User:Aura/Aura's Melodic Scales

Introduction

Some musicians are familiar with the Melodic Minor scale, though they assume that in using it, one needs to raise the sixth and seventh degrees while ascending, and lower them to match Aeolian Mode while descending, though this is actually not the case. Rather, the sixth and seventh degrees need to be consistently raised to match Ionian mode when using this scale as a basis of tonality. Furthermore, there is a mode of the Melodic Minor scale which is like the Aeolian mode except for a natural third, so in order to remain neutral on the Major and Minor distinction concerning the name of this mode set, I'm referring to it as the Melodic scale. Furthermore, unlike with the Diatonic scale, most of the modes of the Melodic scale don't have consistent names other than nomenclature such as "Dorian b2" for the second mode in rotational order, though Diatonic-derived apposite names do exist, though respelling is in some cases recommended for clarity. However, I have seen a few options that might work, especially as just like with the Diatonic modes each taking different optimal tunings and thus, splitting apart into different scales, it pays to have logical names for the modes of these new scales. As with the Diatonic Scales, I'm retaining 27/16 as my default Major 6th, and 77/64 as the default Minor 3rd.

Melodic Scales

All of the chief Melodic scales listed here are named for their most useful mode.

Melodic Minor

My preferred version of this scale differs from my preferred Ionian mode solely by it having the 77/64 Minor 3rd in place of Ionian's 5/4 Major 3rd. In a similar vein to the Diatonic-derived apposite names mentioned above, we can analogously create the term Dorionian, and thus, I'll be deriving the names of the other modes of this scale from Dorionian. This scale consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 9/8
• 77/64
• 4/3
• 3/2
• 27/16
• 15/8
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Dorionic Phrygidorian
• Dorionic Auxolydian
• Dorionic Lydomyxian
• Dorionic Myxaeolian
• Dorionic Aeolocrian
• Dorionic Meiolocrian

Phrygidorian

This scale is not very well known, but it consists of a lower tetrachord resembling that of Phrygian and an upper tetrachord resembling that of Dorian, hence the Diatonic-derived apposite name Phrygidorian. This scale consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 16/15
• 77/64
• 4/3
• 3/2
• 27/16
• 16/9
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Phrygidoric Auxolydian
• Phrygidoric Lydomyxian
• Phrygidoric Myxaeolian
• Phrygidoric Aeolocrian
• Phrygidoric Meiolocrian
• Phrygidoric Dorionian

Lydian Augmented

My preferred tuning of this scale utilizes the 25/16 for the augmented fifth, with this augmented fifth being the only note that distinguishes this scale from my preferred tuning of Lydian. Do note that for the Diatonic-derived apposite name, I've coined a prefix "auxo-" from Ancient Greek aúxō (to make grow or increase) and tacked it onto Lydian to make the name Auxolydian, and it is from this that I've decided derive the names of the other modes of this scale. This scale consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 9/8
• 5/4
• 45/32
• 25/16
• 27/16
• 15/8
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Auxolydic Lydomyxian
• Auxolydic Myxaeolian
• Auxolydic Aeolocrian
• Auxolydic Meiolocrian
• Auxolydic Dorionian
• Auxolydic Phrygidorian

Lydian Dominant

This scale, unlike some of the other Melodic scales, is likely to see some use, and it consists of a lower tetrachord resembling that of Lydian and an upper tetrachord resembling that of Mixolydian, hence the Diatonic-derived apposite name Lydomyxian. This scale consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 9/8
• 5/4
• 45/32
• 3/2
• 27/16
• 16/9
• 2/1

The other modes of this scale are as follows:

• Lydomyxic Myxaeolian
• Lydomyxic Aeolocrian
• Lydomyxic Meiolocrian
• Lydomyxic Dorionian
• Lydomyxic Phrygidorian
• Lydomyxic Auxolydian

Mixolydian

This scale is the second of two diatonic scales in this set that uses 256/243 as the interval between two of its notes. It consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 9/8
• 5/4
• 4/3
• 3/2
• 27/16
• 16/9
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Mixolydic Aeolian
• Mixolydic Locrian
• Mixolydic Ionian
• Mixolydic Dorian
• Mixolydic Phrygian
• Mixolydic Lydian

Aeolian

Aside from the substitution of the 77/64 Minor 3rd for the 6/5 Minor 3rd found in other Just versions of this scale, my preferred version of the Aeolian scale is pretty typical. It consists of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 9/8
• 77/64
• 4/3
• 3/2
• 8/5
• 16/9
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Aeolic Locrian
• Aeolic Ionian
• Aeolic Dorian
• Aeolic Phrygian
• Aeolic Lydian
• Aeolic Mixolydian

Locrian

One might think that Locrian is useless and not even worth the trouble, however, the actual problem is that people generally don't know how to handle a flattened fifth, and they assume that the harmony of Locrian must be strictly tertian when this is not the case at all. This scale is only distinct from the Lydian scale by means other than simple mode if the Keenanisma is not tempered out, as otherwise, the step patterns between the two scales are identical- with the Locrian scale consisting of notes related to the Tonic by the following ratios:

• 1/1
• 16/15
• 77/64
• 4/3
• 64/45
• 8/5
• 16/9
• 2/1

As for the other modes of this scale, I give them the following names:

• Locric Ionian
• Locric Dorian
• Locric Phrygian
• Locric Lydian (only ever distinct from Lydian proper if the Keenanisma is not tempered out)
• Locric Mixolydian
• Locric Aeolian