The harmonic minor scale (or Aeolian ♮7 scale) is a Scale (music), musical scale derived from the natural minor scale, with the minor seventh degree raised by one semitone to a major seventh, creating an augmented second between the sixth and ...
, 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 ...
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 deta ...
, H indicates a
half step A semitone, also called a minor second, 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 ...
, and + indicates an
augmented second In Western classical music, an augmented second is an interval created by widening a major second by a chromatic semitone, spanning three semitones and enharmonically equivalent to a minor third in 12-tone equal temperament.Benward & Saker (2 ...
(three half steps,
enharmonically equivalent In music, two written notes have enharmonic equivalence if they produce the same pitch but are notated differently. Similarly, written intervals, chords, or key signatures are considered enharmonic if they represent identical pitches that are ...
to a
minor third In music theory, a minor third is a interval (music), musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval (music)#Number, interval numb ...
but functionally distinct). 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 (; ) is a series of four notes separated by three interval (music), intervals. In traditional music theory, a tetrachord always spanned the interval of a perfect fourth, a 4:3 frequency proportion (approx. 498 cent (m ...
.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 is one of the few perfectly balanced seven-note subsets of the
equally tempered An equal temperament is a musical temperament or Musical tuning#Tuning systems, tuning system that approximates Just intonation, just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into steps such that the ratio of the frequency, frequencie ...
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. The scale may be used with
minor Minor may refer to: Common meanings * Minor (law), a person not under the age of certain legal activities. * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Mathematics * Minor (graph theory), a relation of one graph to an ...
or m+7 chords. See:
chord-scale system The chord-scale system is a method of matching, from a list of possible chord (music), chords, a list of possible scale (music), scales.Mervyn Cooke, David Horn (2003). ''Cambridge Companions to Music, The Cambridge Companion to Jazz'', p.266. . ...
. Chords that may be derived from the B Hungarian minor scale are Bm(maj7), C75, Dmaj75, E6sus25, Fmaj7, Gmaj7, G7, Am6 and more. This scale is obtainable from the
double harmonic scale The double harmonic major scaleStetina, Troy (1999). ''The Ultimate Scale Book'', p. 59. . is a musical scale with a flattened second and sixth degree. This scale is enharmonic to the Mayamalavagowla raga, Bhairav raga, Byzantine scale, Arabic ...
by starting from the fourth degree 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 Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. 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 Diksh ...
. The
Turkish makam The Turkish makam ( Turkish: ''makam'' pl. ''makamlar''; from the Arabic word ''maqām'' ) is a system of melody types used in Turkish classical music and Turkish folk music. It provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance. Each ...
equivalent of this scale is Neveser. 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 jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
who describes it in his autobiography as "something that I'd learned at Juilliard". An alternative (and less common) version is the asymmetric Aeolian ♯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 Mode ( meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * MO''D''E (magazine), a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is the setting fo ...
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 a minor third above the root. The major and minor Neapolitan scales are instead differentiated by the qu ...
.


Usage

Measures 5–6 of
Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...
's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
’s piece, “ Marche slave”, has a main theme using the Hungarian minor scale. ''
The Pink Panther Theme "The Pink Panther Theme" is a jazz composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film ''The Pink Panther'' and subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to the She ...
'', 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, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...
, 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 rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...
has composed several songs using the Hungarian minor scale (“ Musterion”). Oli Herbert of the American
melodic metalcore Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm mute, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-sty ...
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 in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...
’s song “Rabid” off of their ''
Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
'' 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 Jokers ...
's long composition “Ludwig II” from the album X has a theme built on an ascending Hungarian minor scale.
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...
use the scale in a guitar solo from their song " The Threat Is Real" from their 2015 album ''
Dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...
''. The song “ Worth It” by
Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, is an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and formerly Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signed a ...
features a saxophone riff written in this scale. The theme tune from the 1983 animated TV series “
Inspector Gadget ''Inspector Gadget'' is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series '' Inspector Gadget''. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated ...
uses this scale. In a song by
Will Wood Will Wood is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and comedian. Wood has released four studio albums; ''Everything Is a Lot'' (2015), '' Self-ish'' (2016), '' The Normal Album'' (2020), and '' "In case I make it,"'' (2022). The first two wer ...
, BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA, Will references “A hymn out in Hungarian Harmonic”. Following this lyric is a walk up the Hungarian Minor scale. It was also used in
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
’s album Diary of a Madman on the last track: it can be heard in the solo. Much of the album The Hand of the Wicked One by Wynter Kills was written in the Hungarian Minor scale, with many sections harmonized in Hungarian Minor.


Modes

:


See also

* Hungarian major scale *
Ukrainian Dorian scale In music, the Ukrainian Dorian scale (or the Dorian ♯4 scale) is a modified minor scale with raised 4th and 6th, and lowered 7th degree (music), degrees, often with a variable 4th degree. It has traditionally been common in the music of Eastern ...
*
Phrygian dominant scale In music, the Phrygian dominant scale (or the Phrygian ♮3 scale) is the actual fifth musical mode, mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant (music), dominant.Dave Hunter (2005). ''Play Acoustic'', San Francisco: Backbeat, p ...
*
Double harmonic scale The double harmonic major scaleStetina, Troy (1999). ''The Ultimate Scale Book'', p. 59. . is a musical scale with a flattened second and sixth degree. This scale is enharmonic to the Mayamalavagowla raga, Bhairav raga, Byzantine scale, Arabic ...
*
Gypsy scale The term ''Gypsy scale'' refers to one of several musical scales named after their support of and association with Romani or "Gypsy" music, the latter being considered derogatory. * Double harmonic scale (major), the fifth mode of Hungarian minor ...
*
Verbunkos Verbunkos (), other spellings being ''Verbounko'', ''Verbunko'', ''Verbunkas'', ''Werbunkos'', ''Werbunkosch'', ''Verbunkoche''; sometimes known simply as the hongroise or ungarischer Tanz is an 18th-century Hungarian dance and music genre. Th ...


References


Further reading

*Hewitt, Michael. 2013. ''Musical Scales of the World''. The Note Tree. .


External links


Hungarian minor scale mapped out for guitarHungarian minor scale theme
*http://jguitar.com/scale/C%23/Hungarian%20Gypsy - Illustration of the scale on a guitar of Double Harmonic variety {{Hungarian Folk Music Heptatonic scales Hemitonic scales Tritonic scales Musical scales with augmented seconds