A List of Musical
Scales
Here you'll find a list of musical scales. This page
focuses on the ones that you will most often come
across - especially if you're a piano player. This list
focuses on the
more traditional scales -
major
and minor. Also included on this page is the
chromatic scale.
The list of musical scales has
2
main headings. 1) The
Major
Scale and 2)
The
Minor
Scales - of which there are 3. On this page I'll be
explaining the scales in terms of the space between notes - whole-tones
and semi-tones.
A whole-tone
(WT) is 2 semi-tones. On the piano it's like skipping a
black
note when going to the next white note.
A semi-tone (ST) is the very
next
note, either up or down. On the piano this usually means
going from a
white key to the very next black key - like a sharp of a flat. For
example, a whole-tone from C is D or Bb. A semi-tone from C is C# or B.
The Major Scale
The
major scale
is the
most
common of all scales. The
key
signatures are based on major keys and major scales. The
scale is basically a collection of tones you play in order for it to
sound the same way every time.
Here are
the whole-tones
(WT) and semi-tones (ST) that make up the major scale:
Root – WT – WT –
ST – WT – WT – WT –ST (Root)
Here's an example:
Root
- C – WT
- D – WT
- E – ST
- F – WT
- G – WT
- A – WT
- B –ST
- C - (Root)
C Major Scale
Minor Scales
In our list of musical scales, we have 3 types of minor scales:
1) The
Natural Minor Scale; 2) The Harmonic Minor Scale; and 3) The Melodic
Minor
Scale. They each have something slightly different.
To
see all the minor scales, click here.
Natural
Minor Scale
The natural minor scale is a played according to it's key signature.
You don't change the notes at all. This is why it's called the
natural
minor scale. The pattern of whole-tones (WT) and semi-tones (ST) goes
like this:
Root - WT -
ST - WT - WT - ST - WT - WT (Root)
For example in A natural minor scale we have:
Root - A -
WT - B -
ST - C -
WT - D - WT - E -
ST - F -
WT - G -
WT - A
(Root)
A Natural
Minor Scale
Harmonic Minor Scale
The next in our list of musical scales is the harmonic minor scale. It
is almost the same as the natural minor only with one difference. It
includes an accidental on the 7th
note.
The accidental in the harmonic minor scale is a sharp.
You must make the 7th note higher
by one semi-tone. So for example, instead of G, you make
the note G#. You play the 7th note raised when you are
going up the scale
(ascending)
and when
you are
going down
(descending).
The pattern of whole-tones and semi-tones goes like this:
Root - WT -
ST - WT - WT - ST - 3ST - ST (Root)
For example in A natural minor scale we have:
Root - A -
WT - B -
ST - C -
WT - D -
WT - E -
ST - F -
3ST - G# -
ST - A
(Root)
A Minor Harmonic
Scale
Melodic Minor Scale
The last of the minor scales in our list of musical scales is the
melodic minor scale. It's the most complicated of all the minor scales.
There are
accidentals
and they
change going up
and going
down.
When going up (
ascending)
in the melodic minor scale, you must
raise the 6th and 7th notes.
You need to make them sharp. When going down (
descending), you
lower the 6th and 7th notes
so that it's the same as the natural minor scale.
So for example, in A Melodic Minor Scale, you change F to F# and G to
G# going up. Then when you go down, you change them back to F and G.
Here's the pattern of whole-tones and semi-tones:
Going up:
Root - WT - ST - WT - WT - WT - WT - ST (Root)
Going down: (Top root) - WT - WT - ST - WT - WT - ST - WT (Root)
Here's an example using A Melodic Minor Scale:
Going up:
Root
- A -
WT -
B -
ST - C
-
WT - D -
WT
- E -
WT -
F# -
WT -
G# -
ST -
A
(Root)
Going down:
(Top root)
- A -
WT -
G -
WT - F
-
ST - E
-
WT - D -
WT
- C -
ST -
B -
WT - A
(Root)
A Melodic
Minor Scale
The Pentatonic Scale
The
pentatonic scale
is one made up of 5 notes. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the
major scale. It's often used for improvising.
C Pentatonic
Scale
Chromatic Scale
Finally in our list of musical scales we have the chromatic scale. In
the chromatic scale, you
play
every note going up and going down. The
only thing you need to do is
start
and end on the
same
note. Frankly,
that's all there is to it. Play every note.
That covers our list of musical scales. If you're a piano player, check
out the
piano
music scales page for a list of the major scales and
fingering. If
you'd like to also learn
about the
scale modes,
click
here. Happy playing!
Return from
List
of Musical Scales
to
Piano
Lessons Info Homepage.