Music theory games > Lessons > Pitch of sounds > Scales

Scales

A scale is a sequence of music notes ordered by pitch.

A scale can be composed by 5, 6, 7 or less or more pitches.

There is a lot of kinds of scales, but on this page we will learn knowledge about major scales, minor scales and chromatic scale.

Major scale

A major scale is always composed by this sequence of whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones ):


for :

1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 half step / 1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 half step

abbreviation: W / W / H / W / W / W / H

for :

1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 semitone / 1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 semitone

abbreviation: T / T / S / T / T / T / S

Examples of major scales:

C major scale:

D major scale:

Minor scales

For each minor scales, there are different kinds of minor scales:

- The natural minor scale
- The harmonic minor scale
- The ascending melodic minor scale
- The descending melodic minor scale (is the same as the natural minor scale)

The natural minor scale

A natural minor scale scale is always composed by this sequence of whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones ):

1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step
W / H / W / W / H / W / W

1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone / 1 tone
T / S / T / T / S / T / T

The harmonic minor scale

A harmonic minor scale scale is always composed by this sequence of whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones ):


1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 half step / 1,5 whole step / 1 half step
W / H / W / W / H / 1,5 W / H

1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 semitone / 1,5 tone / 1 semitone
T / S / T / T / S / 1,5 T / S

If you raise by 1 semitone the degree VII of the natural minor scale, you obtain the minor harmonic scale.

The minor harmonic scale will be used to write chords. As it sounds oriental, the minor harmonic scale will not be used for melodies (excepted if you want to write some music that sounds like oriental music).
For melodies, composers will use the ascending melodic minor scale and the descending melodic minor scale.

The ascending melodic minor scale

An ascending melodic minor scale is always composed by this sequence of whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones ):

1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 half step
W / H / W / W / W / W / H

1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 semitone
T / S / T / T / T / T / S

If you raise by 1 semitone the degree VI and the degree VII of the natural minor scale, you obtain the ascending melodic minor scale.

The descending melodic minor scale

A descending melodic minor scale is always composed by this sequence of whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones ):

1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step / 1 whole step / 1 half step / 1 whole step
W / W / H / W / W / H / W

1 tone / 1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone / 1 tone / 1 semitone / 1 tone
T / T / S / T / T / S / T

The descending melodic minor scale is the same as the natural minor scale.

Chromatic scale

The chromatic scale is composed by a succession of half steps (semitones ):

Ascending chromatic scale

Descending chromatic scale

Scale Degrees

The notes of major and minor scales have specific names to identify them, they are called scale degrees. Scale degrees have a number and a name.

The names of the Scale Degrees are:

- Tonic
- Supertonic
- Mediant
- Subdominant
- Dominant
- Submediant
- Leading Tone or subtonic

Example with C major scale:



If there is seventh major between degree I and degree VI, the degree VII is called Leading Tone
If there is seventh minor between degree I and degree VI, the degree VII is called subtonic

In other way:

If the seventh note is a semitone below the tonic, it is called a Leading Tone
If the seventh note is a tone below the tonic, it is called a subtonic

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Others articles from this category:

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External links :

1 - https://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory8.htm
2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(music)

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