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The Gypsy scale, (also known as the Ciprian scale) refers to a musical scale used in Gypsy music.

The main kinds of Gypsy scales

Minor gypsy scale

• The Minor Gypsy Scale can be made by sharpening the fourth degree of the natural minor scale.¹

The sequence of steps comprising the Minor Gypsy Scale is

• whole step – half-step – minor third – half-step – half-step – whole step – whole step

Hungarian gypsy scale

• The Hungarian gypsy scale, can be made by sharpening the fourth degree of the harmonic minor scale.

Equivalently it consists of a natural minor scale in which the fourth and seventh are sharp. It is the fourth mode of the Byzantine scale.

The sequence of steps comprising the Hungarian Gypsy Scale is

• whole step – half-step – minor third – half-step – half-step – minor third – half-step

Spanish gypsy scale

• The Spanish gypsy scale is a scale that may be played on the white keys of a piano from E to E, except that the G is sharpened (using G# which is a black key). The Spanish Gypsy scale is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, and is also known as the Phrygian major scale or Phrygian dominant scale, the Neopolitan minor scale, or the Jewish (Freygish) scale, often used in Klezmer music.

The sequence of steps comprising the Spanish Gypsy Scale is

• half-step – minor third – half-step – whole step – half-step – whole step – whole step

Notes

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