Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale
C Hungarian Minor Scale
Exotic, passionate and theatrical. Two augmented seconds make it sound like a romanticised Eastern European or Roma folk melody.
- 7 notes
- 1 ♯, 2 ♭
- exotic
1Composition: what it contains
C – D – E♭ – F♯ – G – A♭ – B
- Formula
- 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
- Steps
- W – H – W+H – H – H – W+H – H
- Number of notes
- 7
- Sharps and flats
- 1 ♯, 2 ♭
- Also called
- Gypsy minor, double harmonic minor, harmonic minor ♯4
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison | 0 |
| 2 | D | major second | 2 |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | 3 |
| ♯4 | F♯ | augmented fourth | 6 |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | 7 |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor sixth | 8 |
| 7 | B | major seventh | 11 |
2Appearance: diagrams and sound
Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.
3Indications: what it is used for
Harmonic minor with a raised fourth (1-2-♭3-♯4-5-♭6-7). It is used in Romantic-era piano music evoking Hungarian or Roma styles, in neoclassical metal, film scores, fantasy game music and some jazz-fusion. It fits minor-major seventh chords, minor chords in a dramatic context, and progressions moving between i and the V chord. The ♯4 can also be used as an expressive leading tone to the fifth. Composers often reserve it for climactic passages or folk-dance sections where a strong, exotic minor colour is wanted.
4Dosage: how to practise it
Six to ten minutes daily at 60–90 BPM. Practise the two augmented seconds (♭3 to ♯4 and ♭6 to 7) separately until intonation and fingering are secure. Then play two octaves in eighth notes and triplets. Write two-bar motifs that emphasise ♯4-5 and 7-8 resolutions. On guitar, use three-notes-per-string patterns with wider stretches. On piano, practise hands separately first; the fingering around the two augmented seconds needs attention. Improvise over a minor-major seventh drone.
5Warnings and common mistakes
Use it as a colour, not as a key for an entire pop song: the two augmented seconds become clichéd fast. Do not confuse it with the double harmonic major scale, which has a flat second and a major third. The ♯4 must be spelled as a raised fourth, not a flat fifth, to keep the letter sequence. Over a plain minor seventh chord, the major seventh clashes with the chord's flat seventh.
6Interactions with chords, scales and keys
Chords of the scale (triads)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | C – E♭ – G | |
| II? | D | D – F♯ – A♭ | |
| ♭III+ | E♭aug | E♭ – G – B | |
| ♯IV? | F♯ | F♯ – A♭ – C | |
| V | G | G – B – D | |
| ♭VI | A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| vii | Bm | B – D – F♯ |
Chords of the scale (seventh chords)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| i(maj7) | Cm(maj7) | C – E♭ – G – B | |
| II? | D7♭5 | D – F♯ – A♭ – C | |
| ♭III+maj7 | E♭+maj7 | E♭ – G – B – D | |
| ♯IV? | F♯ | F♯ – A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| Vmaj7 | Gmaj7 | G – B – D – F♯ | |
| ♭VImaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G | |
| vii? | Bm6 | B – D – F♯ – A♭ |
Same notes, different starting point
7Other presentations available
The same scale from every note
- C sharp Hungarian Minor Scale
- D Hungarian Minor Scale
- E flat Hungarian Minor Scale
- E Hungarian Minor Scale
- F Hungarian Minor Scale
- F sharp Hungarian Minor Scale
- G Hungarian Minor Scale
- A flat Hungarian Minor Scale
- A Hungarian Minor Scale
- B flat Hungarian Minor Scale
- B Hungarian Minor Scale
Other scales from the same note
- C Major Scale
- C Natural Minor Scale
- C Harmonic Minor Scale
- C Melodic Minor Scale
- C Dorian Mode
- C Phrygian Mode
- C Lydian Mode
- C Mixolydian Mode
- C Locrian Mode
- C Major Pentatonic Scale
- C Minor Pentatonic Scale
- C Blues Scale
- C Major Blues Scale
- C Whole Tone Scale
- C Half-Whole Diminished Scale
- C Whole-Half Diminished Scale
- C Phrygian Dominant Scale
- C Lydian Dominant Scale
- C Altered Scale
- C Double Harmonic Major Scale
- C Bebop Dominant Scale
Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.