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New musical scales
This is a collection of new musical scales and the keys therein. I invented these scales on or before (probably before) February 2006. If you like modal scales, you might find this especially interesting.
I released this particular document (not the entire website) to the public domain on 14 January 2025 (Tuesday)—2:31:52 PM. (Please write music in these scales.)
If you're in a country that doesn't honor the public domain, you can use this document under the terms of the MIT license.
If you're wondering what the asterisks and Xs are for, they're just quick reference to show at a glance the number of sharps/flats in each key (* for a sharp or flat; X for a double-sharp or double-flat); if the tonic is affected, it's not counted twice for the beginning and end.
Each group is a new scale with an associated set of keys.
METHOD 1
* GROUP 1
Scale intervals: 1/2 1/1 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 3/2
Description: sounds unresolved on both ends, thus giving it an equalibrium of sorts (much more unresolved on the lower end)
Keys:
A# B C# D Eb F# G A# ****
B# C# D# E F G# A B# X***
B C D Eb Fb G Ab B *X*
C# D E F Gb A Bb C# ***
D# E F# G Ab B C D# ***
E# F# G# A Bb C# D E# X****
Fx G# A# B C D# E Fx X***
F# G A Bb Cb D Eb F# **X*
G# A B C Db E F G# **
* GROUP 2
Scale intervals: 1/1 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 3/2 1/2
Description: reasonable resolution; the resolution on the downward part is different; a different kind of sad (story lament?)
Keys:
A B C Db E F G# A **
B C# D Eb F# G A# B ****
C# D# E F G# A B# C# ***X
C D Eb Fb G Ab B C *X*
D E F Gb A Bb C# D ***
E F# G Ab B C D# E ***
F# G# A Bb C# D E# F# ****X
G# A# B C D# E Fx G# ***X
G A Bb Cb D Eb F# G *X**
* GROUP 3
Scale intervals: 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1
Description: weaker resolution on both ends (weaker on the lower end)
Keys:
A# B C D# E Fx G# A# **X*
A Bb Cb D Eb F# G A *X**
B C Db E F G# A B **
C# D Eb F# G A# B C# ****
D# E F G# A B# C# D# **X*
D Eb Fb G Ab B C D *X*
E F Gb A Bb C# D E ***
F# G Ab B C D# E F# ***
G# A Bb C# D E# F# G# ***X*
* GROUP 4
Scale intervals: 1/2 3/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2
Description: Mellow nearly sad, but not depressing; reasonable resolution
Keys:
A Bb C# D E# F# G# A **X**
B C D# E Fx G# A# B *X**
Bb Cb D Eb F# G A Bb *X**
C Db E F G# A B C **
D Eb F# G A# B C# D ****
E F G# A B# C# D# E *X**
Eb Fb G Ab B C D Eb *X*
F Gb A Bb C# D E F ***
G Ab B C D# E F# G ***
* GROUP 5
Scale intervals: 3/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2 1/2
Description: difficult to decipher (not characteristic, but resolution is not bad); not bad, though
Keys:
Ab B C D# E F# G Ab ***
Bb C# D E# F# G# A Bb **X**
C D# E Fx G# A# B C *X**
_
Cb D Eb F# G A Bb Cb X***
Db E F G# A B C Db **
Eb F# G A# B C# D Eb ****
F G# A B# C# D# E F *X**
_
Fb G Ab B C D Eb Fb X**
Gb A Bb C# D E F Gb ***
* GROUP 6
Scale intervals: 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2 1/2 3/2
Description: consistent good; all right resolution is there, but it's narrow
Keys:
A Bb C# D E F Gb A ***
B C D# E F# G Ab B ***
C# D E# F# G# A Bb C# *X***
D# E Fx G# A# B C D# *X**
D Eb F# G A Bb Cb D ***X
E F G# A B C Db E **
F# G A# B C# D Eb F# ****
G# A B# C# D# E F G# *X**
G Ab B C D Eb Fb G **X
* GROUP 7
Scale intervals: 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2
Description: Sounds good on the upper movement, but more mellow on the lower
Keys:
A B# C# D# E F G# A X***
Ab B C D Eb Fb G Ab **X
Bb C# D E F Gb A Bb ***
C D# E F# G Ab B C ***
D E# F# G# A Bb C# D X***
E Fx G# A# B C D# E X***
Eb F# G A Bb Cb D Eb ***X
F G# A B C Db E F **
G A# B C# D Eb F# G ****
METHOD 2
* GROUP 1
Scale intervals: 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/2
Description: less stable; more tension; good resolution
Keys:
Ab B C D Eb F# G Ab ***
Bb C# D E F G# A Bb ***
C D# E F# G A# B C ***
Db E F G Ab B C Db **
Eb F# G A Bb C# D Eb ****
F G# A B C D# E F **
Gb A Bb C Db E F Gb ***
* GROUP 2
Scale intervals: 1/2 1/1 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/2 3/2
Description: consistent; more narrow sound than the strong wider sound; not quite as mellow as D; reasonable resolution
Keys:
A Bb C Db E F Gb A ***
B C D Eb F# G Ab B ***
C# D E F G# A Bb C# ***
D# E F# G A# B C D# ***
E F G Ab B C Db E **
F# G A Bb C# D Eb F# ****
G# A B C D# E F G# **
* GROUP 3
Scale intervals: 1/1 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2
Description: weaker resolution, but somewhat consistent, perhaps
Keys:
A B C C D# E F G# **
Bb C Db E F Gb A Bb ***
C D Eb F# G Ab B C ***
D E F G# A Bb C# D ***
E F# G A# B C D# E ***
F G Ab B C Db E F **
G A Bb C# D Eb F# G ****
* GROUP 4
Scale intervals: 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1
Description: Mellow nearly sad, but not depressing; good resolution; probably the closest parallel scale of these to the minor scale, in sound/mood
Keys:
A Bb C# D Eb F# G A ****
B C D# E F G# A B ** (favored scale)
C Db E F Gb A Bb C ***
D Eb F# G Ab B C D ***
E F G# A Bb C# D E ***
F# G A# B C D# E F# ***
G Ab B C Db E F G **
* GROUP 5
Scale intervals: 3/2 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2
Description: consistent; resolution isn't characteristic, but it's good
Keys:
Ab B C Db E F G Ab **
Bb C# D Eb F# G A Bb ****
C D# E F G# A B C ** (scale used in Aftermath, with the exception of one accidental natural)
Db E F Gb A Bb C Db ***
Eb F# G Ab B C D Eb ***
F G# A Bb C# D E F ***
G A# B C D# E F# G ***
* GROUP 6
Scale intervals: 1/2 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 1/2 3/2
Description: somewhat consistent; weaker resolution on the lower end
Keys:
A# B C D# E F# G A# ***
B C Db E F G Ab B **
C# D Eb F# G A Bb C# ****
D# E F G# A B C D# **
E F Gb A Bb C Db E ***
F# G Ab B C D Eb F# ***
G# A Bb C# D E F G# ***
* GROUP 7
Scale intervals: 1/2 3/2 1/2 1/1 3/2 1/2
Description: Consistent strong resolution on upper and lower
Keys:
A Bb C# D E F G# A ***
B C D# E F# G A# B ***
C Db E F G Ab B C **
D Eb F# G A Bb C# D ****
E F G# A B C D# E **
F Gb A Bb C Db E F ***
G Ab B C D Eb F# G ***