Heptatonic Chord List

[IamGroot]

EDIT (I meant scales, not chords)

LIST OF MORE COMMONLY USED HEPTATONIC SCALES

There are over 740 Heptatonic SCALES, but many are not "appealing".
Capitalized SCALE is family name; subsequent chords are modes in ascending order.

First field is binary equivalent.
Second field is chord name. I generally use Ian Ring's naming convention, except for Melodic Minor modes.

Sorry this is messy. Talkbass doesnt support formatting.

2741 MAJOR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1709 Dorian 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
1451 Phrygian 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
2773 Lydian 1 2 3 b5 5 6 7
1717 Mixolydian 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
1453 Aeolian 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
1387 Locrian 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7
2733 MELODIC MINOR 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
1707 Dorian Flat 2 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7
2901 Lydian Augmented 1 2 3 b5 b6 6 7
1749 Lydian Dominant 1 2 3 b5 5 6 b7
1461 Mixolydian b6 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7
1389 Aeolian b5 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7
1371 Superlocrian 1 b2 b3 3 b5 b6 b7
2477 HARMONIC MINOR 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7
1643 Locrian Natural 6 1 b2 b3 4 b5 6 b7
2869 Major Augmented 1 2 3 4 b6 6 7
1741 Lydian Diminished 1 2 b3 b5 5 6 b7
1459 Phrygian Dominant 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7
2777 Aeolian Harmonic 1 b3 3 b5 5 6 7
859 Ultralocrian 1 b2 b3 3 b5 b6 6
2483 DOUBLE HARMONIC 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7
3289 Lydian Sharp 2 Sharp 6 1 b3 3 b5 5 b7 7
923 Ultraphrygian 1 b2 b3 3 5 b6 6
2509 Double Harmonic Minor 1 2 b3 b5 5 b6 7
1651 Asian 1 b2 3 4 b5 6 b7
2873 Ionian Augmented Sharp 2 1 b3 3 4 b6 6 7
871 Hungarian Romani Minor 4th Mode 1 b2 2 4 b5 b6 6
2475 NEAPOLITAN MINOR 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7
3285 Mela Citrambari 1 2 3 b5 5 b7 7
1845 Lagian 1 2 3 4 b6 6 b7
1485 Minor Romani 1 2 b3 b5 5 b6 b7
1395 Locrian Dominant 1 b2 3 4 b5 b6 b7
2745 Mela Sulini 1 b3 3 4 5 6 7
855 Porian 1 b2 2 3 b5 b6 6
1273 HEPTATONIC BLUES 1 #2 3 4 b5 5 b7
671 Stycrian 1 b2 2 b3 3 5 6
2383 Katorian 1 b2 2 b3 b5 b6 7
3239 Mela Tanarupi 1 b2 2 4 5 b7 7
3667 Kaptian 1 b2 3 b5 6 b7 7
3881 Morian 1 b3 4 b6 6 b7 7
997 Rycrian 1 2 4 b5 5 b6 6
1493 LYDIAN MINOR 1 2 3 #4 5 b6 b7
1397 Major Locrian 1 2 3 4 b5 b6 b7
1373 Storian 1 2 b3 3 b5 b6 b7
1367 Leading Whole-Tone Inverse 1 b2 2 3 b5 b6 b7
2731 Neapolitan Major 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 7
3413 Leading Whole-tone 1 2 3 b5 b6 b7 7
1877 Aeroptian 1 2 3 b5 b6 6 b7
1753 HUNGARIAN MAJOR 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7
731 Alternating Heptamode 1 b2 b3 3 b5 5 6
2413 Harmonic Minor Flat 5 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 7
1627 Hungarian Major 4th Mode 1 b2 b3 3 b5 6 b7
2861 Hungarian Major 5th Mode 1 2 b3 4 b6 6 7
1739 Mela Sadvidhamargini 1 b2 b3 b5 5 6 b7
2917 Nohkan Flute Scale 1 2 4 b5 b6 6 7
2509 DOUBLE HARMONIC MINOR 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7
1651 Asian 1 b2 3 4 b5 6 b7
2873 Ionian Augmented Sharp 2 1 b3 3 4 b6 6 7
871 Hungarian Romani Minor 4th Mode 1 b2 2 4 b5 b6 6
2483 Double Harmonic 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7
3289 Lydian Sharp 2 Sharp 6 1 b3 3 b5 5 b7 7
923 Ultraphrygian 1 b2 b3 3 5 b6 6
2731 NEAPOLITAN MAJOR 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 7
3413 Leading Whole-tone 1 2 3 b5 b6 b7 7
1877 Aeroptian 1 2 3 b5 b6 6 b7
1493 Lydian Minor 1 2 3 b5 5 b6 b7
1397 Major Locrian 1 2 3 4 b5 b6 b7
1373 Storian 1 2 b3 3 b5 b6 b7
1367 Leading Whole-Tone Inverse 1 b2 2 3 b5 b6 b7

 

[Les Fret]

Not sure what you mean by heptatonic chords? You are listing scales and modes. What is the first number in the list meaning, like 2741?

 

[mambo4]

Talkbass doesnt support formatting.

you can align your text in a plain text editor (like notepad) and paste it in between "code" tags. It will force the forum display to use a monospaced font (where spaces and letters have the same width) and keep things aligned.

2741     MAJOR       1   2   3   4   5   6   7
1709     Dorian      1   2  b3   4   5   6  b7
1451     Phrygian    1  b2  b3   4   5  b6  b7
2773     Lydian      1   2   3  #4   5   6   7
1717     Mixolydian  1   2   3   4   5   6  b7
1453     Aeolian     1   2  b3   4   5  b6  b7
1387     Locrian     1  b2  b3   4  b5  b6  b7

a bit of a pain because the only method of enforcing alignment is by inserting spaces

There is also Table Convert Online - Make it easier to work with tables if you're copying the info from a spreadsheet

also a nitpick: the Lydian "b5" is properly a "#4"

 

[mambo4]

Of what use is the binary equivalent?

 

[IamGroot]

you can align your text in a plain text editor (like notepad) and paste it in between "code" tags. It will force the forum display to use a monospaced font (where spaces and letters have the same width) and keep things aligned.

2741     MAJOR       1   2   3   4   5   6   7
1709     Dorian      1   2  b3   4   5   6  b7
1451     Phrygian    1  b2  b3   4   5  b6  b7
2773     Lydian      1   2   3  #4   5   6   7
1717     Mixolydian  1   2   3   4   5   6  b7
1453     Aeolian     1   2  b3   4   5  b6  b7
1387     Locrian     1  b2  b3   4  b5  b6  b7

a bit of a pain because the only method of enforcing alignment is by inserting spaces

There is also Table Convert Online - Make it easier to work with tables if you're copying the info from a spreadsheet

also a nitpick: the Lydian "b5" is properly a "#4"

Thanks for info on format

My scale generator doent take context into account. It may be a #4 or a ##3, but for mathematical purposes, I ise only one term out of the set { 1 b2 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 b6 6 b7 7}

 

[micguy]

I have, in my many years of bass playing, played in all modes, and used all the heptatonic chords.

Not intentionally, mind you, but I'm pretty sure I have done all of them.

At my gigs (OK, rehearsals), the discussions we sometimes have usually start with "what note are you playing there?"

 

[skycruiser]

Could you please explain the "binary equivalent" value, maybe using the first one as an example?

 

[BarfanyShart]

Cool, I was actually looking for a list like this.

 

[zubrycky]

Cool thread! BTW, about this subject, I strongly recommend Adam Kadmon's Bass Grimoire.

 

[BobDeRosa]

Of what use is the binary equivalent?

Come to think of it, of what use is the scale list?

 

[IamGroot]

Of what use is the binary equivalent?

Different users can have different names for the same scale. A binary representation unambiguously represent exactly what the scale is.

I use binary representation in my counting algorithm to check for scale uniqueness (i.e. a scale is not a rotation (mode) of another scale already on the list.

The question is the total number of unique scale patterns given a scale of X elements with certain allowed components {H, W, 1.5H, etc} - which has little or no value to musicians , but is exceptionally interesting to mathematicians.

So just how many unique 7 element scales composed only of half or whole tones are there?

 

[IamGroot]

Come to think of it, of what use is the scale list?

If you dont know how to use it, none.

 

[BobDeRosa]

If you dont know how to use it, none.

Let me guess: You're a mathematician, an engineer, or a computer scientist. Did I come close?

 

[IamGroot]

Could you please explain the "binary equivalent" value, maybe using the first one as an example?

A binary equivalent is a base ten numeric value of a 12 tone scale calculated by summing the elements as powers of two. The power used is based on the position in the scale, Power=Position -1. So the powers run from 0 for a root note to 11 for a major 7.

A root note has value 2 to the zero power or one.
A root plus a minor 2nd second has 2^0 plus 2^1 =3
A C major scale has 2^0 + 2^2+2^4+2^5+2^7+2^11 =2741
A C dorian scale has 2^0 + 2^2+2^3+2^5+2^7+2^10 =1709

A spreadsheet makes this very easy

 

[skycruiser]

A binary equivalent is a base ten numeric value of a 12 tone scale calculated by summing the elements as powers of two. The power used is based on the position in the scale, Power=Position -1. So the powers run from 0 for a root note to 11 for a major 7.

A root note has value 2 to the zero power or one.
A root plus a minor 2nd second has 2^0 plus 2^1 =3
A C major scale has 2^0 + 2^2+2^4+2^5+2^7+2^11 =2741
A C dorian scale has 2^0 + 2^2+2^3+2^5+2^7+2^10 =1709

A spreadsheet makes this very easy

Cool thanks. And I see above you responded to the question about how/why it is used. Makes sense to use it as a unique identifier, and it also give you some idea of how the notes in the scale are grouped (smaller numbers group up toward the low end of scale, and vice-versa). I can see how mathematicians might have fun with this.

 

[DrBnz]

Phew..... You're certainly one smart fella. But how is this useful? I'm goin out back to burn one and think about it.

 

[5StringBlues]

Grootzilla baby!

 

[aprod]

This might be useful to .000001% of bassists. This is a very analytical approach. Music is about emotion.

 

[InhumanResource]

Different users can have different names for the same scale. A binary representation unambiguously represent exactly what the scale is.

I use binary representation in my counting algorithm to check for scale uniqueness (i.e. a scale is not a rotation (mode) of another scale already on the list.

Wouldn’t this eliminate all the diatonic modes/first seven line items on your list? They are all rotations of the same scale.

 

[mambo4]

so, "binary equivalent" is a way to express the distances between 7 notes as unique numerical value, so you can identify duplicates?

Did it reveal any interesting patterns?