Three huge lists of scales with microtones

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Thousands of microtonal scales, sorted by size and tuning family, intervals listed in cents

Microtonal music — often called xenharmonic music — opens up a world far beyond the familiar 12 tones per octave of the piano. It embraces intervals smaller than a semitone, exotic tunings from history and world cultures, just intonation, equal divisions of the octave (EDOs), and countless experimental temperaments. For composers, theorists, and enthusiasts diving into this sonic frontier, having access to comprehensive scale libraries is essential.

Fortunately, three standout resources dominate the landscape for microtonal scales. Here’s a closer look at the biggest directories available today, plus an honourable mention for those sticking closer to conventional 12-tone equal temperament (12-EDO).

1. Xenharmonic Wiki — “Scales by Size” Library

Link: https://en.xen.wiki/w/Category:Scales_by_size

The Xenharmonic Wiki is the central online hub for everything xenharmonic, and its Category:Scales by Size stands out as one of the most organized and expansive collections of microtonal scales.

As the name suggests, scales here are primarily categorized by their cardinality — that is, the number of distinct notes per octave (from small pentatonics all the way up to massive scales with dozens or even hundreds of tones). This structure makes it incredibly useful for systematic exploration: want to compare all known 7-note scales in various tunings? Or browse exotic 13-note or 22-note constructions? This category has you covered.

The wiki’s community-driven nature means entries often include detailed descriptions, interval breakdowns, musical properties, historical context, and links to related temperaments or moments of symmetry (MOS) scales. It’s not just a raw list — it’s a living knowledge base with horagrams, step patterns, and analysis that help musicians understand why a scale sounds the way it does. For anyone serious about microtonal composition or theory, this categorized approach is a goldmine for discovery and inspiration.

2. Xenharmonic Wiki — “Lists of Scales” Library

Link: https://en.xen.wiki/w/Category:Lists_of_scale (often linked under broader “Lists” categories)

Complementing the “by size” organization is the wiki’s collection of Lists of Scales. This resource gathers curated or thematic lists that group scales in different ways — by tuning system (e.g., specific EDOs like 31-EDO or 22-EDO), by temperament family, by cultural or historical origin, or by structural properties like MOS scales, genera, or comma pumps.

While the exact number of entries evolves with community contributions, these lists provide targeted deep dives that the size-based category complements perfectly. You’ll find everything from exhaustive mode lists in a single EDO to overviews of scales sharing certain harmonic limits (5-limit, 7-limit, etc.).

Together with “Scales by Size,” the Xenharmonic Wiki offers a dynamic, interconnected web of resources that’s especially strong for theoretical understanding and creative navigation. It’s wiki-style, so pages are richly hyperlinked, often with audio examples, Scala files, and references to software tools.

3. Huygens-Fokker Foundation — Scala Scale Archive

Link: https://www.huygens-fokker.org/microtonality/scales.html Contents listing: https://www.huygens-fokker.org/docs/scalesdir.txt

If raw quantity and compatibility are what you need, the Huygens-Fokker Scala Scale Archive is legendary. Maintained by the Stichting Huygens-Fokker (home of the renowned Scala tuning software), this archive contains over 5,350 scalesas of version 94 (March 2026).

The scales come as individual .scl text files — the standard format for the Scala program — making them instantly usable in a wide range of microtonal software, synthesizers, and DAWs that support Scala import. The collection is incredibly diverse:

  • Historical keyboard temperaments (meantone, well-temperaments, Werckmeister, etc.)
  • Just intonation scales and subsets
  • Non-Western and ethnic scales (Arabic maqamat, Indian shrutis, gamelan, Byzantine, etc.)
  • Modern experimental temperaments and equal divisions
  • Ancient tunings and contemporary microtonal constructions

Each file includes a description line followed by the number of notes and pitch values (in ratios or cents). The entire archive downloads as a single zip file, and a detailed scalesdir.txt provides a flat listing with filenames, note counts, and short descriptions for quick browsing.

Collected primarily by John H. Chalmers and Manuel Op de Coul, this archive has been a cornerstone of the microtonal community for decades. It’s less about curated articles and more about a massive, practical repository — perfect for loading hundreds of tunings into your setup and experimenting directly.

Honourable Mention: The Biggest Library for Conventional (12-Tone) Scales

Ian Ring’s Scale Finder Link: https://ianring.com/musictheory/scales/finder/

While the above resources focus on microtones and xenharmony, if you’re working strictly within the 12 equal divisions of the octave (the standard piano keyboard), Ian Ring’s Scale Finder deserves recognition as the most comprehensive directory of “normal” scales.

It catalogs hundreds of scales and modes in 12-EDO — from familiar major/minor diatonic scales and their modes to exotic synthetic scales, pentatonics, hexatonics, and beyond. The tool features powerful search and filtering options, allowing you to find scales by interval structure, symmetry, or other properties. It’s beautifully designed for practical music theory work and serves as an excellent reference when you want to stay grounded in conventional harmony before venturing into microtonal territory.

How To Use These Resources

If you want help with understanding how to read the scale lists, or for any other questions about microtones, ask your question in one of these online communities:

To test drive a scale quickly in your Web browser and see how it sounds in different genres, try Scale Workshop: https://scaleworkshop.plainsound.org/

To import a microtonal scale into your DAW, try the popular Entonal Studio plugin: https://node.audio/products/entonal-studio

If you don’t want to use Entonal Studio, there are many other microtone plugins and other software available here: https://en.xen.wiki/w/List_of_music_software

For physical instruments, check out the Lumatone keyboard (https://www.lumatone.io/) and the Adjustable Microtonal Guitar (https://www.microtonalguitar.org/).

Happy tuning!



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