Hello- like most of us I am currently waiting release of Scaler 2 but still using previous vrs 1 (not vrs 1.8). I have noticed certain omissions in Scaler 1. The Dorian b5 I is almost a Blues Scale except for the omission of a V. The Dorian b5 is based upon the 2nd mode of a Harmonic Major Scale with a flattened 6th degree. The traditional blues scale is almost that but is in reality an adaptation of the Pentatonic minor scale with an added b5 in addition to the naturally occurring 5 of the pentatonic minor… It because it most likely that the scale we know as the Blues Scale occurred through intuitive usage rather than as planned scale or mode of an already existing scale. Scaler 1 has seemed to take the orthodox appraoch and ignoed the Blues Scale as being a true scale and there would be good reason for this approach. However the Blues Scale is an important part of modern music and has informed both Rock and Blues music where it continues to be used and useful. Despite it not being a true scale as such I believe that it still deserves to be included and can be helpful when improvising against Blues and Rock chord changes… Scaler 1 included other pentatonic scales so why not include a hexatonic scale as well? Or give us the opportunity to create new scales or alter existing ones to meet the exact requirements. At this moment in time I am not clear whether or not a serious Blues Scale has been included in vrs 2 but if not this would be a way to get one. Omission of a working Blues Scale was a glaring omission in Scaler 1 since it is used so frequently in music of a Rock / Blues genre. Not having it makes Scaler 1 less functional & less useful than it might have been. A Blues Scale opens up the possibility of mixing major & minor tonalities to a degree without having to amalgamate multiple scales. The Harmonic Major was included in Scaler 1 but there is no real advantage to deriving modes from it such as the dorian b5 because without inclusion of the V note it has no real blues appeal or blues context to operate in. The relationship between the 3 notes of IV, bV and the V immediately establish the Blues genre and give the Blues Scale it’s focus. There is considerable advantage of having the V rather than the VI note in a Blues Scale rather than the mode resulting from a harmonic major scale. The harmonic major gives a result which is close but not quite there because it prevents you from making the bIII into a major chord and also prevents the formation of chords being constructed on the V. Being too pedantic about whether or not a scale is a true scale has not stopped the growth and recognition of Blues based music just because it cannot be traced to whether or not the scales used in Blues are what we would consider to be recognised as a true scale in the sense of Western musical tastes and values…
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Hmm interesting, I am not in front if Scaler right now but will chat with the team. Can’t see why we can’t include Hexatonic and Heptatonic. As for inputting your own scales not as easy as it sounds given the complex ecosystem but something we are looking into. I know I wanted to do so whilst writing music in Saudi Arabia!!!
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Here’s another vote for some blues scale capability. This may require a rethink of how some things are calculated.
If you are going to add Hexatonic and Heptatonic, please also consider Octatonic scale.
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