Introduction To Scales
Throughout history, musicians have composed music using specific collections of pitches called scales. A scale is a series of notes arranged in a stepwise pattern, usually moving upward (ascending) but sometimes downward (descending).
There are many types of scales, from the chromatic scale (which consists entirely of half steps) to, for example, the church modes of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Here is a list with some of the most common scales:
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Major (Ionian mode)
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Major Pentatonic
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Major Blues
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Minor
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Minor Pentatonic
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Minor Blues
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Minor Harmonic
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Minor Melodic
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Musical Modes
In this article we'll look at three very useful scales. The Major, Minor and Chromatic scale. If you want to take a deep dive into the world of scales as a guitarist we have a new Scale Compass in development, so stay tuned!
Why scales are important
Scales are essential in music because they form the foundation of melodies and harmonies. When you learn scales and practice them, it helps you become familiar with their instrument, improves their ability to recognize notes by ear, and provides a framework for creating original music. The major scale, known for its bright and uplifting sound, is often the first scale beginners learn.
Every key signature has a corresponding major and minor scale, but as you know now, many other scales exist. With all these different scales you can choose musical colours and expressions suitable for various styles of music.
The Major Scale
The major scale is the starting point for understanding every other type of scale. For guitarists, it is especially useful because it forms the basis for riffs, solos, and melodies.
The major scale follows a specific pattern of whole steps and half steps. The easiest example is the C major scale, which starts from middle C and moves up to the next C using only the white keys on a piano. However, a major scale can start on any note as long as it follows the same pattern of whole and half steps.
Major Scale Pattern:
W – W – H – W – W – W – H
(W = Whole step = two semitones, H = Half step = one semitone)
This pattern remains the same no matter what key you are in.
Major Scale On Guitar
For more guitar scales check out this cheat sheet
Major Scale On Piano
Scale Degrees and Their Function
Each note in a major scale has a unique role. Some notes feel stable, while others create tension and movement. Some examples are:
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1st note (Tonic): The “home” note, providing a sense of stability.
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7th note (Leading tone): Feels unstable and naturally wants to resolve back to the tonic.
Building Major Scales in Any Key
You can create a major scale starting on any note, but the pattern of whole and half steps will determine which sharps or flats (accidentals) appear. For example, in G major, the 7th note is F# instead of F.
To easily identify the sharps or flats in a key, musicians use the circle of fifths—a chart that shows the key signatures for all major scales. Memorizing it can be helpful, but you can also use our circle of fifths decoder for quick reference.
Natural Minor Scale
The minor scale is one of the most common scales in music. Unlike the major scale, which has only one pattern of whole and half steps, the minor scale has three versions:
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Natural Minor: the basic form of the minor scale.
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Harmonic Minor: a variation with the 7th note raised.
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Melodic Minor: a variation with the 6th and 7th notes raised when played upwards. When played going down, the 6th and 7th are the same as the natural minor scale.
The natural minor scale can be found by playing all the white keys on a piano from A to A. This shifts the pattern of whole and half steps compared to the major scale, which gives the minor scale its darker sound.
Minor Scale Pattern:
W – H – W – W – H – W – W
(W = Whole step = two semitones, H = Half step = one semitone)
Minor Scales On Guitar
Minor Scale On Piano
How the Minor Scale Sounds Different
As you can see in the first picture of this article the minor scale flattens three important notes from the major scale:
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The 3rd (which makes the scale sound "minor" instead of "major")
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The 6th (which creates a strong pull toward the 5th note)
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The 7th (called the subtonic, which lacks the strong pull to the tonic found in major scales)
This results in a different feel compared to the major scale.
Relative Minor and Major Keys
Each major scale has a relative minor, meaning they share the same notes but start on different pitches. The relative minor of a major key is always three half steps (semitones) below its major counterpart.
For example:
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C major and A minor have the same key signature (no sharps or flats).
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A minor is the relative minor of C major.
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The 6th note of any major scale is the starting note of its relative minor.
Since relative minor scales use the same notes as their relative major scales, they are sometimes called natural minor scales.
To quickly find the relative minor of any major key, you should memorise the circle of fifths. Or you can try the decoder tool for easy reference.
The Chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is the simplest and most fundamental scale in music. It consists of all twelve semitones within an octave. To play the scale you move in half-step (semitone) increments. Unlike other scales, it does not follow a specific key but includes every possible note. This makes it a common scale in modern music, jazz, and experimental music for film.
Because the chromatic scale contains all possible notes, it works the same way in every key. No matter the starting note, the pattern remains the same, covering every semitone within the octave.
Chromatic scale on guitar
On the guitar, playing a chromatic scale is quite simple: choose any string and play every fret in sequence. Start from an open string or choose any note on the fretboard, continuing up to the same note one octave higher.
Check out our Guitar Scale Compass book to learn how to play the chromatic scale across multiple strings.
Chromatic scale on piano
On a keyboard, the chromatic scale includes every white and black key from a starting note up to the same note an octave higher. For example, if we begin on middle C, the chromatic scale moves through every key (both white and black) until reaching the next C.
The black keys on a keyboard are smaller and set back from the front edge, making them a bit harder to play. Their shape and size can be confusing. It’s best to think of the black keys as equal to the white keys in music.
