The Darkest Scale Ever

[@duophile7692]

I read the title as "the Dankest Scale ever"

[@adrianocapitta8411]

Same, I'm disappointed

[@jasonevans4970]

I detect little sogginess here...

[@luanbravo4401]

no pepe here :/

[@zashtozaboga]

i mean you're not wrong

[@th3giv3r]

Also, yes.

[@Milkydrummer]

I’m a drummer... i hit things... what on earth is he talking about?

[@jordanbrowne7417]

Hitting buttons on a piano

[@benparsons4979]

you should know rhythm theory and set notation right?

[@Milkydrummer]

Ben Parsons - you should know a joke when you read one. Bore off.

[@benparsons4979]

@@Milkydrummer dude I'm just asking a question

[@Milkydrummer]

Ben Parsons d’you know what, i completely take that back.... i’m in an awful mood mate 😂🙈 ....apologies

[@janminor1172]

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!"

[@noahmcgaffey797]

Jan Minor "I will destroy them by using creepy and dark chord progessions to remind them of their childhood trauma's!"

[@jonaseggen2230]

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...

[@tapfinger]

lol.

[@lambd01d]

And Jan Minor sounds like a scale that only produces Scandinavian drinking songs.

[@jonaseggen2230]

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?

[@stevewhite5045]

That song is about a blind man looking in a dark room for a black cat that isn't there.

[@sideoutside]

A deaf frog told him to do it.

[@TheFilthyMcNasty]

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...

[@scaryjerryofmerrykerriemay2727]

TheFilthyMcNasty The pope found his imaginary friend? That's neat. I wonder if the blind man will find his.

[@TylerLL2112]

Steve White That's pretty dark..

[@CS80undermybed]

MEEAOW. 😁

[@KingMaloneBars]

This shit so dark I wanna rob my own house and then call the cops on me and then testify against me in court

[@nikosmarkopoulos6633]

Lmao

[@stephennielsen8722]

King Malone darker - call corrupt cops, then commit perjury while testifying against yourself

[@danwaldis4553]

Twisted! (And funny as hell, by the way)!

[@Martial-Mat]

ROFL ROFL ROFL!!!!

[@kreativtverksted]

fucking made me crack

[@RafaChiChi]

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

[@pugiman3811]

1:666,666

[@secnytsecnyt2981]

PugiMan No, it is 1 in the amount of views that the video has right now

[@rileyclos7403]

0.(bar)0(endbar)1

[@timothyholmes4588]

somebody had to

[@Zimzamzoom95]

@@secnytsecnyt2981 no, it is 1 in the amount of views it will ever have.

[@razalin]

I've mastered the A chord on my guitar. I think I'm ready for this.

[@davidbteague]

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.

[@kennethbropson8019]

There's always a bragger ! :)

[@iansahari]

the scale is dark...and full of terror

[@abyssent]

season 8 when

[@PHLCoffeeSnob]

@@abyssent April 15

[@barberfanatic]

My cat must be a musical savant because that's exactly what it sounds like when she walks on my piano.

[@jaysunten]

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.

[@markopolo2224]

@@jaysunten it's sounds amazing to me

[@env0x]

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

[@skreml8804]

@@env0x *tips fedora*

[@mightymikeamps9317]

@@jaysunten Like everything, it’s how you apply it.

[@ky-el1292]

This is jazz noir af

[@jaysunten]

Is that French for boring and abrasive?

[@markopolo2224]

bruh exactly

[@jaysunten]

@@viv8839 Oh man...It's like you know me. QQ

[@willmatthews4708]

jaysunten are you afraid of anything other than like, C major or something? calm down.

[@jaysunten]

Don't make me hungry...you won't like me when I'm hungry.

[@StringsOfAndersen]

This is the first scale you would learn in Carnatic music - (in south india) its the 15th melakarta raga Mayamalavagaula

[@russwilson2305]

Ta Ki Da

[@Synystr7]

Maya-ga-flagga-luga what now?

[@StringsOfAndersen]

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!

[@thedelacruz]

Maaahabarahtta?

[@revelationreflection]

Henrik Andersen thanks for sharing, now I have something new to check out

[@RADSIH3532]

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

[@himbo7772]

RADSIH3532 he gave the formula which some would argue is better

[@Kindacutehuh]

LOL. You have a point acctually. Never thought about it.

[@tibormalinsky8751]

I’m always pissed of when wathcing music videos and they don’t play what they say.

[@ozzoid]

Formulas are good - playing the formulated scale is better.

[@CaliforniaBrowngrass]

I play each one as he talks about it. I'd rather listen to me play than him play.

[@JordanMetroidManiac]

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!

[@MrWildriderz]

Jordan Fischer I really like your interpretation

[@bcad2438]

What key is the Titanic's vertical plunge in? That's a little like that. Not as atonal sounding as double harmonic major though.

[@kevinelliott5823]

I was picturing a Charles Bronson movie scene. A hide n seek chase through an old industrial park, guns drawn.

[@Justme-wo8sr]

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.

[@Joseph-nh6in]

@jordan fischer if you like that type of music then you might like my piece "Blindfolded Horse Race", it is on my channel

[@Tycini1]

I mistook the title for " *Dankest* Scale Ever " and expected airhorns.

[@144heartx]

Tycini1 i'm dead 😂

[@grimpickins4291]

Great content Rick. As a guitarist in a tech death band, I'm always looking for dark sounding scales, and this did not disappoint.

[@SirLongBongFatRipps]

Ben Booth double harmonic is how you get that sweet ol' Behemoth sound. 🤘

[@beep8771]

Ben Booth Double Harmonic and its little Brother phrygian dominant are like everywhere in metal

[@mattmarkus4868]

See Ota. Everywhere huh? Can you please give a couple examples then?

[@drewolfy]

Matt Markus basically throw a dart at anything on Born of Osiris' first album "the new reign"

[@RicardoBuquet]

Malmsteen is the king of Phrygian dominant

[@connertherocker9769]

These chords make me feel like I’m going insane😂

[@redhotlizard2636]

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.

[@thtr1310]

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.

[@steve7745]

That's really interesting. Checked it out, has a very unique sound to it!

[@abyssent]

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

[@sideoutside]

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.

[@pabslondon]

@@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

[@Niqisax]

When he said his name I heard "Rigby Idaho here" 😂😂

[@izzate7]

That’s a much better name. He should go with that.

[@akoustixx]

I learnt this scale from my Hindustani vocal teacher, thanks for sharing this with a wider audience Rick. Remember Dark is Light!

[@sideoutside]

It's not the same scale. Mainly because you people can't tune your instruments.

[@AnshulRaman]

you people? what does that mean

[@soundlab3274]

Yeah its called bhairav raag

[@soundlab3274]

But its not that dark it is just relaxing and used to pray god shiva

[@mrpotatohead2128]

@@sideoutside racist

[@vze2gsgr]

that is the dopest composition from the dopest scale ever.

[@johnrothfield6126]

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.

[@thomasmcgurrin2085]

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.

[@Sno6403]

Man, I LOVE the sound of that chord progression! Hot damn Rick!!

[@ttrystt9413]

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

[@miso5554]

Rick upgrading his acting skills... :D good.

[@jonaseggen2230]

miso5554 Reminds me of childrens tv. "oh there you are...." : D

[@miso5554]

jonas eggen yes :D youre right!!

[@vendettavendetta6490]

Hollywood beckons The Rickster !

[@stopthehate1749]

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!

[@ovonisamja8024]

Play it yourself, or even better, sing it.

[@ovonisamja8024]

You do know what I replied to, right?

[@cole_bh0373]

If he’s watching a vid about the scale, he might not know how it sounds.

[@necroyoli08]

@@cole_bh0373 But it's not like Rick didn't write the scale and its modes for anyone to play and sing them.

[@umhaitiano2364]

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

[@sumadre101]

Idk why KZbin recommended this vid to me, but this scale is how I feel. Thanks for the lesson!

[@DavidHughey]

I felt like I was entering Bowser's Castle on the final level

[@timojurvelin]

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!

[@dharmabam]

shit! just listening to this now. very cool - thanks. totally unaware of them / him ...

[@SonnyMoonie]

Thanks for the suggested piece. To me it sounds tangy, not extremely dark.

[@Jefferson-ly5qe]

Also listen to a song called "Darude Sandstorm"

[@luchsmusik]

Thank you! Always nice to accidentally discover great music

[@no_peace]

Dang I can't copy on mobile and typing that out...Probably isn't going to happen 😭

[@justincase2600]

the scale works out to be the notes of the Cmaj7 each followed by a half step

[@KNHSynths]

Double -cheese pizza- harmonic major can be a bit heavy to digest ! But really interesting scale and good video as ever, of course.

[@KNHSynths]

just using hyphen (one before, one after). I'm sure you can also use *star* to bold the text and _underline_ to italicize it.

[@KNHSynths]

underline is a kind of underscore :-)

[@treblesix-five9627]

-does this work on a phone?-

[@treblesix-five9627]

*no reply necessary*

[@RennieAsh]

Double bacon cheeseburger with double extra bacon and extra cheese > daily intake of energy for a grown man per day

[@GendunCh]

I like your piece at the end - it has a Scriabin or Schoenberg feel to it.

[@Celastrous]

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

[@stevend285]

Sean Demers Maybe it's just me but I was lost 90% of the video.

[@SleepingVillage]

this is pretty advanced if you dont know much theory

[@etyrnal]

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?

[@PabloVestory]

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.

[@JamesOden]

Simply beautiful chords that scale forms. Lovely.

[@sreejithpro]

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

[@edzielinski]

Fantastic. Still learning from this in 2024 and love it more than ever! Classic content.

[@xencage]

Love the new keyboard view!

[@jamesmccormick875]

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.

[@akhilkrishnan3454]

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.

[@bartscrivener4634]

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.

[@OwenAdamsMusic]

This scale is so dark, it makes Tommy Sotomayor look like Shaun King.

[@Roescoe]

Lawl that's good.

[@davegoldsmith173]

Hahaaaaaaaa!

[@canman87]

It makes Malcolm X look like Bryant Gumble.

[@carlotapuig]

Owen, excellent comment. I didn't see it coming

[@caio-jl6qw]

lmao

[@GreyXGreyXGrey]

Great scale and composition. Wonderfully dissonant and consonant at the same time.

[@FabianEason]

This has been a brilliant lesson. I am currently in the middle of writing a song so dark its emitting hawking radiation.

[@4242ft]

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!

[@dannyjesse3655]

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.

[@flybennu]

This was my first time coming across a couple things i had no idea even existed in music. Thanks! Instant sub.

[@NabeelZubair]

This is a Raga (or a melodic framework) called Mayamalavagowla in Indian Classical Music. Ironically, this is one of the basic Raga!

[@हर्षवान्]

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).

[@darionbuck8864]

Another name for this scale would be Raga Bhairavi

[@carlkligerman1981]

I pity Indian musicians then. This is complex af

[@RealMNeutral31]

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.

[@paulflint6254]

This is the theme tune of a mental breakdown

[@jimmy2977]

I laughed so hard at that.

[@mark-ze4en]

Gorgeous scales/chords,, great brain work too! Thanx Rick

[@john.james.110]

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]

Did you ever finish it?

[@john.james.110]

@@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

[@KnakuanaRka]

@John James Good luck with that; hope you find the time.

[@morocco1274]

Rick... thanks so much for your great video. I enjoyed hearing them and seeing it on the keyboard

[@onixtheone]

That progression kind of reminds me of Radiohead’s “everything in its right place”

[@markus3355]

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

[@TrapDaily]

i need to put this into my trap beats

[@NickBaysingar]

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.

[@2abug]

"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 !!"

[@MaynardOwns]

Might be the coolest old-ish man ever. Seriously digging all your content.

[@98mrrico]

4:48 "ehy, vsauce, michael here"

[@brenomordida]

Man...

[@zachtrapper2398]

This actually helped. It was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

[@danteezy945]

*Depression has entered the server*

[@Jeff_H_the_Guitarist]

Love the start of the video. Like we happened upon you as you were about to drink a soda. Good stuff!

[@elzoog]

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.

[@auedpo]

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! :)

[@elzoog]

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.

[@elzoog]

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)

[@elzoog]

Austin, try github.com/Elzoog/Probabilistic-Melody-Generator/blob/master/ProbableisticMelody.jar

[@auedpo]

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 !

[@cainmorano4956]

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.

[@axelgustafsson2932]

5:13 Isn't that a Fsus2? Because if it would be Fsus4 it would have been the notes F, Bb, C.

[@RickBeato]

+Axel Gustafsson Typo!! :)

[@ThatsPety]

Axel Gustafsson nice catch!

[@mark-ze4en]

saw that,,,, had me bluffed too. WHERE'S THE 4?

[@chrisnowak5722]

I caught that and figured it was a typo

[@fmajor881]

That chord reminds me of a sound from Windows 10.

[@darenmiller2218]

Man I’m glad I found this guy. You cover pretty much everything I fcking love it.

[@ElDoQmentalista]

Resume: Hungarian Scale

[@carolinegutierrez8349]

Doq que bueno encontrarte por acá

[@gamma7824]

Se dice “Summary”, crack

[@brianmccrory3778]

Really cool stuff Rick! I'm also digging your Augmented and Diminished videos as well.

[@y0anski]

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!

[@satchfan2010]

Persian scale contains a b5.

[@y0anski]

Thanks! You are right buddy! Cheers!

[@satchfan2010]

No problem. :)

[@MarkPeotter]

Now THIS guy is into some heavy stuff!

[@Cr8Tron]

+Artesian Clickbait My exact thoughts (re; Egyptian w/the #7).

[@overtonesnteatime198]

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

[@YoussefRbahi]

Everyone commenting about theory and I just wanna say that those glasses look stylish af

[@loladelon5648]

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 : )

[@ctimur]

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.

[@laithardah]

Hijaz, yes. commonly used in Athan (Muslim call for prayer)

[@remyzsacka8670]

Nope you're talking 'bout harmonic minor here

[@robertdietz5118]

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.

[@finnian5588]

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

[@AwareLife]

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.

[@ArgentavisMagnificens]

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!

[@SidekickSam24]

I had to turn it up on my pc, too.

[@jordanj9069]

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.

[@geoffdavids7647]

First chord played at 4:48 is the v-sauce Michael '...but is it?' chord 😂

[@danbrown4life]

Almost, it's a C tritone

[@5610winston]

Enjoyed it. That piece reminded me of some of Borodin's work especially the opening of the first selection in his 'Petite Suite'.

[@fourtreemouths]

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.

[@RickBeato]

+Val Brown you are correct! Typo! F+min+7 or maj7 thanks!

[@eriknilsson6640]

You just helped me write at least 3 songs from this video-- thanks man!

[@rhysdudgeon5514]

Does anyone accually know what this lads on a bout

[@nickolawl77]

What a beautiful composition!!

[@ErdemCakoo]

this makes me uncomfortable.

[@Metalbass10000]

Great stuff here, thank you!!! I’ll leave a real comment, and a question or two, later, when I have a little time. Keep this stuff coming!!!

[@pacingBlue]

Actually, this scale is called Hijazkar. It's the scale of Misirlou (Pulp Fiction, originally an old traditional song). It's very commonly used in East Mediterranean, Balkan, Arabic and, I guess, Persian and Indian music. But your Western analysis here of all the modes and possibilities is very interesting. I will definitely study it!

[@bloodreaver6097]

All chords sound so ominous, love it!

[@russwilson2305]

I play the A-holian mode on a daily basis.

[@DiabloQFDB]

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!

[@rasm411r]

5:12 - Fsus2 instead of Fsus4? Right? Awesome video!

[@varunsathya1912]

Yep you're right, nice catch

[@DaneFri]

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!

[@drewmandan]

At what point does a chord become so "complex", ie. dissonant, that it just sounds like you hit the wrong key?

[@lincolnpepper816]

tolerance of dissonance varies between different people and grows over time, like tolerance of spiciness in food i think.

[@drewmandan]

@@lincolnpepper816 So if I hit a bunch of random keys, some sufficiently enlightened musician will be able to enjoy it?

[@lincolnpepper816]

@@drewmandan someone may. If you showed the music in this video to someone, i doubt they would hear the double harmonic major-ness. They would just interpret the feeling of the music. Someone that is able to find that feeling doesn't need to know that it was made with some scale, or just random notes smashed down on a keyboard. My point anyway was that the answer to your question would be different for different people. Also, i'm sorry if i seem pretentious, that honestly isn't my intention and i'm as interested in the answer to your question as you are

[@willmatthews4708]

nbfdmd i definitely think that this scale is about as dissonant as you'd want to go. i wouldn't even recommend any modal components of this scale other than hungarian minor, maybe. i have a high tolerance to dissonance (not bragging, i swear, just saying) as most of my favorite bands have lots of dissonance in their music. but you reach a point where its like "youch, if you go past this its just obnoxious." it is like the other person said, very similar to spiciness. theres a point where theres nothing to really enjoy because you taste spiciness.

[@georgiykireev9678]

@@willmatthews4708 I actually think it's pretty nice. Definitely needs to be mixed up with a few slightly brighter chords to serve as relief, but the relief is only there so that the next wave of tension hits harder. It really conveys that feeling of darkness, horror and despair that you can't really get with, say, natural minor.

[@AnarchistCookbookOfRiffs]

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!

[@YoussefRbahi]

At 5:10 it's Fsus2 and not Fsus4

[@Andreorsel]

Youssef Rbahi , or Csus4

[@Majaffa]

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!

[@HalJikaKick]

Wish he'd freaking PLAY it so we can hear it before he shows off how much he knows about music theory.

[@wagohowardmusic]

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

[@rcfanatic101]

Is this like the Arabic scale?

[@futurebeats898]

GreyMatterProductions I think it is

[@rcfanatic101]

I thought so...

[@beep8771]

you also often hear byzantine scale

[@GeneralZazstroff]

The Arab scale as not one but several, of which are called maqams, but I'm not sure that this is one of those. Please let me know if otherwise

[@TheShfanfan]

its the scale used for a turkish/arabic makam called "Hicazkar" (pronounced hijazkar).. its also used in many other musical traditions (like persian, azeri and so on) but im not sure if they have the same name for it... try some turkish music, type in Hicazkar sirto\saz semai\pesrev\oyun havasi...

[@Ciudadana_Cero]

Excellent! Beautiful piece, by the way!