Octatonic Scale

Octatonic Scale

Scale Musical Scale Non-Diatonic Scale Whole Tone Scale Chromatic Scale

The octatonic scale contains eight notes per octave and is built from alternating **whole and half steps**.

Variants

• **Half-Whole**: H–W–H–W–H–W–H–W
• **Whole-Half**: W–H–W–H–W–H–W–H

Example (Half-Whole from C)

C – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G – A – A♯ – C

Characteristics

• Highly symmetrical
• No clear tonal center
• Used by composers like Stravinsky and jazz players like Coltrane

See also

• Whole Tone Scale
• Chromatic Scale
• Non-Diatonic Scale