Scale · Piano
C Hungarian Minor Scale · Piano
Interactive keyboard
Highlighted notes form this scale.
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Useful tools for this scale
These optional accessories can help you practise, visualize notes and apply this musical pattern on your instrument.
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Notes
C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B
Root: C
Intervals
1 · 2 · ♭3 · ♯4 · 5 · ♭6 · 7
How it is built
This scale starts on C and applies the intervals 1, 2, ♭3, ♯4, 5, ♭6, 7. The result contains 7 distinct pitch classes per octave.
Explore related combinations
Guide and musical context
About C Hungarian Minor Piano Scale
C Hungarian Minor Piano scale uses the notes C, D, E♭, F♯, G, A♭, B. Its character is dark and dramatic, with a raised fourth and two augmented-second spans.
Character and sound
Dark and dramatic, with a raised fourth and two augmented-second spans.
Musical context and history
So-called Hungarian minor is a Western-theory label for a strongly chromatic scale color. It is used as a resource in classical music, metal, jazz and film scoring rather than as a standard functional key system.
How and where it is used
Use it for virtuosic lines, riffs, exotic color and minor chords with raised tensions.
On piano, the notes can be distributed between both hands and across different octaves. The interactive keyboard makes it easy to verify pitches and experiment with inversions or registers without changing the harmony. Everything you see and hear on this page comes from the same note set shown above.
Harmonic and musical relationships
A practical way to understand this scale is to compare it with the major and minor scales starting on C. The altered notes are exactly what create its characteristic color.
The formula on this page is 1 · 2 · ♭3 · ♯4 · 5 · ♭6 · 7 and, from C, produces the notes C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the C Hungarian Minor Piano scale?
The notes are C, D, E♭, F♯, G, A♭, B.
What is its interval formula?
The formula is 1 · 2 · ♭3 · ♯4 · 5 · ♭6 · 7.
How does it sound and what is it used for?
Dark and dramatic, with a raised fourth and two augmented-second spans. Use it for virtuosic lines, riffs, exotic color and minor chords with raised tensions.
How can I check it on Piano?
Use the interactive diagram on this page and press Play or Note by note. The highlighted positions, written notes and playback all use the same pitch collection.