I thought it might be phrygian dominat with a flat 5 or Locrian with a major third but i can't find any info so i thought i would ask here
2 Answers
The Musical Scale Finder Tool lists two options:
- G Eight-Tone Spanish (however, this scale contains an additional note: A#)
- C Neapolitan minor (starting on G being the 5th mode of the scale)
The common element between these scales is the interval pattern: h W h h h W W W
@JohnBelzaguy in the comments points out that the most useful name, descriptively, is mentioned in the OP: Locrian M3, meaning a locrian scale with the third degree raised a half-step.
G Ab Bb C Db Eb F G = G Locrian
G Ab B C Db Eb F G = G Locrian M3
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1The G eight tone has an added A# which is not in the OP’s scale so the interval pattern isn’t the same. The 5th mode of the C neopolitan is accurate. However Locrian M3 is a good description, especially if you want to name it from the root position. Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 4:09
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@JohnBelzaguy Quick clarification: You're proposing "Locrian M3" as descriptive as opposed to an "official" scale name?– AaronCommented Jan 2, 2021 at 4:14
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I see no easier way to name it from root position IF that’s what the OP wants. It’s definitely a mode of the C neopolitan though. I think the A# rules out the eight note scale. Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 4:15
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1@JohnBelzaguy Third time's the charm, one hopes. :-) Thanks for the assist(s).– AaronCommented Jan 2, 2021 at 4:44
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1Not intending to be overly picky here, but both of you Aaron and John wrote neOpolitan, yet that name not derived from something to do with "neo=new" but it relates to Naples (don't ask me why though). We also need to distinguish between the Neapolitan minor and the Neapolitan major. The OP's scale is an example of (a mode of) the Neapolitan minor scale, which is just a harmonic minor scale with a flat 2.– Matt L.Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 12:20
For me the whole idea of giving names to scales is to make it immediately clear what intervals the scale consists of and how it could be used. Automatic scale finders often don't give results that serve that purpose.
Aaron's answer correctly identifies the given scale as a mode of the Neapolitan minor scale. However, most people are not familiar with that scale. Yet most people with some musical education know the modes of the major scale, and they know the harmonic and melodic minor scales. So I usually try to express more exotic scales as variations of those scales in order to make them easily understandable.
Following those guidelines, there are two options that I find reasonable:
- Locrian M3 (as proposed by John Belzaguy in a comment!)
- phrygian dominant b5
Most people know the phrygian dominant scale because it is used quite frequently and because it's a mode (the 5th) of harmonic minor.
And how could we use that scale? Well, it's root four-part chord is a G7(b5). Additional notes are the b2(b9), 4, and b6 (b13). This makes for an altered dominant sound, with the 4 as an avoid note. So we could use it over an altered dominant chord. However, the altered scale would even be better for that purpose because it doesn't have the 4 as an avoid note, and it has the #9 instead, which is a very useful altered tension.
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Just a comment on the concept of "...correctly Identifies...". While I don't doubt the validity of the answer this scale exists in more than one ethnic culture. For example it would be found in Carnatic music too where it would have a different name and a completely different relationship to the other scales within that musical tradition. So "name scales" and modes perhaps doesn't really serve a purpose at all.– user50691Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 14:01