About the A Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths)
The A quartal scale is a 6-note scale. Built on stacking perfect fourths, modern jazz sound (So What, Herbie Hancock). Its notes are A, D, G, C, F and A#, built from the formula 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2.
- Notes
- A – D – G – C – F – A#
- Formula
- 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2
- Steps
- 5–5–-7–5–-7–11
- Root
- A
A Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths) degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Root |
| 4 | D | Perfect 4th |
| ♭7 | G | Minor 7th |
| ♭3 | C | Minor 3rd |
| ♭6 | F | Minor 6th |
| ♭2 | A# | Minor 2nd |
Where to play the A Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths) on bass
Frets 0–12 in standard tuning (E A D G), lowest string first. Root notes (A) are highlighted; the pattern repeats from the 12th fret up.
| String | Frets |
|---|---|
| E1 | 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 |
| A1 | 0, 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 |
| D2 | 0, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 |
| G2 | 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 |
How to practice the quartal scale
- Practice voicings stacking 4ths on each string set
- Use over sus4, m7, and m11 chords
- Work on McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock-style comping
- Try parallel quartal movement up/down the neck
- Great for modal jazz and open, ambiguous harmonies
Scales with the same notes as A Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths)
These scales share every note with the A quartal scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Quartal scale in other keys
Other scales in A
- A Minor Pentatonic
- A Major Pentatonic
- A Mixolydian Pentatonic
- A Natural Minor
- A Major (Ionian)
- A Blues
- A Dorian
- A Mixolydian
- A Phrygian
- A Harmonic Minor
- A Lydian
- A Locrian
- A Diminished (Half-Whole)
- A Diminished (Whole-Half)
- A Whole Tone
- A Augmented (Hexatonic)
- A Altered (Super Locrian)
- A Phrygian Dominant
- A Lydian Dominant
- A Mixolydian ♭6 (Hindu)
- A Bebop Dominant
- A Quartal Minor (Stacked 4ths)