lambd01d Or the smalest Jan of two brothers with the same name, or: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Mayen Wasn't there a Minor John and a Major John In Robin Hood?
I've been playing upright bass tuned in 5ths for about 14 years. I'm not ready for it, but I never learned anything without total immersion and near drowning. I'll be ready.
well - in the name of music theory. The carnatic scale system has 72 basic scales - another concept of dividing the 12 notes. Its interesting and important knowledge if one is interested in sonic art!
so he did a whole video about the darkest scale, explained everything, showed the chords for each mode, created an entire piece in the scale, but never actually plays the scale??? that's the 1 thing I wanted to hear in this video
I love how they sound, and playing the scale on bass is massively fun! Two of my 30 or so favorite guitar solos (Rainbow's "Stargazer" and "Gates of Babylon") since I was 16 in 2012 even use this mode, so maybe I've been just plain insane for that long.
That piece of yours is really impressive! It's like a distortion that never resolves. You probably know that most songs rely on the actual resolution part of a chord progression to sound nice, but this endless distortion kind of effect just makes my hairs stand on end. It actually makes me think of music that is generated purely from the digits of an irrational number, such as π=3.1415926535... That kind of music is so erratic. Your piece wasn't really erratic, but the chords were. I couldn't really predict what chords would be played next, but I could certainly tell what range of notes would be played next. I've never seen anything like that before! Excellent job, amazing stuff!
This is one of my favorite scales to play in. This is an incredible breakdown of this scale. I use this instead of the typical Harmonic Minor. It gives you so much more room to write and play. I use it for middle eastern sounding songs snd gave a lesson on another channel about this. Not nearly as in depth as Rick.
Northern India: Raga Bhairav, one of the five main Ragas Arabic Maqam: Hijaz Kar The first four notes form a tetrachord called Hejaz in the Arabic maqam.
I’ve come back to listen to the end of this video a dozen times in the past week. So damn beautiful. I’m soaking it up, writing cheat sheets for my open tuned guitar. Deep thanks!
Thanks for introducing this! In Indian classical music, this is one of the basic scales (ragas) that are taught. This scale is called Maya Malavagowla. Personally, the one I feel that is the darkest is the double harmonic scale, but the fourth replaced by a sharp fourth (if that makes sense), and with a flat seventh. This is scale is called "thodi" in Indian classical music. You can remove certain notes from the scale, and emphasize the slow transition from the flat sixth to the sharp fourth (I think!) for more emphasis on the sadness.
u said its made with a sharp 4 and a flat 7 but you also mention a common technique is a slow transition from the flat 6 so I'm confused. is there both a flat 6 and 7 included or is it just one flat 6 or flat 7
Too bad Indians can't tune instruments correctly..
6 ปีที่แล้ว +1
Perhaps its easier to explain todi as a Phrygian Dominant with a sharp 4th. (1 b2 3 #4 5 b6 b7) They are the same scale, except Phr.Dom. has a natural 4th.
@@sideoutside Europeans were using the same tuning until the Baroque period. Anyway these days you will have indian groups with instruments tuned to both Just Intonation and Tempered tuning
Thanks to you I learned all the modes of the double harmonic major scale. Thank you Rick!! I am obsessed with your channel. Love your book, too! Forever grateful : )
As an aspiring musician and movie scorer, this is a great place to start for me. As you were playing those chords, I was already going through my head on how I wanted to play and record one day. Saved to favorites and watch later. Thank you Sir.
I was just messing around with a chord progression on guitar and then stopped to figure it what I was doing. Turns out I am using the double harmonic major it's awesome for dark feels. Great composition Rick thanks
Frickin' excellent, Rico !! This is indeed a secret weapon !! How many compositions have I heard in the 63yr I've been alive that had all those sounds in them, Holy Crap. Thanks for defining it all.
Tune called 'Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme' (The Dragon of Kätkävaara) by legendary Finnish composer and Bass player Pekka Pohjola is using this scale. Highly recommended, just copy/paste to the search bar!
Hungarian Minor is so beautiful. I learned it from a language book and I enjoy playing it. This video was very helpful for teaching how it relates to other modes that I didn’t know even existed!! Thank you
Good technical explanation and all, but personally I would have preferred for you to play the actual scale FIRST so I could get the sound of it in my head. Once that sound is established in my head, then it's easier to disect it from a theoretical (modes, chord construction, etc) point of view. Thanks for the good info though - keep it up!
yes, what a douchebag for not playing it. or the guy could've just shown the chart, what's the need to tell us exactly what's in the chart? this guy is a pretentious annoying boomer
This is a Karnatic Raga, Called Māyāmāļavaguĺa. In fact this will be the first thing you will learn when you study Karnatic music. I didn't know it's has a different name "Double Harmonic Major". Thanks for sharing this great knowledge.
Mr. Beato excellent presentation of this scale. I started experimenting with it and realized it is two major 7th chords a half step apart. Applied the same principle to dominant 7th chords a half step apart and got some interesting sounds. Thanks.
Rick Beato: My favorite scale, my secret weapon. The darkest scale ever. Double harmonic Major scale Carnatic Music Student: Ah, this is the scale I learned first, Mayamalagowla. :D
this is awesome! i was playing around the other day, and actually came upon this scale when i tried to figure out a 7 tone scale that had as many half tone resolutions as possible and still sounding good (to me). loved the piece you composed and how incredibly dark it sounds! looking forward to exploring these great sounds!
Wow i didnt know this scale was called this but this was actually the first scale I learned and used extensively when I first started composing music. I found the tabs to a song I liked in Guitar Pro 5 and it had this "scale finder" feature, so i used it to find the scale of the whole song and it gave me a scale that was enharmonic to the ultra phrygian mode. It placed the scale over a fretboard diagram and I would write music using only those notes. This was before I learned any music theory or orchestration. Some of the results were pretty interesting. Im definately going to revisit this again.
I am not an expert listener of either hindustani or karnatic music, but really this does not sound anything like anything I have heard. As far as I can tell the only thing common in this and Mayamalavagowla (or Bhairav) is flattened second and sixth (Komal Re and Dha).
This video feels like a step in the right direction for your videos. It's addressed one of my biggest complaints about the videos: which is that you tend to spend a lot of time on basic things and linger on subjects, creating a very long video. This video however, hits all the points in a timely manner, making it much easier to watch. Good job
Sean, what most people would do, if they too advanced for videos, is find challenging videos. Kindof like, if your smarter than all your classmates, how smart is it to consistently hang around the kindergarten class, when your second grade class is in the same building?
If you have your basic diatonic theory down, this topic shouldn't be much of a problem. It's simply a scale with only 2 alterations to a major scale (specifically the 2nd and 6th degrees). Obviously this will result in a new array of modes, but even so they are just a little different from ones you should know to begin with. If you don't, perhaps that's where you should focus your study time.
Very cool. There's an interesting back and forth movement from dissonant and unsettling to harmonic and calming that gives this a real sense of unease.
You are my favourite for theory. I will admit am not the most well versed in theory but your lessons are very easy to digest and the audio examples and pieces you provide help train my ears.
I actually wrote a song in this scale years ago without realizing it. I just took a harmonic minor scale and tweaked it to make it darker. I flatted the 2nd and sharped the 3rd. The song is called Images of Enemies and it starts with a melodic bass solo. I never actually recorded it but I had some nice jam sessions on it where I played bass and my friend played guitar. I need to return to that piece and finish it. It's pretty much ingrained in my mind so I can't forget how it goes, but I should record it to be safe.
@@KnakuanaRka We still haven't gone back to it yet. But me and my friend Pavi know it well and I have recordings. It'll make a great metal song when it's complete
When I was 13, I saw a video of Steve Vai playing Tender Surrender. This inspired me to buy a guitar and learn to play that piece. Rick, this video has a similar gravity of influence on me. Although I love a lot of music made with conventional scales, I was never able to use them to express myself very well. I have good knowledge of major and minor scales and modes, as well as a decent understanding of functional harmony. However, most of my compositions involve crazy scales I found by ear, that I don’t even understand. THIS? This I absolutely love. This may be the first time in a long time that I use theory to be truly creative and expressive. Thank you for the new tool, it feels like you just gave me a new guitar.
I f***ing love you for doing this I could not find this info anywhere on the interent to the same detail. I love the sound of this type of stuff and Im soooooo glad you have a video on it. I know Im a bit late but thanks and keep it up!
"Oh my god Rick, how dumb are you ? You're inside a simulation of a simulation inside another giant simulation ! We never had the recipe of the Darkest Scale but we do now ! WE DO NOW !!"
Thank you for your really intelligent and knowledgeable posts. Your real world examples and connecting feelings with the technical is incredibly helpful in understanding how music really works.
Rick, I really like the added touch of including an example (something you composed for example) of the scale. Recently I wrote a program that will generate random melodies based on probabilities. For example, you can set the probability that a C will occur at 30%, a C# will occur at 0.02%, a D at 5%, and so forth. Obviously, to generate a random melody in a double harmonic minor scale, you can set the notes you don't want to occur (like A for example) to 0. What probabilities do you recommend I try for the notes that are in the scale (C, C#, E, F, G, G#, B)? The program can also output the melody as a midi file so that it can be manipulated by other software packages.
Hey Brian! Sounds like a really neat idea you have there. I too am fascinated with generative things involving music. Care to share what you created this program in? I would instinctively do it in MAX MSP but maybe a coding language is more suitable? I would think that for your note probabilities, they would reflect the 'weightiness' of each note. To really emphasize the root would be important in my mind, followed by the 5th, 3rd, then both tones that make the Augmented 2nds. So something like; 1- C 2 - G 3 - E 4 - B 5 - Db 6 - Ab 7 - F If you would be interested in chatting or sharing more about your work, please be in touch! :)
Austin, I wrote it in Java. I would give you the code, but if it turns out to be a good idea I want to claim it. I also want to make some improvements. However, I can send you the compiled code if you want to play with it.
Austin, how do you want to chat? The code I have is useful as is (i.e. it's easy to enter in your own probabilities and see what melodies it generates)
Brian, thanks for sharing! I'll have a look at the files in the morning. :) Just curious, as this has always been my biggest question when dealing with generative things, how to create rhythms that impart a humanistic feel, ie; not Babbitt-esque, alongside the melodic generation? feel free to send me a message at mnoml . music @ gmail . com !
Thank you for that video. alot of music I have been drawn to over the years is apparently based, to varying degrees, the double harmonic major. This scale and modes resonate with me. Also, fantastic presentation!
Hey Rick, thanks for the video! The audio sounds a little too low for me though (I'm on mobile). Problems with Apple I suppose? Hahaha just kidding, love your channel!
just wanna clarify something for my, and possibly others' sakes. Is the chord at 5:59 (written F+min7) written wrong, played wrong, or neither? I'm reading that as "F augmented minor 7th," denoting a #5, b3, and b7. For the chord name to reflect the chord played, shouldn't there just be another "+" after the "min" / before the "7" ? or even just "maj" before the "7"? cheers, thanks for the quality video.
I’ve watched your videos for a while. I am challenging myself to a “RICK BEATO “Challenge. I got to say I’m long-winded. Your videos are like candy. What started out as a fascination has quickly turned into an obsession. I will be watching a learning each day. Mahalo
Very cool ... my 22 year old son has surpassed my knowledge of music theory after only two years of study. Your video really helped my to understand how his teachers are teaching him scale & harmonic relationships. Thanks!
Rick as usual you expand our knowledge and creative possibilities.... hope I can rap, lol my mind around this and use this lesson to progress my song writing Thanks Rick Beato !
That Double Harmonic Major Scale is just a Persian Scale (1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7). What about the Phrygian Scale (1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7) or the Egyptian Scale (1 2 3 #4 5 6 #7) or even the Prometheus Scale (1 2 3 #4 6 b7)? They also sound pretty scary! Can you please make some analyses on these three scales, I'm sure the people will love it! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this. I write music for a living... and I'm always happy as shit to know I could still learn so much outside of music theory school when I got to the youtubez. You are Godsend.
I´ve just noticed that the Pulp Fiction - Misirlou uses this scale! Probably the only Hit with it! Great Lesson Rick! Love your composition at the end! Thank You!
We call it Hicazkar in Turkish music (Greeks use the scale a lot with the same name). It's the same scale with the famous pulp fiction song - which is originally a Greek song called Misirlou.
That's a really neat scale for improvising. I especially like the easy chromatic run from the natural 7, root, flat 2, 3 and 4. Major gypsie power within 3 frets!
I read the title as "the Dankest Scale ever"
Same, I'm disappointed
I detect little sogginess here...
no pepe here :/
i mean you're not wrong
Also, yes.
I’m a drummer... i hit things... what on earth is he talking about?
Hitting buttons on a piano
you should know rhythm theory and set notation right?
Ben Parsons - you should know a joke when you read one. Bore off.
@@Milkydrummer dude I'm just asking a question
Ben Parsons d’you know what, i completely take that back.... i’m in an awful mood mate 😂🙈 ....apologies
Ultra Phrygian sounds like some kind of space hero. "don't worry, I will save your planet from destruction! I am Ultra Phrygian and I fear nothing!"
Jan Minor "I will destroy them by using creepy and dark chord progessions to remind them of their childhood trauma's!"
Jan Minor
That's a major idea! Now write that story or script. I put an order here for the music to your film. Actually, make the music first...
lol.
And Jan Minor sounds like a scale that only produces Scandinavian drinking songs.
lambd01d
Or the smalest Jan of two brothers with the same name, or:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Mayen
Wasn't there a Minor John and a Major John In Robin Hood?
Wtf, what are the odds you click on a video called “The darkest scale ever” and it has EXACTLY 666,666 views!
Didn’t happen to me, but woulda been fun
1:666,666
PugiMan
No, it is 1 in the amount of views that the video has right now
0.(bar)0(endbar)1
somebody had to
@@secnytsecnyt2981 no, it is 1 in the amount of views it will ever have.
This shit so dark I wanna rob my own house and then call the cops on me and then testify against me in court
Lmao
King Malone darker - call corrupt cops, then commit perjury while testifying against yourself
Twisted! (And funny as hell, by the way)!
ROFL ROFL ROFL!!!!
fucking made me crack
That song is about a blind man looking in a dark room for a black cat that isn't there.
A deaf frog told him to do it.
Isn't that what the pope said to the atheist? But the athiest said the same thing back to the pope except that the pope had found it...
TheFilthyMcNasty The pope found his imaginary friend? That's neat. I wonder if the blind man will find his.
Steve White That's pretty dark..
MEEAOW. 😁
I've mastered the A chord on my guitar. I think I'm ready for this.
I've been playing upright bass tuned in 5ths for about 14 years. I'm not ready for it, but I never learned anything without total immersion and near drowning. I'll be ready.
There's always a bragger ! :)
the scale is dark...and full of terror
season 8 when
@@abyssent April 15
This is the first scale you would learn in Carnatic music - (in south india) its the 15th melakarta raga Mayamalavagaula
Ta Ki Da
Maya-ga-flagga-luga what now?
well - in the name of music theory. The carnatic scale system has 72 basic scales - another concept of dividing the 12 notes. Its interesting and important knowledge if one is interested in sonic art!
Maaahabarahtta?
Henrik Andersen thanks for sharing, now I have something new to check out
The piece you composed would be great in a movie soundtrack. I love dissonant music. Great stuff. Makes me wish I could play some piano.
My cat must be a musical savant because that's exactly what it sounds like when she walks on my piano.
Wow 😳 You just summed up my thoughts. I love Rick's videos, but this particular one sounds awful. I can't pretend I like this, let alone learn it.
@@jaysunten it's sounds amazing to me
His little composition at the end was trash but this information is pretty useful and can make some amazing stuff if you know how to use it right
@@env0x *tips fedora*
@@jaysunten Like everything, it’s how you apply it.
This is jazz noir af
Is that French for boring and abrasive?
bruh exactly
@@viv8839 Oh man...It's like you know me. QQ
jaysunten are you afraid of anything other than like, C major or something? calm down.
Don't make me hungry...you won't like me when I'm hungry.
Great content Rick. As a guitarist in a tech death band, I'm always looking for dark sounding scales, and this did not disappoint.
Ben Booth double harmonic is how you get that sweet ol' Behemoth sound. 🤘
Ben Booth Double Harmonic and its little Brother phrygian dominant are like everywhere in metal
See Ota. Everywhere huh? Can you please give a couple examples then?
Matt Markus basically throw a dart at anything on Born of Osiris' first album "the new reign"
Malmsteen is the king of Phrygian dominant
that is the dopest composition from the dopest scale ever.
Man, I LOVE the sound of that chord progression! Hot damn Rick!!
so he did a whole video about the darkest scale, explained everything, showed the chords for each mode, created an entire piece in the scale, but never actually plays the scale??? that's the 1 thing I wanted to hear in this video
RADSIH3532 he gave the formula which some would argue is better
LOL. You have a point acctually. Never thought about it.
I’m always pissed of when wathcing music videos and they don’t play what they say.
Formulas are good - playing the formulated scale is better.
I play each one as he talks about it. I'd rather listen to me play than him play.
I learnt this scale from my Hindustani vocal teacher, thanks for sharing this with a wider audience Rick. Remember Dark is Light!
It's not the same scale. Mainly because you people can't tune your instruments.
you people? what does that mean
Yeah its called bhairav raag
But its not that dark it is just relaxing and used to pray god shiva
@@sideoutside racist
These chords make me feel like I’m going insane😂
I love how they sound, and playing the scale on bass is massively fun! Two of my 30 or so favorite guitar solos (Rainbow's "Stargazer" and "Gates of Babylon") since I was 16 in 2012 even use this mode, so maybe I've been just plain insane for that long.
That piece of yours is really impressive! It's like a distortion that never resolves. You probably know that most songs rely on the actual resolution part of a chord progression to sound nice, but this endless distortion kind of effect just makes my hairs stand on end. It actually makes me think of music that is generated purely from the digits of an irrational number, such as π=3.1415926535... That kind of music is so erratic. Your piece wasn't really erratic, but the chords were. I couldn't really predict what chords would be played next, but I could certainly tell what range of notes would be played next. I've never seen anything like that before! Excellent job, amazing stuff!
Jordan Fischer I really like your interpretation
What key is the Titanic's vertical plunge in? That's a little like that. Not as atonal sounding as double harmonic major though.
I was picturing a Charles Bronson movie scene. A hide n seek chase through an old industrial park, guns drawn.
Great explanation! I was thinking atonal but there’s so much more to it.
I barely grasp the theory ( I play by ear ) but I can feel it and use it.
@jordan fischer if you like that type of music then you might like my piece "Blindfolded Horse Race", it is on my channel
I like your piece at the end - it has a Scriabin or Schoenberg feel to it.
Idk why TH-cam recommended this vid to me, but this scale is how I feel. Thanks for the lesson!
This is one of my favorite scales to play in. This is an incredible breakdown of this scale. I use this instead of the typical Harmonic Minor. It gives you so much more room to write and play. I use it for middle eastern sounding songs snd gave a lesson on another channel about this. Not nearly as in depth as Rick.
Northern India: Raga Bhairav, one of the five main Ragas
Arabic Maqam: Hijaz Kar
The first four notes form a tetrachord called Hejaz in the Arabic maqam.
I’ve come back to listen to the end of this video a dozen times in the past week. So damn beautiful. I’m soaking it up, writing cheat sheets for my open tuned guitar. Deep thanks!
Thanks for introducing this! In Indian classical music, this is one of the basic scales (ragas) that are taught. This scale is called Maya Malavagowla. Personally, the one I feel that is the darkest is the double harmonic scale, but the fourth replaced by a sharp fourth (if that makes sense), and with a flat seventh. This is scale is called "thodi" in Indian classical music. You can remove certain notes from the scale, and emphasize the slow transition from the flat sixth to the sharp fourth (I think!) for more emphasis on the sadness.
That's really interesting. Checked it out, has a very unique sound to it!
u said its made with a sharp 4 and a flat 7 but you also mention a common technique is a slow transition from the flat 6 so I'm confused. is there both a flat 6 and 7 included or is it just one flat 6 or flat 7
Too bad Indians can't tune instruments correctly..
Perhaps its easier to explain todi as a Phrygian Dominant with a sharp 4th. (1 b2 3 #4 5 b6 b7) They are the same scale, except Phr.Dom. has a natural 4th.
@@sideoutside Europeans were using the same tuning until the Baroque period. Anyway these days you will have indian groups with instruments tuned to both Just Intonation and Tempered tuning
Thanks to you I learned all the modes of the double harmonic major scale. Thank you Rick!! I am obsessed with your channel. Love your book, too! Forever grateful : )
Double -cheese pizza- harmonic major can be a bit heavy to digest ! But really interesting scale and good video as ever, of course.
just using hyphen (one before, one after). I'm sure you can also use *star* to bold the text and _underline_ to italicize it.
underline is a kind of underscore :-)
-does this work on a phone?-
*no reply necessary*
Double bacon cheeseburger with double extra bacon and extra cheese > daily intake of energy for a grown man per day
As an aspiring musician and movie scorer, this is a great place to start for me. As you were playing those chords, I was already going through my head on how I wanted to play and record one day. Saved to favorites and watch later. Thank you Sir.
When he said his name I heard "Rigby Idaho here" 😂😂
That’s a much better name. He should go with that.
Fantastic. Still learning from this in 2024 and love it more than ever! Classic content.
I mistook the title for " *Dankest* Scale Ever " and expected airhorns.
Tycini1 i'm dead 😂
This was my first time coming across a couple things i had no idea even existed in music. Thanks! Instant sub.
Love the new keyboard view!
I was just messing around with a chord progression on guitar and then stopped to figure it what I was doing. Turns out I am using the double harmonic major it's awesome for dark feels. Great composition Rick thanks
With a name like “double harmonic major”, it sure is the most dissonant scale I’ve ever heard lol. Every chord sounds like constant tension
Frickin' excellent, Rico !! This is indeed a secret weapon !! How many compositions have I heard in the 63yr I've been alive that had all those sounds in them, Holy Crap. Thanks for defining it all.
Tune called 'Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme' (The Dragon of Kätkävaara) by legendary Finnish composer and Bass player Pekka Pohjola is using this scale. Highly recommended, just copy/paste to the search bar!
shit! just listening to this now. very cool - thanks. totally unaware of them / him ...
Thanks for the suggested piece. To me it sounds tangy, not extremely dark.
Also listen to a song called "Darude Sandstorm"
Thank you! Always nice to accidentally discover great music
Dang I can't copy on mobile and typing that out...Probably isn't going to happen 😭
This actually helped. It was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks
Rick upgrading his acting skills... :D good.
miso5554
Reminds me of childrens tv. "oh there you are...." : D
jonas eggen yes :D youre right!!
Hollywood beckons The Rickster !
Hungarian Minor is so beautiful. I learned it from a language book and I enjoy playing it. This video was very helpful for teaching how it relates to other modes that I didn’t know even existed!! Thank you
Good technical explanation and all, but personally I would have preferred for you to play the actual scale FIRST so I could get the sound of it in my head. Once that sound is established in my head, then it's easier to disect it from a theoretical (modes, chord construction, etc) point of view. Thanks for the good info though - keep it up!
Play it yourself, or even better, sing it.
You do know what I replied to, right?
If he’s watching a vid about the scale, he might not know how it sounds.
@@cole_bh0373 But it's not like Rick didn't write the scale and its modes for anyone to play and sing them.
yes, what a douchebag for not playing it. or the guy could've just shown the chart, what's the need to tell us exactly what's in the chart? this guy is a pretentious annoying boomer
Love the start of the video. Like we happened upon you as you were about to drink a soda. Good stuff!
This is a Karnatic Raga, Called Māyāmāļavaguĺa. In fact this will be the first thing you will learn when you study Karnatic music. I didn't know it's has a different name "Double Harmonic Major".
Thanks for sharing this great knowledge.
Mr. Beato excellent presentation of this scale. I started experimenting with it and realized it is two major 7th chords a half step apart. Applied the same principle to dominant 7th chords a half step apart and got some interesting sounds. Thanks.
the scale works out to be the notes of the Cmaj7 each followed by a half step
Man I’m glad I found this guy. You cover pretty much everything I fcking love it.
This scale is so dark, it makes Tommy Sotomayor look like Shaun King.
Lawl that's good.
Hahaaaaaaaa!
It makes Malcolm X look like Bryant Gumble.
Owen, excellent comment. I didn't see it coming
lmao
Might be the coolest old-ish man ever. Seriously digging all your content.
This has been a brilliant lesson. I am currently in the middle of writing a song so dark its emitting hawking radiation.
Thanks for the scale. Never heard of it before.
Just spent 2 hours composing a 30 second section of a song with it. Sounds pretty good!
Rick Beato: My favorite scale, my secret weapon. The darkest scale ever. Double harmonic Major scale
Carnatic Music Student: Ah, this is the scale I learned first, Mayamalagowla. :D
this is awesome! i was playing around the other day, and actually came upon this scale when i tried to figure out a 7 tone scale that had as many half tone resolutions as possible and still sounding good (to me). loved the piece you composed and how incredibly dark it sounds! looking forward to exploring these great sounds!
I felt like I was entering Bowser's Castle on the final level
You just helped me write at least 3 songs from this video-- thanks man!
Wow i didnt know this scale was called this but this was actually the first scale I learned and used extensively when I first started composing music. I found the tabs to a song I liked in Guitar Pro 5 and it had this "scale finder" feature, so i used it to find the scale of the whole song and it gave me a scale that was enharmonic to the ultra phrygian mode. It placed the scale over a fretboard diagram and I would write music using only those notes. This was before I learned any music theory or orchestration. Some of the results were pretty interesting. Im definately going to revisit this again.
This is incredible. Love the composition at the end. So dark!
This is a Raga (or a melodic framework) called Mayamalavagowla in Indian Classical Music. Ironically, this is one of the basic Raga!
I am not an expert listener of either hindustani or karnatic music, but really this does not sound anything like anything I have heard. As far as I can tell the only thing common in this and Mayamalavagowla (or Bhairav) is flattened second and sixth (Komal Re and Dha).
Another name for this scale would be Raga Bhairavi
I pity Indian musicians then. This is complex af
Really cool stuff Rick! I'm also digging your Augmented and Diminished videos as well.
4:48
"ehy, vsauce, michael here"
Man...
Great scale and composition. Wonderfully dissonant and consonant at the same time.
This video feels like a step in the right direction for your videos. It's addressed one of my biggest complaints about the videos: which is that you tend to spend a lot of time on basic things and linger on subjects, creating a very long video. This video however, hits all the points in a timely manner, making it much easier to watch. Good job
Sean Demers Maybe it's just me but I was lost 90% of the video.
this is pretty advanced if you dont know much theory
Sean, what most people would do, if they too advanced for videos, is find challenging videos. Kindof like, if your smarter than all your classmates, how smart is it to consistently hang around the kindergarten class, when your second grade class is in the same building?
Basic things are the key
If you have your basic diatonic theory down, this topic shouldn't be much of a problem. It's simply a scale with only 2 alterations to a major scale (specifically the 2nd and 6th degrees). Obviously this will result in a new array of modes, but even so they are just a little different from ones you should know to begin with. If you don't, perhaps that's where you should focus your study time.
Very cool. There's an interesting back and forth movement from dissonant and unsettling to harmonic and calming that gives this a real sense of unease.
That progression kind of reminds me of Radiohead’s “everything in its right place”
You are my favourite for theory. I will admit am not the most well versed in theory but your lessons are very easy to digest and the audio examples and pieces you provide help train my ears.
I actually wrote a song in this scale years ago without realizing it. I just took a harmonic minor scale and tweaked it to make it darker. I flatted the 2nd and sharped the 3rd. The song is called Images of Enemies and it starts with a melodic bass solo. I never actually recorded it but I had some nice jam sessions on it where I played bass and my friend played guitar. I need to return to that piece and finish it. It's pretty much ingrained in my mind so I can't forget how it goes, but I should record it to be safe.
Did you ever finish it?
@@KnakuanaRka We still haven't gone back to it yet. But me and my friend Pavi know it well and I have recordings. It'll make a great metal song when it's complete
@John James Good luck with that; hope you find the time.
When I was 13, I saw a video of Steve Vai playing Tender Surrender. This inspired me to buy a guitar and learn to play that piece.
Rick, this video has a similar gravity of influence on me. Although I love a lot of music made with conventional scales, I was never able to use them to express myself very well. I have good knowledge of major and minor scales and modes, as well as a decent understanding of functional harmony. However, most of my compositions involve crazy scales I found by ear, that I don’t even understand. THIS? This I absolutely love. This may be the first time in a long time that I use theory to be truly creative and expressive. Thank you for the new tool, it feels like you just gave me a new guitar.
This is the theme tune of a mental breakdown
I laughed so hard at that.
I f***ing love you for doing this I could not find this info anywhere on the interent to the same detail. I love the sound of this type of stuff and Im soooooo glad you have a video on it. I know Im a bit late but thanks and keep it up!
5:13 Isn't that a Fsus2? Because if it would be Fsus4 it would have been the notes F, Bb, C.
+Axel Gustafsson Typo!! :)
Axel Gustafsson nice catch!
saw that,,,, had me bluffed too. WHERE'S THE 4?
I caught that and figured it was a typo
That chord reminds me of a sound from Windows 10.
Rick... thanks so much for your great video. I enjoyed hearing them and seeing it on the keyboard
"Oh my god Rick, how dumb are you ?
You're inside a simulation of a simulation inside another giant simulation !
We never had the recipe of the Darkest Scale but we do now ! WE DO NOW !!"
Thank you for your really intelligent and knowledgeable posts. Your real world examples and connecting feelings with the technical is incredibly helpful in understanding how music really works.
i need to put this into my trap beats
Wow. Music just keeps opening up new vistas. Best vid on the powerful use of the dissonance factor. Be interesting to hear what the others sound like.
Rick, I really like the added touch of including an example (something you composed for example) of the scale. Recently I wrote a program that will generate random melodies based on probabilities. For example, you can set the probability that a C will occur at 30%, a C# will occur at 0.02%, a D at 5%, and so forth. Obviously, to generate a random melody in a double harmonic minor scale, you can set the notes you don't want to occur (like A for example) to 0. What probabilities do you recommend I try for the notes that are in the scale (C, C#, E, F, G, G#, B)? The program can also output the melody as a midi file so that it can be manipulated by other software packages.
Hey Brian! Sounds like a really neat idea you have there. I too am fascinated with generative things involving music. Care to share what you created this program in? I would instinctively do it in MAX MSP but maybe a coding language is more suitable?
I would think that for your note probabilities, they would reflect the 'weightiness' of each note. To really emphasize the root would be important in my mind, followed by the 5th, 3rd, then both tones that make the Augmented 2nds.
So something like;
1- C
2 - G
3 - E
4 - B
5 - Db
6 - Ab
7 - F
If you would be interested in chatting or sharing more about your work, please be in touch! :)
Austin, I wrote it in Java. I would give you the code, but if it turns out to be a good idea I want to claim it.
I also want to make some improvements. However, I can send you the compiled code if you want to play with it.
Austin, how do you want to chat? The code I have is useful as is (i.e. it's easy to enter in your own probabilities and see what melodies it generates)
Austin, try
github.com/Elzoog/Probabilistic-Melody-Generator/blob/master/ProbableisticMelody.jar
Brian, thanks for sharing! I'll have a look at the files in the morning. :) Just curious, as this has always been my biggest question when dealing with generative things, how to create rhythms that impart a humanistic feel, ie; not Babbitt-esque, alongside the melodic generation?
feel free to send me a message at mnoml . music @ gmail . com !
Thank you for that video. alot of music I have been drawn to over the years is apparently based, to varying degrees, the double harmonic major. This scale and modes resonate with me.
Also, fantastic presentation!
Hey Rick, thanks for the video! The audio sounds a little too low for me though (I'm on mobile). Problems with Apple I suppose? Hahaha just kidding, love your channel!
I had to turn it up on my pc, too.
That piece you composed in the end was good. It isn't fun to listen to but it is well done. It is tense, disoriented, and in a bit of despair.
just wanna clarify something for my, and possibly others' sakes. Is the chord at
5:59 (written F+min7) written wrong, played wrong, or neither? I'm reading that as "F augmented minor 7th," denoting a #5, b3, and b7. For the chord name to reflect the chord played, shouldn't there just be another "+" after the "min" / before the "7" ? or even just "maj" before the "7"?
cheers, thanks for the quality video.
+Val Brown you are correct! Typo! F+min+7 or maj7 thanks!
Simply beautiful chords that scale forms. Lovely.
Chords begin at 4:46 , I begin smiling at 4:53 , I return to baseline at 4:59 , I am comforted and at ease at 5:05 , and I am back at home at 5:11
I used to love those intros ! Thank you Rick your chanel is a goldmine
First chord played at 4:48 is the v-sauce Michael '...but is it?' chord 😂
Almost, it's a C tritone
nice systematic treatment! and i love your composition - i've always loved the '20th century sound'! bravo!
*Depression has entered the server*
Gorgeous scales/chords,, great brain work too! Thanx Rick
At 5:10 it's Fsus2 and not Fsus4
Youssef Rbahi , or Csus4
I’ve watched your videos for a while. I am challenging myself to a “RICK BEATO “Challenge. I got to say I’m long-winded. Your videos are like candy. What started out as a fascination has quickly turned into an obsession. I will be watching a learning each day. Mahalo
5:12 - Fsus2 instead of Fsus4? Right?
Awesome video!
Yep you're right, nice catch
Very cool ... my 22 year old son has surpassed my knowledge of music theory after only two years of study. Your video really helped my to understand how his teachers are teaching him scale & harmonic relationships. Thanks!
Resume: Hungarian Scale
Doq que bueno encontrarte por acá
Se dice “Summary”, crack
Rick as usual you expand our knowledge and creative possibilities.... hope I can rap, lol my mind around this and use this lesson to progress my song writing Thanks Rick Beato !
That Double Harmonic Major Scale is just a Persian Scale (1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7). What about the Phrygian Scale (1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7) or the Egyptian Scale (1 2 3 #4 5 6 #7) or even the Prometheus Scale (1 2 3 #4 6 b7)? They also sound pretty scary! Can you please make some analyses on these three scales, I'm sure the people will love it! Keep up the good work!
Persian scale contains a b5.
Thanks! You are right buddy! Cheers!
No problem. :)
Now THIS guy is into some heavy stuff!
+Artesian Clickbait My exact thoughts (re; Egyptian w/the #7).
Thanks for this. I write music for a living... and I'm always happy as shit to know I could still learn so much outside of music theory school when I got to the youtubez. You are Godsend.
Everyone commenting about theory and I just wanna say that those glasses look stylish af
I´ve just noticed that the Pulp Fiction - Misirlou uses this scale! Probably the only Hit with it! Great Lesson Rick! Love your composition at the end! Thank You!
We call it Hicazkar in Turkish music (Greeks use the scale a lot with the same name). It's the same scale with the famous pulp fiction song - which is originally a Greek song called Misirlou.
Hijaz, yes. commonly used in Athan (Muslim call for prayer)
Nope you're talking 'bout harmonic minor here
That's a really neat scale for improvising. I especially like the easy chromatic run from the natural 7, root, flat 2, 3 and 4. Major gypsie power within 3 frets!
Does anyone accually know what this lads on a bout
Awesome! Been wondering for years what that scale was. Even wrote a piece in it for my final harmony class at college. Thanks for this, Rick!