Scales ♯♭

Scales

Scales are a selection of notes from within an octave. They can be named based on the number of notes (for example a pentatonic scale contains 5 notes), or based on the intervals they contain (for example diatonic scale).

Key vs Scale

Key and scale are not the same thing. The key of a piece of music refers to its tonal centre - the musical sense of gravity which is often but not always the same as the root note of the scale used.

Types of Scale

Diatonic Scale

The Diatonic scale is the most standard scale in Western music and consists of seven notes distributed by five tones and two semitones, effectively matching the distribution of the white keys on a keyboard. The scale can further be broken into seven modes of Diatonic scale, each starting on a different note of the scale, meaning each maintains the same distribution and same order, but start from a different place.

• Ionian (Major) TTSTTTS
• Dorian
• Phrygian
• Lydian
• Mixolydian (Dominant)
• Phrygian
• Aeolian (Natural Minor)
• Locrian

Chromatic Scale

The Chromatic scale is the 12 notes making up an octave in Western music, each separated by a semitone (half-step). This is effectively the same as every key on a keyboard.

Tonic

The tonic is the root note of a scale - the point at which the scale begins. This is not the same as the root note of a chord which is called the _root, _however a chord in I position will have the same root as the root note of the scale.

Intervals

Types of interval

• Horizontal (melodic) intervals are separated by time.
• Vertical (harmonic) intervals are simultaneous.

Qualities

The distances between notes of a scale have their own names. They are named after their position in the scale, _not _the number of semitones between them. The names of intervals can have an enharmonic equivalent.

Major / Perfect

• 0 (same note) Perfect Unison / Prime
• 2 Major Second
• 4 Major Third
• 5 Perfect Fourth
• 7 Perfect Fifth (Dominant)
• 9 Major Sixth
• 11 Major Seventh
• 12 (one octave) Perfect Octave / Major Eighth

Minor

If major intervals are lowered by a semitone, they become minor intervals:

• 1 Minor Second
• 3 Minor Third
• 8 Minor Sixth
• 10 Minor Seventh

Diminished

If perfect or minor intervals are lowered by a semitone, they become diminished:

Perfect

• 6 Diminished Fifth Tritone
• 4 Diminished Fourth (Same as Major Third)

Minor

• 0 Diminished Second (Same as Perfect Unison)
• 2 Diminished Third (Same as Major Second)
• 7 Diminished Sixth (Same as Perfect Fifth)
• 9 Diminished Seventh (Same as Major Sixth)

Augmented

If a perfect or major interval is raised by a semitone.

• 1 Augmented Unison / Prime (Same as a Minor Second)
• 3 Augmented Second (Same as a Minor Third)
• 5 Augmented Third (Same as a Perfect Fourth)
• 6 Augmented Fourth (Same as a Diminished Fifth)
• 8 Augmented Fifth (Same as a Minor Sixth)
• 10 Augmented Sixth (Same as a Minor Seventh)
• 12 Augmented Seventh (Same as an Octave)
• 13 Augmented Octave / Eighth

Major

Minor

Relative Scales

Every major scale has a relative minor and every minor scale has a relative major.

• A major scale's relative minor is 3 semitones below the root note.
• A minor scale's relative major is 3 semitones above the root note.

C = Am

D = Bm

E = C♯

F = C

G = Em

A = C♯

B = G♯