Hungarian minor

scale

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The Hungarian minor scale on C, ascending[1]

The Hungarian minor scale,[2][3][4][5][6]

double harmonic minor scale,[7] or Gypsy
minor scale,[4][8] is a type of combined
musical scale. It is the fourth mode of the
double harmonic scale. It is the same as
the harmonic minor scale, except that it
has a raised fourth scale
degree.[2][3][4][6][7][8] Its tonal center is
slightly ambiguous, due to the large
number of half steps. Melodies based on
this scale have an exotic, romantic flavor
for listeners accustomed to more typical
Western scales.

Its step pattern is W, H, +, H, H, +, H, where

W indicates a whole step, H indicates a
half step, and + indicates an augmented
second (the latter of which is
enharmonically equivalent to a minor third
but is notionally distinct). The scale
contains two augmented seconds,[5] one in
each tetrachord.[1] It also contains an
augmented fourth (which is
enharmonically identical to a tritone)
between the first and fourth degree.
Intriguingly, this scale (and its modes like
the double harmonic scale) is the only
seven-note subset of the equally tempered
chromatic scale that is perfectly balanced;
this means that 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.[9]
The scale may be used with minor or m+7
chords.[2][6] See: chord-scale system.
Chords that may be derived from the B
Hungarian minor scale are Bm, C#7♭5,
Daug, F#, G7 and A#m6.[7]

This scale is obtainable from the Arabic

scale by starting from the fourth of that
scale. Said another way, the C Hungarian
minor scale is equivalent to the G Arabic
scale.[7]

In Indian classical Carnatic music, it is

known as the ragam
Simhendramadhyamam.
Notable recordings
The Pink Panther Theme, originally played
in the key of E minor, is noted for its quirky,
unusual use of chromaticism which is
derived from the scale.[10]

Joe Satriani has composed several songs

using the Hungarian minor scale
("Musterion"[11]). Oli Herbert of the
American Melodic Metalcore band All That
Remains uses the Hungarian minor scale
in his playing ("Become the Catalyst"[12]).

Cannibal Corpse's song Rabid off of their

Torture album is written in the Hungarian
minor scale.[13]
The second section of Klaus Schulze's
long composition "Ludwig II" from the
album X has a theme built on an
ascending Hungarian minor scale.

See also
Hungarian gypsy scale
Ukrainian Dorian scale
Phrygian dominant scale
Double harmonic scale
Gypsy scale
Verbunkos

References
1. Kahan, Sylvia (2009). In Search of New
Scales, p.39. ISBN 978-1-58046-305-8.
Cites Liszt. Des Bohémians, p.301.
2. Christiansen, Mike (2000). Guitar Scale
Dictionary, p.14. ISBN 978-0-7866-5222-8.
3. Stetina, Troy (2007). Fretboard Mastery,
p.126. ISBN 978-0-7935-9789-5.
4. Kent Cleland, Mary Dobrea-Grindahl
(2010). Developing Musicianship Through
Aural Skills, p.495. ISBN 978-0-415-80244-4
5. Carlos Agon, Emmanuel Amiot, Moreno
Andreatta, Gérard Assayag, Jean Bresson,
John Manderau; eds. (2011). Mathematics
and Computation in Music, p.89. ISBN 978-
3-642-21589-6. "'gypsy'[sic] (or 'Hungarian
minor') scale."
6. Christiansen, Mike (2003). Complete
Guitar Scale Dictionary, p.16. ISBN 978-0-
7866-6994-3.
7. Podolsky, Joshua Craig (2010).
Advanced Lead Guitar Concepts, p.111.
ISBN 978-0-7866-8236-2. Also "Gypsy
scale".
8. Hanson, Paul and Stang, Aaron (1996).
Shred Guitar, p.114. ISBN 978-1-57623-604-
8.
9. Milne, A.J., Bulger, D., Herff, S.A.
Sethares, W.A. "Perfect balance: A novel
principle for the construction of musical
scales and meters" , Mathematics and
Computation in Music (Lecture Notes in
Computer Science, Vol. 9110, pp. 97–108)
Heidelberg: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-
319-20603-5 ISBN 978-3-319-20602-8
10. Silverman, Carol (24 May 2012).
Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and
Balkan Music in Diaspora . Oxford
University Press. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-19-
530094-9.
11. "Hungarian Minor ",
NextLevelGuitar.com.
12. "Dissecting Oli Herbert's "Become The
Catalyst" - Guitar Lesson ",
RockHouseMethod.BlogSpot.com.
13. "Cannibal Corpse "Torture" Studio
Video: Guitar and Bass Tracking ", Metal
Blade Records - YouTube

Recommended reading
Hewitt, Michael. 2013. Musical Scales of
the World. The Note Tree. ISBN 978-
0957547001.

External links
The Hungarian Minor Scale mapped out
for guitar
Hungarian minor scale theme
 Hungarian Minor Scale - Analysis

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