20 Chords Every Guitarist Should Know
May 29, 2014Three Note Per String Pentatonics
June 4, 2014All the Scales You’ll Ever Need
Below are a list of scale formulas someone had given to me a while ago. There are more scales here than anyone should ever need.
You will need to be comfortable with your enharmonic equivalents to make sense of some of the more exotic intervals here like bb7, #2, or bb5.
Refer to the included cheat chart if you need help.
I’ve grouped all related modes using colored names to better organize the scales.
The Scale Builder Cheat Chart
The Ridiculously Long List of Scales
- Ionian (major): 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
- Dorian: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7
- Phrygian: 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
- Lydian: 1-2-3-#4-5-6-7
- Mixolydian: 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7
- Aeolian (minor): 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
- Locrian: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Melodic Minor: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7
- Dorian b2: 1-b2-b3-4-5-6-b7
- Lydian Augmented: 1-2-3-#4-#5-6-7
- Lydian Dominant: 1-2-3-#4-5-6-b7
- Hindu: 1-2-3-4-5-b6-b7
- Locrian Natural 2: 1-2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Super Locrian: 1-b2-b3-b4-b5-b6-b7
- Harmonic Minor: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7
- Locrian Natural 6: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-6-b7
- Ionian #5: 1-2-3-4-#5-6-7
- Dorian #4: 1-2-b3-#4-5-6-b7
- Phrygian Natural 3: 1-b2-3-4-5-b6-b7
- Lydian #2: 1-#2-3-#4-5-6-7
- Altered bb7: 1-b2-b3-3-b5-b6-bb7
- Harmonic Major: 1-2-3-4-5-b6-7
- Dorian b5: 1-2-b3-4-b5-6-b7
- Phrygian b4: 1-b2-b3-b4-5-b6-b7
- Lydian b3: 1-2-b3-#4-5-6-7
- Dominant b2: 1-b2-3-4-5-6-b7
- Lydian Augmented #2: 1-#2-3-#4-#5-6-7
- Locrian bb7: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-bb7
- Hungarian Minor: 1-2-b3-#4-5-b6-7
- Oriental: 1-b2-3-4-b5-6-b7
- Ionian Aug #2: 1-#2-3-4-#5-6-7
- Ionian bb3 bb7: 1-b2-bb3-4-b5-b6-bb7
- Double Harmonic: 1-b2-3-4-5-b6-7
- Lydian #6 #2: 1-#2-3-#4-5-#6-7
- Altered Natural 5 bb7: 1-b2-b3-3-5-b6-bb7
- Hungarian Major: 1-#2-3-#4-5-6-b7
- Altered bb6 bb7: 1-b2-b3-3-b5-bb6-bb7
- Locrian Natural 2 Nat 7: 1-2-b3-4-b5-b6-7
- Altered Natural 6: 1-b2-b3-3-b5-6-b7
- Melodic Augmented: 1-2-b3-4-#5-6-7
- Dorian b2 #4: 1-b2-b3-#4-5-6-7b
- Lydian Augmented #3: 1-2-#3-#4-#5-6-7
- Neapolitan Minor: 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-7
- Lydian #6: 1-2-3-#4-5-#6-7
- Dominant Augmented: 1-2-3-4-#5-6-7b
- Hungarian Gypsy: 1-2-b3-#4-5-b6-b7
- Locrian Natural 3: 1-b2-3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Ionian #2: 1-#2-3-4-5-6-7
- Altered bb3 bb7: 1-b2-bb3-3-b5-b6-bb7
- Neapolitan Major: 1-b2-b3-4-5-6-7
- Lydian Augmented #6: 1-2-3-#4-#5-#6-7
- Lydian Dominant Augmented: 1-2-3-#4-#5-6-b7
- Lydian Minor: 1-2-3-#4-5-b6-b7
- Major Locrian: 1-2-3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Altered Natural 2: 1-2-b3-3-b5-b6-b7
- Altered bb3: 1-b2-bb3-3-b5-b6-b7
- Enigmatic Minor: 1-b2-b3-#4-5-#6-7
- Mode 2: 1-2-4-#4-6-#6-7
- Mode 3: 1-#2-3-5-#5-6-7b
- Mode 4: 1-b2-3-4-b5-bb6-bb7
- Mode 5: 1-#2-3-4-b5-b6-7
- Mode 6: 1-b2-bb3-3-bb5-b6-bb7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-bb3-3-5-b6-7
- Enigmatic: 1-b2-3-#4-#5-#6-7
- Mode 2: 1-#2-4-5-6-#6-7
- Mode 3: 1-2-3-#4-5-b6-bb7
- Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-b5-bb6-b7
- Mode 5: 1-2-b3-3-4-b6-b7
- Mode 6: 1-b2-bb3-3-b5-b6-b7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-bb3-4-5-6-7
- Composite II: 1-b2-3-#4-5-b6-7
- Mode 2: 1-#2-4-#4-5-#6-7
- Mode 3: 1-2-b3-3-b5-b6-bb7
- Mode 4: 1-b2-bb3-4-b5-bb6-b7
- Mode 5: 1-b2-3-4-b5-6-7
- Mode 6: 1-#2-3-4-#5-#6-7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-bb3-4-5-b6-bb7
- Ionian b5: 1-2-3-4-b5-6-7
- Dorian b4: 1-2-b3-b4-5-6-b7
- Phrygian bb3: 1-b2-bb3-4-5-b6-b7
- Lydian b2: 1-b2-3-#4-5-6-7
- Super Lydian Augmented: 1-#2-4-#4-#5-#6-7
- Aeolian bb7: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-bb7
- Locrian bb6: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-bb6-b7
- Locrian Natural 7: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-7
- Ionian #6: 1-2-3-4-5-#6-7
- Dorian Augmented: 1-2-3b-4-#5-6-b7
- Phrygian #4: 1-b2-b3-#4-5-b6-b7
- Lydian #3: 1-2-4-#4-5-6-7
- Dominant #2: 1-#2-3-4-5-6-b7
- Altered Altered: 1-b2-bb3-3-b5-bb6-bb7
- Persian: 1-b2-3-4-b5-b6-7
- Mode 2: 1-#2-3-4-5-#6-7
- Mode 3: 1-b2-bb3-3-5-b6-bb7
- Mode 4: 1-b2-b3-#4-5-b6-7
- Mode 5: 1-2-4-#4-5-#6-7
- Mode 6: 1-#2-3-4-#5-6-b7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-bb3-4-b5-bb6-bb7
- Minor Pentatonic: 1-b3-4-5-b7
- Major Pent: 1-2-3-5-6
- Mode 3: 1-2-4-5-b7
- Mode 4: 1-b3-4-#5-b7
- Mode 5: 1-2-4-5-6
- Kumoi: 1-2-b3-5-6
- Mode 2: 1-b2-4-5-b7
- Mode 3: 1-3-b5-6-7
- Mode 4: 1-2-4-5-b6
- Mode 5: 1-b3-4-b5-b7
- Hirojoshi: 1-2-b3-5-b6
- Mode 2: 1-b2-4-b5-b7
- Mode 3: 1-3-4-6-7
- Mode 4: 1-b2-4-5-b6
- Mode 5: 1-3-#4-5-7
- Whole Tone: 1-2-3-#4-#5-#6
- Augmented: 1-#2-3-5-b6-7
- Mode 2: 1-b2-3-4-#5-6
- Pelog: 1-b2-b3-3-5-b6
- Mode 2: 1-2-b3-#4-5-7
- Mode 3: 1-b2-3-4-6-b7
- Mode 4: 1-#2-3-#5-6-7
- Mode 5: 1-b2-4-b5-b6-bb7
- Mode 6: 1-3-4-5-b6-7
- Dominant Sus: 1-2-4-5-6-b7
- Mode 2: 1-b3-4-5-b6-b7
- Mode 3: 1-2-3-4-5-6
- Mode 4: 1-2-b3-4-5-b7
- Mode 5: 1-b2-b3-4-b6-b7
- Mode 6: 1-2-3-5-6-7
- Whole-Half Diminished: 1-2-b3-4-b5-b6-6-7
- Half-Whole Diminished: 1-b2-b3-3-#4-5-6-b7
- 8 Tone Spanish: 1-b2-b3-3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Mode 2: 1-2-b3-3-4-5-6-7
- Mode 3: 1-b2-2-b3-4-5-6-b7
- Mode 4: 1-b2-2-3-#4-#5-6-7
- Mode 5: 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-7
- Mode 6: 1-2-3-#4-5-6-b7-7
- Mode 7: 1-2-3-4-5-b6-6-b7
- Mode 8: 1-2-b3-4-b5-5-b6-b7
- Bebop Locrian Natural 2: 1-2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7-7
- Mode 2: 1-b2-b3-3-#4-#5-6-b7
- Mode 3: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-6-7
- Mode 4: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-5-6-b7
- Mode 5: 1-2-3-4-b5-b6-6-7
- Mode 6: 1-2-b3-3-#4-5-6-b7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-2-3-4-5-b6-b7
- Mode 8: 1-b2-b3-3-#4-5-6-7
- Bebop Dominant: 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7-7
- Bebop Minor: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-6-b7
- Bebop Locrian add 5: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-5-b6-b7
- Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-b5-5-6-7
- Mode 5: 1-2-b3-3-4-5-6-b7
- Mode 6: 1-b2-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-2-3-#4-5-6-7
- Mode 8: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7-7
- Bebop Dorian: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7-7
- Mode 2: 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-6-b7
- Mode 3: 1-2-3-#4-5-b6-6-7
- Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-b5-5-6-b7
- Mode 5: 1-2-b3-3-4-5-b6-b7
- Mode 6: 1-b2-2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7
- Mode 7: 1-b2-2-3-4-5-6-7
- Mode 8: 1-b2-b3-3-#4-#5-#6-7
- Bebop Major: 1-2-3-4-5-b6-6-7
- Mode 2: 1-2-b3-4-b5-5-6-b7
- Mode 3: 1-b2-b3-3-4-5-b6-b7
- Mode 4: 1-2-b3-3-#4-5-6-7
- Mode 5: 1-b2-2-3-4-5-6-b7
- Mode 6: 1-b2-b3-3-#4-#5-6-7
- Mode 7: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-7
- Mode 8: 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-6-b7
Phew!!! Well that’s all of them. You better get to studying cause you never know when there will be a pop quiz.
So which one of these scales is your favorite?