Hungarian minor
- Degrees: 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7.
- Steps: T S 1½ S S 1½ S (2 1 3 1 1 3 1 semitones).
- On A: A B C D# E F G#. On C: C D Eb F# G Ab B. On E: E F# G A# B C D#.
It is harmonic minor with a raised 4th and the 4th mode of the double harmonic scale (C Hungarian minor = G double harmonic starting from C). Alternative names: gypsy minor, double harmonic minor, harmonic minor #4; Miles Davis calls it “Egyptian minor” in his autobiography. Equivalents: makam Neveser (Turkey), melakarta raga Simhendramadhyamam (Carnatic).
Characteristic note and color
Two augmented seconds (b3 – #4 and b6 – 7: Eb – F# and Ab – B in C) and two leading tones: #4 → 5 and 7 → 1. The fifth and the tonic are both surrounded by semitones. Color: dramatic, “gypsy-like”, passionate, highly ornamental.
Main chords (C Hungarian minor)
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm(maj7) | C Eb G B |
| II | D7b5 | D F# Ab C |
| bIII+ | Ebmaj7#5 | Eb G B D |
| V | Gmaj7 | G B D F# |
| bVI | Abmaj7 | Ab C Eb G |
| vii | Bm6 (B D F# G#=Ab) | ambiguous |
Typical progressions: i – V (Cm – G, with the #4 becoming the major 7th of G), i – bVI – V – i, a tonic pedal with the melody circling around #4 – 5 – b6 – 5.
Use
- Hungarian Romani music and verbunkos; Liszt (Hungarian Rhapsodies), Brahms (Hungarian Dances, color), Monti (Csárdás, general color).
- Neoclassical metal and shred guitarists (often cited in the work of Yngwie Malmsteen and Marty Friedman as a color).
- Film music: “gothic” atmospheres, Transylvania, circus, Eastern European mysteries.
Hungarian major
- Degrees: 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7.
- Steps: 1½ S T S T S T (3 1 2 1 2 1 2 semitones).
- On C: C D# E F# G A Bb. On A: A B# C# D# E F# G.
Alternative name: Lydian dominant #2. It is the half-whole octatonic scale without the b2 (C Db D# E F# G A Bb minus Db), so it is a subset of the diminished scale. It corresponds to the Carnatic melakarta raga Nasikabhushani. Liszt and Kodály used it in Hungarian-inspired music.
Characteristic note and color
#2 + #4 + b7 over a major triad: it is a dominant (C E G Bb) with #9 and #11 tensions. It also contains a complete diminished seventh (C D# F# A). Color: bright, tense, “dancing”.
Chords and use
- C7(#9, #11) as a static chord or as a dominant with a Hungarian color.
- C°7 / C7 alternating: the scale works both as a dominant and as a diminished scale.
- Diatonically: I (C), #ii° (D#°), iii° (E°), #iv° (F#°), v (Gm), vi (Am), bVII+ (Bb D F#).
Comparison
| Scale | Formula | Chord type | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungarian minor | 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7 | m(maj7) | tragic, passionate |
| Hungarian major | 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7 | 7(#9 #11) | bright, tense |
| Harmonic minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 | m(maj7) | classical-dramatic |
Note: the two “Hungarian” scales share only four notes and are not modes of each other.
Common mistakes
- Thinking that these scales describe “all” Hungarian music: the Magyar folk music collected by Bartók and Kodály is mostly pentatonic and modal; these scales reflect in particular the nineteenth-century urban Romani music.
- Ignoring ornamentation: without trills, glissandi and rubato the color is incomplete.
Exercise
- Am(maj7) pad with an A pedal and a melody in A Hungarian minor that resolves D# to E and G# to A.
- Vamp on C7#9 with a melody in C Hungarian major: compare with C Mixolydian.
- Write a theme in csárdás style: a slow introduction (lassú) in Hungarian minor, then a fast section (friss).
Related
Double harmonic scale; Harmonic minor; Dorian #4; Diminished scale; Ornaments.