Filter Scales(modes) Based on the Key

I am hoping someone can help me out with a feature if it is available.

Here’s a scenario:
I want to create a song in Bb Major Key and want only want to see Major- Locrian(mode1-7) scales of that key.

When I use DETECT mode, it shows all possible scales- which is fantastic. But all the modes are out of order and there are many irrelevant scales that I don’t want to see. Is there a way to filter out all scales that I don’t want to see on the list?
Also, is there a way to put the modes in order on the list from mode 1-7. I noticed it’s all jumbled up. More of an OCD thing but if there’s a way id love to learn how.

Needing help with:
1, Filtering out unneeded scales in the detection tool
2. Filtering out scales that don’t match 7/7 notes from the detection (scales that are “6/7 notes” found or lower I’d like to omit from the search)
3. Put modes in order based on mode based on the Key

Hi @garth

I’m not sure if this answers your question but you say you are using DETECT mode and then want to

I assume that yo are detecting an audio loop.

The first point I would like to make is that Scaler tries to identify all the possible scales that can be used to harmonise the tune you have detected.

If you then want to force the harmony to a particular root and mode try clicking on the

SCALES button and typing the root note and mode into the search box

This will give you the variations on that mode based on your chosen root (in the example above I chose Bb Locrian). So you can filter out the unwanted scales.

Selecting a scale from this list will give you the scale notes in Section B

The second point is that where you say

and

I assume you are referring to the fact that the Aeolian mode is called the Minor scale and listed immediately below the Major Scale

I am not a member of the dev team but I guess it may have been done this way to make it easier for user who are not familir with the more advanced areas of music theory and understand modes.

Hope this helps

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This was somewhat helpful and thankyou for the thought out response!

Let’s use Bb Major Key for example:
The notes for that key are : Bb C D Eb F G A

I want to find the scales that follows that parameter and has 7/7 of those notes.
This would be:

*** Bb Major(I), **
*** C Dorian(ii), **
*** D Phrygian(iii), **
*** Eb Lydian (IV), **
*** F Mixol (V), **
*** G Minor (vi), **
*** A Locrian (vii)**

Currently, when I search Bb Major/Major Scale, only that Scale will show up and not the other 6 modes that are included in it. This I can understand because it is looking for Bb Major/Major Scale since I searched it. Therefore, Scaler is doing it’s job well.

But if there were a function to search Scales by Key it would be different.
If I were to search Bb Major/ Major Scale in a “Key” section it would show me all 7 modes for that Key.

Maybe in this situation I am hoping they add this feature. It seems like such a simple and intuitive feature to add- To search scales by Key.

Don’t you mean Modes? All those you listed are modes. It would be nice to see the different modes that share the same notes.

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This is the old problem of whether to think about scales / modes from a derivative or parallel perspective. At the moment the list is organised on a parallel basis i.e. key. so right now you get all parallel modes for a key.

I think what you are looking for is the ability to define a root note for the first degree of a scale and get all modes which share the notes of a diatonic scale built on those notes and, as @jamie indicated, and get all modes thereof.

I suspect musicians sometimes like to think in parallel terms, as that make modal interchange easier; A guitarist knows that to move from C major to C Lydian he just raises the 4th.

Some thought would have to be given to how the matching was done, for example both C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic contain notes from C Ionian; a Blues scale variant is a C major plus a flat 5. So would the matching be based on exactly the same notes or if another scales was a sub-set or a super set ?

However, having said all that, I think your suggestion is good, and it would be nice to have the choice of order that the scales / modes were presented.

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Good suggestion, filter by modes. Added to the roadmap thanks for feedback.

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