The Messiaen M3 Scale

C  |  D |  G  |  A

  • Formula: 1 - 2 - b3 - 3 - #4 - 5 - b6 - b7 - 7
  • This scale is #10 on Allan Holdsworth's list of "10 most useable scales". 
  • French composer Olivier Messiaen in his book La technique de mon langage musical ("The Technique of my Musical Language"), presented this scale as the third of seven "Modes of Limited Transposition" (Wikipedia). Thus, it may be commonly referred to as the 'M3'.
  • This scale was also a defining part of the musical language of composer-pianist Alexander Tcherepnin, and because of this it also came to be known as the "Tcherepnin scale", particularly because famous author-composer Nicolas Slonimsky named it thus in his 1968 book Alexander Tcherepnin Septuagenarian (pg. 19–20). 
  • Messiaen Mode 3 - Key of C
  • Messiaen Mode 3 - Key of D
  • Messiaen Mode 3 - Key of G
  • Messiaen Mode 3 - Key of A
  • Rick Beato on the Modes of Limited Transposition.

Nelson Veras Clinic - Messiaen Modes

Nelson on Messiaen mode 3

Nelson toying w/ Messiaen mode