i'm looking for...

[cods]

scales and/or patterns that sound medieval. yngwie mamsteen/rhapsody-esque kind of sound. not necessarily classical sounding.

[geoffkhan]

Dorian, mixolydian. For more Celtic sounding medieval scales, use what they call a "gapped scale" -- what we call a "pentatonic scale."

It pretty much just depends on your note choice. I know it may sound cliched, but use a lot of fifths in chords, and in the melody use repetative melodic riffs and variations.

[WillPlay4Food]

You could try the harmonic and Hungarian minor scales. They have a slight eastern ring/feel to them, IMHO. Both scales have a 1.5 semitone step in their definition which seems to get you the type of mystical eastern-like sound you might be looking for.

H = 1 semitone
W = 2 semitones
1.5 = 3 semitones


Hungarian Minor Scale:

W, H, 1.5, H, H, 1.5, H

Harmonic Minor Scale:

W, H, W, W, H, 1.5, H

Gypsy Scale:

H, 1.5, H, W, H, W, W

(From www.worldguitar.com/start.html <- Then click on Scale link)