Same notes as:
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
About the Major scale
The major scale is the reference most other scales are measured against. In C it is the white keys from C to C. Heinrich Glarean included Ionian in his expanded system of church modes in his 1547 treatise Dodecachordon.
What makes it sound the way it does
The 3rd, 6th and 7th are all major. The 7th sits a half step below the root, which pulls strongly back home.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole
About the Natural Minor scale
Natural minor is the sixth mode of the major scale: A natural minor uses the same notes as C major. Glarean included it as Aeolian in the same 1547 treatise.
What makes it sound the way it does
Compared with major, the 3rd, 6th and 7th are flattened. With no half step below the root, the pull back home is weaker than in major.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, whole, half, 1½, half
About the Harmonic Minor scale
Harmonic minor is natural minor with the 7th raised a half step. The name comes from harmony: the raised 7th turns the minor v chord into a major V, which resolves to the root chord as strongly as in a major key.
What makes it sound the way it does
The gap between the ♭6 and the raised 7th is three half steps. That wide step is what gives the scale its distinctive, exotic leap.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half
About the Melodic Minor scale
In classical theory, melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th going up and falls back to natural minor coming down, to avoid the wide leap of harmonic minor. Modern theory uses the rising form in both directions, sometimes called jazz minor. That is the form shown here.
What makes it sound the way it does
The bottom half is minor and the top half matches the major scale. It keeps the minor 3rd but drops natural minor's ♭6 and ♭7.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, half, 1½, half
About the Harmonic Major scale
Harmonic major is the major scale with a flattened 6th. It mirrors harmonic minor: one changes a single note of natural minor, the other a single note of major.
What makes it sound the way it does
The ♭6 turns the IV chord minor and creates the same three-half-step gap as harmonic minor, between the ♭6 and the 7th.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole
About the Dorian scale
Dorian is the second mode of the major scale. Played on the white keys alone, it runs from D to D. In medieval church music it was the first mode. The name comes from the Dorians of ancient Greece, but like the other mode names it doesn't match the original Greek scale.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's natural minor with a raised 6th. The major 6th makes the IV chord major, which gives Dorian a brighter kind of minor.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole, whole
About the Phrygian scale
Phrygian is the third mode of the major scale. Played on the white keys alone, it runs from E to E. The name comes from Phrygia, a region of ancient Anatolia. Medieval theorists borrowed the Greek names for the church modes but didn't match them to the original Greek scales, so today's Phrygian isn't the scale the ancient Greeks meant. In medieval church music it was the third mode.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's natural minor with one change: the 2nd is flattened. That half step right above the root gives a major chord one half step above the home chord, and moving between those two chords is the most recognisable Phrygian sound.
Steps: Whole, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half
About the Lydian scale
Lydian is the fourth mode of the major scale. Played on the white keys alone, it runs from F to F. The name refers to Lydia, a kingdom of ancient Anatolia. In medieval church music it was the fifth mode.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's major with a raised 4th. The ♯4 sits a tritone above the root and makes the II chord major.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole
About the Mixolydian scale
Mixolydian is the fifth mode of the major scale. Played on the white keys alone, it runs from G to G. In medieval church music it was the seventh mode.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's major with a flattened 7th. The ♭7 gives a major chord a whole step below the root (♭VII), and the root chord becomes a dominant 7th when extended.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole
About the Locrian scale
Locrian is the seventh mode of the major scale. Played on the white keys alone, it runs from B to B. It is the only mode of the major scale whose root chord is diminished, so older theorists treated it as theoretical and it was rarely used as a home key.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has both a ♭2 and a ♭5. The ♭5 makes the root chord diminished, giving the scale an unstable, unresolved quality.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, whole, whole, half, whole
About the Dorian ♭2 scale
The second mode of melodic minor. It is also called Phrygian ♮6, because it sits between Dorian and Phrygian.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has Phrygian's ♭2 and Dorian's major 6th.
Steps: Whole, whole, whole, whole, half, whole, half
About the Lydian Augmented scale
The third mode of melodic minor.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Lydian with a raised 5th as well as a raised 4th, so the root chord is augmented.
Steps: Whole, whole, whole, half, whole, half, whole
About the Lydian Dominant scale
The fourth mode of melodic minor. It is also called the acoustic or overtone scale, because its notes are close to the first notes of the natural harmonic series.
What makes it sound the way it does
It combines Lydian's ♯4 with Mixolydian's ♭7. The root chord is a dominant 7th with a ♯11 on top.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, half, whole, whole
About the Mixolydian ♭6 scale
The fifth mode of melodic minor. It is also called Aeolian dominant, and the Hindu scale in some Western scale books.
What makes it sound the way it does
The bottom half is major, with a major 3rd. The top half matches natural minor, with a ♭6 and ♭7.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, half, whole, whole, whole
About the Locrian ♮2 scale
The sixth mode of melodic minor. It is also called the half-diminished scale, because its root chord is a half-diminished 7th (m7♭5).
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Locrian with a natural 2nd. That softens Locrian's darkest note while keeping the ♭5.
Steps: Half, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, whole
About the Altered scale
The seventh mode of melodic minor. It is also called Super Locrian or the diminished whole-tone scale. In jazz harmony it is paired with dominant 7th chords, because it contains every altered tension: ♭9, ♯9, ♯11 and ♭13.
What makes it sound the way it does
Apart from the root, the 3rd (written ♭4) and the ♭7, every note is altered.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, half, 1½, half, whole
About the Locrian ♮6 scale
The second mode of harmonic minor.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Locrian with a natural 6th. The root chord is still diminished.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, 1½, half, whole, half
About the Ionian ♯5 scale
The third mode of harmonic minor, also called Ionian augmented.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's major with a raised 5th, so the root chord is augmented.
Steps: Whole, half, 1½, half, whole, half, whole
About the Ukrainian Dorian scale
The fourth mode of harmonic minor, also called Dorian ♯4. It appears in Eastern European folk music, and the Jewish prayer mode Mi Sheberach uses the same intervals.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Dorian with a raised 4th. The three-half-step gap sits between the ♭3 and the ♯4.
Steps: Half, 1½, half, whole, half, whole, whole
About the Phrygian Dominant scale
The fifth mode of harmonic minor. It is also called Spanish Phrygian, and in Jewish music it is the Ahava Rabbah mode, also known as Freygish.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Phrygian with a major 3rd. The gap from the ♭2 to the 3rd is three half steps, and the root chord is major.
Steps: 1½, half, whole, half, whole, whole, half
About the Lydian ♯2 scale
The sixth mode of harmonic minor.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Lydian with a raised 2nd. The ♯2 and the major 3rd sit a half step apart, so the scale holds the sound of both 3rds.
Steps: Half, whole, half, whole, whole, half, 1½
About the Ultralocrian scale
The seventh mode of harmonic minor, also called Super Locrian ♭♭7.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's the altered scale with a double-flat 7th, which sounds the same as a major 6th. The root chord is a diminished 7th.
Steps: Whole, whole, 1½, whole, 1½
About the Major Pentatonic scale
Five notes: the major scale without its 4th and 7th. Pentatonic scales grew up independently in music all over the world, from East Asia to West Africa to Scotland.
What makes it sound the way it does
Dropping the 4th and 7th removes every half step, giving the scale an open sound with very little tension between its notes.
Steps: 1½, whole, whole, 1½, whole
About the Minor Pentatonic scale
The same five notes as the major pentatonic, started from its 6th: A minor pentatonic uses the same notes as C major pentatonic.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's natural minor without the 2nd and the ♭6. With no half steps, every note sits comfortably over the root chord.
Steps: Whole, 1½, whole, 1½, whole
About the Egyptian scale
Also called the suspended pentatonic. It's the major pentatonic started from its 2nd note.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has no 3rd, so it is neither major nor minor. The chords it holds are mostly sus chords.
Steps: Whole, whole, 1½, 1½, whole
About the Dominant Pentatonic scale
A five-note scale made from the notes of a dominant 7th chord plus the 2nd.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's the major pentatonic with the 6th swapped for a ♭7.
Steps: 1½, whole, half, half, 1½, whole
About the Blues scale
The minor pentatonic with one added note, the ♭5, often called the blue note.
What makes it sound the way it does
The ♭5 sits between the 4th and the 5th, a half step from each, and works as a passing note between them.
Steps: Whole, half, half, 1½, whole, 1½
About the Major Blues scale
The major pentatonic with an added ♭3. It uses the same notes as the minor blues scale started from its ♭3.
What makes it sound the way it does
The ♭3 sits a half step under the major 3rd, so the scale holds both 3rds.
Steps: Whole, half, 2 whole, half, 2 whole
About the Hirajoshi scale
A Japanese pentatonic scale associated with koto tuning. Sources give slightly different versions; this is the one most common in Western references.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has two half steps, from the 2nd to the ♭3 and from the 5th to the ♭6, separated by wide gaps.
Steps: Half, 2 whole, whole, 1½, whole
About the In Sen scale
A Japanese pentatonic scale. Kumoi uses the same five intervals, started from a different note.
What makes it sound the way it does
A ♭2 sits right above the root and there is no 3rd, followed by a wide gap up to the 4th.
Steps: Half, 2 whole, half, 2 whole, whole
About the Iwato scale
A Japanese pentatonic scale. It uses the same intervals as Hirajoshi, started from Hirajoshi's 2nd note.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a ♭2 and a ♭5 but no 3rd and no perfect 5th, so the root has no stable chord.
Steps: Whole, half, 2 whole, whole, 1½
About the Kumoi scale
A Japanese pentatonic scale. It uses the same intervals as In Sen, started from In Sen's ♭7.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a minor 3rd and a major 6th, no 4th or 7th, and a single half step between the 2nd and the ♭3.
Steps: Whole, 1½, whole, whole, 1½
About the Yo scale
A Japanese pentatonic scale used in folk song. It has the same notes as the major pentatonic, started from its 4th note.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has no 3rd and no half steps.
Steps: Half, whole, 2 whole, half, 2 whole
About the Pelog scale
Pelog is a tuning system of Indonesian gamelan, and its intervals don't match Western tuning. The five-note version here is a common Western approximation.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has two half steps, from the root to the ♭2 and from the 5th to the ♭6, with a wide gap between the ♭3 and the 5th.
Steps: 2 whole, whole, half, 2 whole, half
About the Chinese scale
Western scale books often list this five-note scale as "Chinese", but the name is a loose label rather than a specific traditional scale.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a major 3rd, ♯4, 5th and major 7th, with half steps from the ♯4 to the 5th and from the 7th up to the root.
Steps: Half, 1½, half, whole, half, 1½, half
About the Double Harmonic scale
Called Byzantine in many Western scale books. It has the same notes as Bhairav, one of the parent scales (thaats) of North Indian classical music, and is close to the Arabic maqam Hijaz Kar.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has two gaps of three half steps, from the ♭2 to the 3rd and from the ♭6 to the 7th, so its lower and upper halves are built the same way.
Steps: Whole, half, 1½, half, half, 1½, half
About the Hungarian Minor scale
Also called double harmonic minor. The name comes from its association with 19th-century Hungarian-style music.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's harmonic minor with a raised 4th, giving two gaps of three half steps: from the ♭3 to the ♯4 and from the ♭6 to the 7th.
Steps: 1½, half, whole, half, whole, half, whole
About the Hungarian Major scale
A seven-note scale with a raised 2nd, a raised 4th and a flat 7th.
What makes it sound the way it does
It opens with a three-half-step gap from the root to the ♯2, then a half step up to the major 3rd, so it holds the sound of both 3rds.
Steps: Whole, half, 1½, half, half, whole, whole
About the Gypsy Minor scale
Names vary between books: some use "Gypsy" for this scale and others for Hungarian minor.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's natural minor with a raised 4th, which puts a three-half-step gap between the ♭3 and the ♯4.
Steps: Half, 1½, half, half, whole, 1½, half
About the Persian scale
A Western scale-book label for this set of intervals, not a specific mode of Persian classical music.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a ♭2, major 3rd, 4th, ♭5, ♭6 and major 7th. There is no perfect 5th.
Steps: Half, 1½, half, half, 1½, half, whole
About the Oriental scale
Another Western scale-book label. It starts like Phrygian dominant (root, ♭2, 3rd, 4th) but continues differently.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a ♭5 in place of the 5th, followed by a major 6th and ♭7.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, half, whole, whole, whole
About the Arabic scale
Also called Major Locrian. "Arabic" is a loose scale-book label; Arabic music is built on maqamat, which this scale doesn't represent.
What makes it sound the way it does
The bottom half is major (2nd, 3rd, 4th) and the top half matches Locrian (♭5, ♭6, ♭7). From the 3rd upward it runs mostly in whole steps.
Steps: Half, 1½, whole, whole, whole, half, half
About the Enigmatic scale
The "scala enigmatica" was published as a puzzle in an Italian music journal in the late 19th century. Giuseppe Verdi harmonised it in his Ave Maria, later part of his Quattro pezzi sacri.
What makes it sound the way it does
After the ♭2 it climbs in whole steps from the 3rd to the ♯6, then a half step to the 7th and another back to the root.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, whole, half, 1½, half
About the Neapolitan Minor scale
Harmonic minor with a ♭2. It is named after the Neapolitan chord, the major chord built on the ♭2, which is associated with 17th- and 18th-century composers in Naples.
What makes it sound the way it does
The 7th and the ♭2 sit a half step either side of the root.
Steps: Half, whole, whole, whole, whole, whole, half
About the Neapolitan Major scale
Melodic minor (rising form) with a ♭2.
What makes it sound the way it does
It starts dark, with a ♭2 and ♭3, and ends bright, with a major 6th and 7th.
Steps: Half, whole, 1½, half, half, 1½, half
About the Todi scale
One of the ten thaats (parent scales) of North Indian classical music, as classified by V. N. Bhatkhande in the early 20th century. A raga is defined by more than its notes (its phrases, ornaments and emphasis), so this shows the note set only.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a flat 2nd, 3rd and 6th, a sharp 4th, and a natural 5th and 7th.
Steps: Half, 1½, whole, half, half, 1½, half
About the Purvi scale
One of the ten thaats of North Indian classical music, in Bhatkhande's classification.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a ♭2, ♯4 and ♭6 around a major 3rd and major 7th.
Steps: Half, 1½, whole, half, whole, whole, half
About the Marwa scale
One of the ten thaats of North Indian classical music, in Bhatkhande's classification. Raga Marwa itself leaves out the 5th, but the thaat that carries its name includes it.
What makes it sound the way it does
It's Lydian with a ♭2: a ♭2 and ♯4 with a major 3rd, 6th and 7th.
Steps: Whole, whole, whole, whole, whole, whole
About the Whole Tone scale
Six notes, each a whole step apart. Because every note can act as the root, only two different whole-tone scales exist. Claude Debussy used it widely.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has no half steps and no perfect 5th, and every triad in it is augmented.
Steps: 1½, half, 1½, half, 1½, half
About the Augmented scale
A six-note symmetric scale that alternates minor 3rds and half steps. It is two augmented triads a half step apart, so only four different versions exist.
What makes it sound the way it does
It holds a major and a minor triad on each of three roots a major 3rd apart.
Steps: Whole, half, whole, half, whole, half, whole, half
About the Diminished (Whole–Half) scale
An eight-note scale alternating whole and half steps, also called the octatonic scale. Olivier Messiaen listed it as his second mode of limited transposition, and only three different versions exist.
What makes it sound the way it does
The pattern repeats every minor 3rd, and the root chord is a diminished 7th.
Steps: Half, whole, half, whole, half, whole, half, whole
About the Diminished (Half–Whole) scale
The same eight-note pattern started with a half step. In jazz it is often called the dominant diminished scale.
What makes it sound the way it does
Over the root it holds a ♭9, ♯9, major 3rd, ♯11, 5th, 13th and ♭7.
Steps: Whole, whole, whole, 1½, half, whole
About the Prometheus scale
Named after Alexander Scriabin's Prometheus: The Poem of Fire (1910), which is built around his "mystic chord".
What makes it sound the way it does
It climbs in whole steps from the root to the ♯4, then jumps to the 6th and ♭7. There is no perfect 5th.
Steps: Half, 1½, whole, half, 1½, whole
About the Tritone scale
Six notes made from two major triads a tritone apart, such as C major and F♯ major.
What makes it sound the way it does
Moving it up a tritone gives the same notes, so only six different versions exist.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half, half, half
About the Bebop Dominant scale
Mixolydian with an added major 7th as a passing note. Jazz educator David Baker named and taught the bebop scales, after the players who used these lines.
What makes it sound the way it does
The extra note makes eight notes per octave. In a stepwise eighth-note run that starts on a chord tone on the beat, the 1, 3, 5 and ♭7 fall on the beats.
Steps: Whole, whole, half, whole, half, half, whole, half
About the Bebop Major scale
The major scale with an added ♭6 as a passing note.
What makes it sound the way it does
In a stepwise eighth-note run that starts on a chord tone on the beat, the notes of the major 6th chord (1, 3, 5, 6) fall on the beats.
Steps: Whole, half, half, half, whole, whole, half, whole
About the Bebop Minor scale
Dorian with an added major 3rd as a passing note, also called the Dorian bebop scale. Some books use the name for a different eight-note minor scale.
What makes it sound the way it does
The added major 3rd sits a half step above the ♭3, between it and the 4th.
Steps: Half, whole, half, half, half, whole, whole, whole
About the Spanish 8-Tone scale
An eight-note scale built from Phrygian that holds both a minor and a major 3rd.
What makes it sound the way it does
It has a ♭2, both 3rds and a ♭5 in place of the perfect 5th, so it is tightly packed with half steps.
