Double Harmonic ピアノ Scales

What is the Double Harmonic Scale?

The Double Harmonic scale is characterised by flattened second and sixth degrees combined with a major third and seventh, creating a unique interval pattern: H-W½-H-W-H-W½-H (half step, whole-and-a-half step, half step, whole step, half step, whole-and-a-half step, half step).

For example, C Double Harmonic consists of: C, Db, E, F, G, Ab, B, (and back to C).

What makes this scale immediately distinctive are the two augmented second intervals (Db to E and Ab to B in our example), which create its characteristic exotic sound. These wide intervals separated by half steps produce a tension and release that's unmistakably Middle Eastern in character.

Why Practice the Double Harmonic Scale?

Practicing the Double Harmonic scale offers several unique benefits:

1. Exotic coloration - Provides immediate access to authentic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean sounds
2. Expressive intensity - Creates powerful emotional tension through its distinctive intervals
3. Technical development - Cultivates awareness of challenging augmented second intervals

Famous Compositions Using the Double Harmonic Scale

While less common in Western classical music, the Double Harmonic scale appears in various significant works:

• Miserlou - traditional Middle Eastern folk song (famously covered by Dick Dale)
• Gates of Babylon by Rainbow (Ritchie Blackmore uses the scale)
• Artaserse by Hasse (contains Double Harmonic passages)
• "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin (incorporates elements of the scale)
• "The Gypsy" by Deep Purple (uses Double Harmonic elements)
• Film scores for Arabian or Middle Eastern settings
• Works by composers influenced by Eastern music like Rimsky-Korsakov
• Many pieces by contemporary fusion artists like Tigran Hamasyan

The Double Harmonic scale has deep roots in Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and Indian music traditions, where it corresponds to specific modes. In Western music, it gained attention primarily through composers interested in "exoticism" during the Romantic era, and later through rock guitarists seeking distinctive sounds in the 1970s and beyond.

For piano students, the Double Harmonic scale presents a fascinating technical challenge due to its two augmented second intervals, which require careful fingering choices. The scale's exotic sound instantly transports listeners to Middle Eastern landscapes.

Mastering the Double Harmonic scale will dramatically expand your expressive palette, allowing you to evoke Middle Eastern atmospheres, intense emotional states, or exotic mysticism in your playing. Its distinctive intervals create an immediate and powerful impact that can add remarkable color to compositions and improvisations across various genres, from classical to rock to contemporary fusion.

Don’t forget that you can make scale practice more fun with TomScales ! Play alongside an orchestra or a band with TomScales. You can choose from several high-quality audio covers: Classical, Pop, Epic, Jazz and more! TomScales is designed with a progressive approach, starting at a beginner level and gradually increasing in difficulty. As you advance through the very easy, easy and intermediate levels, new scales are introduced, the tempo quickens, and scale variations become more complex.