Italian versionThe Scale Omnibus is a FREE 430-page book that describes as many as 399 distinct scales in all 12 keys,with synonyms,historical notes,chords over which the scale sounds well,summary tables,and more. It took hours of researching,typing,read-proofing,and double-checking and might easily be the most complete book on this topic.
I am very glad to offer it to instrumentalists,vocalists,composers,improvisers,students,music amateurs and all saxopedia readers.
Feel free to share this material with your fellow musicians. However,instead of passing a copy of the PDF,please point them to THE SCALE OMNIBUS home page,so that they can download the most recent edition.
The Scale Omnibus
Thanks
Thanks a million for sharing the Scale Omnibus -what an awesome resource.
One error I found is on page 33 (34 of pdf doc),“…can be obtained by combining two diminished 7th chords that are one whole tone apart (e.g. C-Eb-F#-A and C#-E-G-Bb)”
The second chord should be D-F-G#-B.
Thanks again!
thank you,for both the nice words and the typo alert.
However,even if the sentence in the book can admittedly be confusing,it is correct nonetheless. In fact,because diminished chords are symmetrical,the 2nd chord is a *descending* whole tone apart from the 1st one. At any rate,I will fix it in the next edition.
The whole human race is in debt to you
It shows how much you love music to share it with the musical world. Thank you so much,and at my elderly age,I’m still learning. Your work is a godsend to musicians that want to continuously improve. thank you.
In 9th grade (1996 to 1997),I was really becoming very good not just because I practiced all the time before during and after plus gigs lessons competing and someone who was and is much better than me…Matt M. He truly pushed me and forced me to become better than I truly honestly believed I could ever be. But I started hearing and feeling and playing these sounds phrases lines melodies more than when I was 7 years old. I or we (everyone reading this knows what I mean when I only call this “It”) rather all know this feeling I was 5-7 listening to my Dad’s band then sitting in from of the record player getting angry that I couldn’t play Sonny Stitt’s solo from “Sonny Side Up”on the tune “On A Slow Boat To China”. That is when I realized that I literally could live and I mean and you know how I feel.
But In 10th grade this amazing teacher
Tom B. who plays the Trombone (Dixieland) this man (along with Mom and Dad teacher at the the time (Tommy Tisd.) and my Dad and God and Jesus with so many others brought All Of Me into music.
But anyways I already played the Omnibook in all keys,I was working on John Coltrane…Locomtion,Moment’s Notice and Blue Trane or Train and Freight Trane. My Band teacher comes up to me and asks have you seen “Bird”long story short I rented it. And this sentence is going to be worth all your reading (Thank You).
I heard Bird play Cool Blues in the movie…I fell apart and could not stop crying because I heard and felt in the purest form…IT. When I heard Birds solo on this and later the same song Live At The High-Hat (on CD) with inversions (3rd) with the 6th,All the pain and suffering torcher,Depression anxiety Tourettes Syndrome Fear just bad…everything I forced myself to live with because I believed or I owe it to you was musicians NOT people that play music like Sangers/Singers or Dat Dere/That Their (We all are the first ones. I will say this here because you know what I mean.) And even just remembering it I am emotional because…it felt,no actually it feels like God came down and took my pain and suffering away in 1 moment.
Sorry I took so long to get the point.
The point is that with places and people like this and like you…I would not be here…I mean that.
I have done this to a couple people what you are about to read and it is so important and I cherish it…
Charlie Parker,Sonny Stitt and my Dad were the only ones that have ever given me the gift of making me cry. Thank God for my gift of music.
What you just read might have been long and emotional. I just needed to say how important it is that you believe that you one (I am still trying to get “IT”) day will I promise make these “Giant Steps”. Yes I meant to say what I said.
Thank you for this labour of love!
I have a novice question that I hope you can shed light on. Your Greek Hijaz scale differs from the scale shown in most Greek references which is:D Eb F# G A Bb C D
Even the Turkish Maqam Hijaz is the same. Yours is C Db E F G Ab Bb C and I cannot find any reference for this. Wikipedia says that some modes have alternatives and Hijaz is one of those. Can you please elaborate on whether your Hijaz is one of the alternatives? Thanks
hi Angela,thank for your nice words. About the Hijaz scale:with all those scales and modes,it is possible that at some point I made some confusion. Unluckily,I didn’t keep track of my sources,thus I cannot be sure that it was my mistake or someone else’s. Regardless of the origin,it looks like you are right. I will fix it in the next edition of the book. Thanks,Francesco