Hungarian minor (Gypsy) scale in A
Hungarian minor (Gypsy) scale in A: A, B, C, D#, E, F and G#, the degrees 1–2–b3–#4–5–b6–7. Harmonic minor with a #4: two step-and-a-half leaps and an intense dance feel; it serves the m(maj7) chord.
It's the harmonic minor with the 4th raised a half step — which simply means that to the step-and-a-half leap it already had between the 6th and 7th, another one is added between the 3rd and 4th. The scale turns doubly 'exotic': tense below, dramatic above, with the feel of an intense dance. 'Hungarian' and 'Gypsy' are historical Western-catalog labels, not a faithful picture of those traditions. In practice it serves minor chords with a major 7th — the m(maj7) — and appears in concert music, film scores and regional repertoires as a bold color.
Example: A – B – C – D# – E – F – G#Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – #4 – 5 – b6 – 7In the formula, the numbers are degrees — positions counted in the reference major scale; "b" lowers a half step and "#" raises one.
Family: Synthetic and specialized scales.
They appear in specific repertoires — concert music, film scores, modern jazz, regional traditions.
Chords in the harmonic field
These are the seven chords born from this scale — one built on each of its notes. Put another way: the set of chords that sounds naturally "inside" the scale. See the harmonic field of every key →
The same scale on all four instruments
In the diagrams, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.