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'''Scale naming''' is the process of choosing or determining the name of a [[scale]]. A scale may have one or more common names, either inherited from historical usage or coined more recently, as well as one or more systematic scale names, derived from a naming scheme designed to name whole [[families of scales]]. Scales derived from systematic scale design are more likely to be named according to a systematic naming scheme, while individually handcrafted scales are more likely to bear similarly handcrafted common names.

== Tempered scales ==
{{Redirect-distinguish|Bracket notation|Extended bra-ket notation}}
Scales generated from [[rank-2 temperament]]s are often named systematically using bracket notation (not to be confused with the [[extended bra-ket notation]]): ''temperament''[''size'']. For example, the 7-tone scale built by repeatedly stacking generators of [[meantone]] temperament is named "meantone[7]". The stack of generators must be contiguous (no skips or gaps), otherwise the name would become ambiguous. This notation is valid even if the size is not a MOS size; therefore, "meantone[8]" is an equally valid example. Since bracket notation does not carry tuning information, the tuning method is often prefixed in order to describe a concrete tempered scale, including superset edos (e.g. "31edo meantone[7]") and regular temperament tuning techniques (e.g. "[[CTE]] meantone[7]", "1/4-comma meantone[7]").

Regular temperaments can also be described systematically using [[temperament merging]]. For example, 7&12[7] is equivalent to meantone[7]. Temperament merging expressions are not unique, so 5&7[7] is another equivalent to meantone[7].

== MOS scales ==
[[MOS scale]]s can be identified systematically by their [[scale signature]], i.e. the number of large and small steps. For example, the diatonic scale's signature is [[5L 2s]]. Since scale signature does not carry tuning information, the tuning method is often prefixed in order to describe a concrete MOS scale, including superset edos (e.g. "31edo 5L 2s") and [[step ratio]] (e.g. "5:3 5L 2s").

Furthermore, several common naming schemes for naming MOS scales have been proposed:
* [[TAMNAMS]], a naming scheme for naming octave-equivalent MOS scales (up to 10 notes); this scheme also names the intervals and scale degrees of a MOS scale, much like those of 5L 2s, as well as step ratios. This is currently the most comprehensive naming system.
* [[Graham Breed's MOS naming scheme]].
* [[Dwarf naming scheme]], a frivolous naming scheme that has influenced some of the names in Graham Breed's naming scheme.
* [[Pergen#Pergens_and_MOS_scales]], a naming scheme based on [[pergen]]s

== See also ==
* [[Temperament naming]]
* [[Comparison of mode notation systems]]

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