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What is the name of this scale? As far as a root note goes, I think these three arrangements of it sound like they have a root.

  • E, F, G, G#, B, C#, D...
  • D, E, F, G, G#, B, C#...
  • B, C#, D, E, F, G, G#...
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    I don't have an answer, but I'll note that the G#s are probably A flats. You usually try to spell things so each pitch has a different letter name.
    – Andy Bonner
    Oct 20 at 17:33
  • @AndyBonner And since G♯ and A♭ are not necessarily the same pitch.
    – El Ectric
    Oct 20 at 18:31
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    @ElEctric - as far as this is concerned, G# and Ab will be deemed the same pitch.
    – Tim
    Oct 20 at 18:38

3 Answers 3

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According to Ianring.com, and depending on the root:

  • Root = E: Kathian. An Internet search suggests that this scale and its name only show up on scale-naming sites. No practical uses were found.
  • Root = D: Jeths' Mode.

This scale is named after Dutch composer Willem Jeths [1959–; composer's website]. It is essentially a Diminished Scale omitting the augmented 5th. Strangely, there is no documentation of why this scale was named for Willem, but at some point it wandered onto a list of scales and has been canonized by repetition. (ianring.com)

  • Root = B: Moravian Pistalkova. This scale, like Kathian, seems to appear only on lists of scales.

All of these scales are related to what ianring.com calls Mela Ramapriya (ianring.com, Wikipedia), but which is also known as the Petrushka (Stravinsky) scale (for reasons unclear, but presumably related to the Petrushka chord [Wikipedia], which is a subset), and the Hungarian Major scale (Wikipedia).

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    To spare readers some brainpower: The Petrushka chord rooted on G or C# is a subset because the OP's scale contains both of these major triads.
    – Max
    Oct 21 at 11:41
  • Thank you for responding! The scale works great over E7#9, 13 chord and harmonizing the whole thing out makes for some great chord progressions.
    – Jason
    Oct 23 at 13:24
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    "Pistalkova" also appears in track 10 of this collection of Slovak folk music: Original Slovak Folk Music 2. Not sure if it's actually the same scale.
    – Theodore
    Oct 23 at 20:28
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You have here 7 out of 8 notes of the octatonic scale. You can create this scale by alternating whole- and half-steps. Related to @PiedPiper's answer, the octatonic scale is also the combination of all the notes in any two diminsihed-seventh chords.

For the present question, take the Edim7 and Fdim7 chords...

E G Bb Db
F Ab B D

E - F - G - Ab - Bb - B - Db - D

You are missing only the Bb.

Also, because there are only seven letter names for the notes you will have to repeat one letter.

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The notes all fit a diminished scale (on D, F or G#) but missing A#(Bb).

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