Music Scale

A music scale is a series of notes, which ascend and descend in a specific order. Usually the notes of a scale belong to a single key. So they provide material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical work, together with the melody and harmony. Scales are ordered in pitch. The two most important categories in popular music are the major and minor scales.

Major Scales

Major scales sound bright and lively. All scales begin and end with the same note. For example, the F major scale begins with an F note and then ends with an F note. It's true for all the other keys.

A major scale consists of two whole steps, one half step, three whole steps then a half step again: WS-WS-HS-WS-WS-WS-HS (WH stands for whole step, HS stands for half step, i.e. a whole note and a half note.)

Only the C major scale HAS no sharps or flats in it.

So here are all the major scales:

Minor Scales

A minor music scale sounds melancholic. melancholic. There are three types of minor scales:

Natural Minor Scale

Here are all the natural minor scales:

Natural minor music scales have a whole step, a half step, two whole steps, a half steps, and two whole steps formula: WS-HS-WS-WS-HS-WS-WS.

Harmonic Minor Scale
Raise the seventh note of the scale by a half-step as you go up and down the scale. For example:


Natural C Minor Scale = C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C

Harmonic C Minor Scale = C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - B - C

Melodic Minor Scale

Raise the sixth and seventh notes of a scale by a half step as you go up the scale and then return to the natural minor as you go down the scale. For example:


Melodic C Minor Scale = C - D - Eb - F - G - A - B - C (as you go up the scale)

Natural C Minor Scale = C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C (as you go down the scale)

More about Music Theory