Scales

are collections of notes arranged in patterns of half-steps, whole-steps, or other intervals. Composers and
improvisers use scales as pitch resources in their music. They choose specific scales and choose notes from
those scales to form melodies and harmonies in their music.

An example of a scale is a Major Scale. A major scale has the following arrangement of half-steps (H) and
whole-steps (W):

W-W-H-W-W-W-H


If we start this pattern on the note D we get a D Major scale: D, E, F-sharp, G, A, B, C-sharp, D.


This is just one of the many possible scales but all scales work in the same way.
List of Scales:
Chromatic scale
A Chromatic Scale is a scale that is made of only half-steps (H):

H-H-H-H-H-H, etc.

The Chromatic Scale starting on D is: D, D-sharp, E, F, F-sharp, G, G-sharp, A, A-sharp, B, C, C-sharp,
D. (If we choose to go down the scale we use flats instead: D, D-flat, C, B, B-flat, A, A-flat, G, G-flat,
F, E, E-flat, D).








Major scale
A Major Scale is a scale that has the following pattern of whole-steps (W) and half-steps (H):
W-W-H-W-W-W-H

Here is a Major scale starting on E:



Minor scales
There are three types of Minor Scales: Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor.

Natural Minor

The Natural Minor scale has the following pattern of half-steps (H) and whole-steps (W):

W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Here is a Natural Minor scale starting on F:



Harmonic Minor

The Harmonic Minor scale has the following pattern of half-steps, whole-steps and one augmented second
(A2):

W-H-W-W-H-A2-H




Here is a Harmonic Minor scale starting on F:


Melodic Minor

The Melodic Minor scale is different because when we go up the scale we use one pattern and when we go
down the scale we use another.

The ascending pattern is: W-H-W-W-W-W-H

The descending pattern is the Natural Minor Scale: W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Here are the ascending and descending patterns for the Melodic Minor scale starting on F:


Pentatonic scales
Pentatonic Scales are scales that have five notes. There are many possible Pentatonic scales but the most
common ones are the "Major" Pentatonic and the "Minor" Pentatonic.

The "Major" Pentatonic scale has this interval pattern:
M2-M2-m3-M2-m3

The "Minor" Pentatonic scale has this interval pattern:
m3-M2-M2-m3-M2


If you play only the black keys of a keyboard you are playing a pentatonic scale.


Whole-tone scale
A Whole-Tone Scale is a scale made entirely of whole-steps and has only six notes.

The pattern for a whole-tone scale is easy to remember because it consists only of whole-steps (W):
W-W-W-W-W-W
A whole-tone scale starting on D-flat:


Octatonic scale
The Octatonic Scale is a scale that has eight notes and is constructed from alternating half-steps (H) and whole-
steps (W).

H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W


Here is an example of a Octatonic Scale starting on D: