The Hungarian minor scale is a type of combined musical scale. It is akin to the harmonic minor scale, except that it bears a raised fourth. Its tonal center is slightly ambiguous, due to the large number of half steps. Also known as Double Harmonic Minor, or Harmonic Minor ♯4, it figures prominently in Eastern European music, particularly in gypsy music. Melodies based on this scale have an exotic, romantic flavor for listeners accustomed to more typical Western scales.
A very clear way to see this is with the Hungarian Minor scale in the key of A. The notes in this scale would be A B C D# E F G#. In this example the D# is the raised 4th and the G# is the raised 7th. As a second, more complex example, a Hungarian minor scale in the key of C would proceed as follows: C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B.
Its step pattern is w - h - + - h - h - + - h, where w indicates a whole step, h indicates a half step, and + indicates an augmented second, which looks like a minor third on a keyboard but is notationally distinct.
Chords that may be derived from the A Hungarian Minor scale are Am, B7♭5, C+, E, F7 and G#m6.
Chords that may be derived from the C Hungarian Minor scale are Cm, D7♭5, Eb+, G, A♭7 and Bm6.
This scale is obtainable from the Arabic scale by starting from the fourth of that scale. Said another way, the C Hungarian minor scale is equivalent to the G Arabic scale.
In Enix's video game The Illusion of Gaia, the flute melody found in the Inca Ruins uses the C Hungarian minor scale (a ♯4 is used in the second phrase); this music is also quoted in the music of the Larai Cliff stage, transposed to D[citation needed].
Joe Satriani has composed several songs using the Hungarian minor scale, and film composer Danny Elfman has frequently used it in his soundtrack work[citation needed]. Oli Herbert of the AmericanMelodic Metalcore band All That Remains uses the Hungarian minor scale in his playing
