“Jeff Buser's Music Theory Guide - Egyptian Scales”

8/12/2019 Jeff Buser's Music Theory Guide - Egyptian Scales

1/6

4/28/11 9:3eff Buser's Music Theory Guide - Egyptian Scales

Page ttp://www.jeffbuser.com/egyptian.html

Egyptian Scalesvs.

Symmetrical Heptatonic Scales

aka

Don't Be Scared by the Boring Title

For many western listeners, film scores and other music have created a subconscious association betweenancient Egyptian culture and a variety of Arabic and Gypsy scales. However, everything I've read says themost prevalent mode in real Egyptian music was what we now call "Dorian" (all white keys D to D). As aaside, the ancient Greeks actually called that scale "Phrygian" but a mis-translation of ancient Greekliterature by monks in the middle ages resulted in modern musicians using different names for the diatonicscales than the Greeks did.

Anyway, the Egyptians supposedly preferred Dorian mode because it's the only symmetrical diatonic scale(half-steps are in the same relative location ascending and descending). A chart might help explain what ismeant by "symmetrical":

Ascendingscale step

Toneinterval

Descendingscale step

Toneinterval

1-2 (D-E) whole 8-7 (D-C) whole

2-3 (E-F) half 7-6 (C-B) half

3-4 (F-G) whole 6-5 (B-A) whole

4-5 (G-A) whole 5-4 (A-G) whole

5-6 (A-B) whole 4-3 (G-F) whole

6-7 (B-C) half 3-2 (F-E) half

7-8 (C-D) whole 2-1 (E-D) whole

For any other diatonic scale, the half-tone steps are in different positions in the ascending and descendingscales and they are therefore not symmetrical. Let's use Ionian (major scale) mode as an example:

Ascending

scale step

Tone

interval

Descending

scale step

Tone

interval1-2 (D-E) whole 8-7 (D-C#) half

2-3 (E-F#) whole 7-6 (C#-B) whole

3-4 (F#-G) half 6-5 (B-A) whole

4-5 (G-A) whole 5-4 (A-G) whole

5-6 (A-B) whole 4-3 (G-F#) half
http://www.jeffbuser.com/greek.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/greek.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/greek.html


2/6



6-7 (B-C#) whole 3-2 (F#-E) whole

7-8 (C#-D) half 2-1 (E-D) whole

And why does that matter? Well, the ancient Egyptians were renowned mathematicians, astronomers andmystics, so it seems natural they would incorporate mathematical relationships and mystical symbolism intheir musical structures, as they did with their architecture and other arts. The concept of symmetryobviously conforms to that aesthetic, and seven is a prime number with ample mystical significance. Onesource even claims the Dorian scale mathematically represents an ellipse with two foci, like the orbit of theearth around the sun. Unfortunately, Dorian mode just doesn't sound very Egyptian to me because of allthose years of brainwashing by soundtrack composers.

However, diatonic scales were an invention of the ancient Greeks, defined as a seven note musical scalecomprising five whole steps and two half steps, in which the half steps are maximally separated. Becausewestern music theory stemmed from the Greek tradition, and this convention was used to design the layouof modern keyboards, a diatonic scale can also be defined as a scale that can be played using only the whikeys on a piano keyboard.

So with a musical tradition independent from the Greeks (and no pianos) why would the ancient Egyptianhave been constrained to diatonic scales? Dorian mode is the only symmetrical diatonic scale, butsymmetrical non-diatonic scales are abundant (the most obvious example being the hexatonic whole-tonescale). We'll narrow it down a bit by assuming the ancient Egyptians preferred heptatonic scales because othe mystical connection with the number seven. So let's geek out with some math. If you assign a numericvalue to each scale step based on how many semi-tones are between, then any symmetrical heptatonic scacan be represented as a sequence of seven numbers that is the same forwards and backwards and whose suis 12. From there, it's easy to calculate all possible symmetrical heptatonic scales:

11161111124211

11323111214121122222113121312114112212221222121223112113

That list of numbers should be all you need to sound like King Diamond.

Just kidding. Pictures help. A lot. And I put them in order of usefulness for establishing an "Egyptian" mooin a musical piece. That order is admittedly subjective, based solely on my opinion. Everybody's ears aredifferent, and the ones at the bottom might sound more Egyptian to you than the ones at the top. Click onthe picture for an audio example.


3/6



2122212is Dorian mode, the allegedly "authentic"Egyptian mode. 'Nuff said.

1312131is commonly known as the 'Gypsy'scale. Hello,old friend. Decades before I did any real research intoEgyptian scale modes, I was using this one to evoke anEgyptian atmophere. It's the basis for the 7/8 theme from

the intro to "Temple of Seven Jackals"by Phantasmaswell as the "Legacy of Alexander" riff (which firstappeared in Legacy of Alexander Pt. Ion The Travelerandrecurs as a principal theme on Legacy of Alexander Pt 2).

1214121sounds very Egyptian and ominous to me. I'musing this scale in the song "Oracle"on Legacy ofAlexander Pt. II.
http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1214121.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/loa.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/oracle.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1312131.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/loa.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/thetraveler.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/loapi.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/phantasm/index.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/phantasm/temple.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/2122212.mp3


4/6



1222221sounds Egyptian to me as long as melodic phrasesavoid resolving to the root.

2114112also lends itself to some Egyptian sounding riffs,provided the adjacent semi-tones are used sparingly. Be

careful though; to me it kind of ruins the effect if you playII, III, IVb or V#, VI, VIIb in sequence.

1124211sounds exotic but not particularly Egyptian to myear. It can certainly be used to develop some interestinglicks, though.
http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1124211.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/2114112.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1222221.mp3


5/6



3112113is another very intriguing scale that doesn't soundparticularly Egyptian to my ear but could definitely be thebasis for some exotic soloing.

1132311doesn't sound a bit Egyptian to me, but it seemsto have endless possibilities for soloing in other contexts.

The double-flatted third and sharped sixth make anyfeeling of major/minor modality completely ambiguous.

2212122is commonly known as 'Major-minor' mode.Plenty has been written about this elsewhere, and it doesn'tsound very Egyptian to me.
http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/2212122.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1132311.mp3http://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/3112113.mp3


6/6



1116111is very chromatic-ish, doesn't sound Egyptian,and I don't find it terribly useful in general.

Music Theory Home
http://www.jeffbuser.com/musictheory.htmlhttp://www.jeffbuser.com/mp3/1116111.mp3

Documents

“Jeff Buser's Music Theory Guide - Egyptian Scales”