Music scales
Pick a note and a scale to see it on the keyboard, hear it and find the chords that belong to it.
Root note
Scale
Steps:
Formula:
Chords of this scale
Scales at a glance
| Scale | Formula | Steps | In C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | W W H W W W H | C D E F G A B |
| Natural minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | W H W W H W W | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ |
| Harmonic minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | W H W W H W+H H | C D E♭ F G A♭ B |
| Melodic minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | W H W W W W H | C D E♭ F G A B |
| Major pentatonic | 1 2 3 5 6 | W W W+H W W+H | C D E G A |
| Minor pentatonic | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | W+H W W W+H W | C E♭ F G B♭ |
| Blues | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | W+H W H H W+H W | C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ |
| Dorian | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W H W W W H W | C D E♭ F G A B♭ |
| Phrygian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | H W W W H W W | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ |
| Lydian | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | W W W H W W H | C D E F♯ G A B |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | W W H W W H W | C D E F G A B♭ |
| Locrian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | H W W H W W W | C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ |
How to use it
- 1
Choose the starting note.
- 2
Choose the scale: major, minor, pentatonic, blues or one of the modes.
- 3
See the notes and the steps, play it and tap the chords of the scale.
What people use it for
- Practicing technique
Play scales up and down in every key.
- Improvising
Know which notes fit over a song.
- Composing melodies
Use a scale as the palette of notes for a tune.
- Learning harmony
See the chords that come from each scale.
Common questions
What is the major scale formula?
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. From C it gives C D E F G A B, the white keys.
What is the difference between the minor scales?
The natural minor is the plain one. The harmonic minor raises the 7th, and the melodic minor raises the 6th and the 7th.
What is the pentatonic scale?
A five-note scale with no half steps, easy to improvise with. It is the base of a lot of rock, blues and pop solos.
What are the modes?
They are scales that start on each note of the major scale: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Locrian, each with its own color.