Scales

Scales

A scale is a group of organized pitches that can ascend and descend by consecutive steps on the music staff.  Each scale is defined by its combination of semitones (half steps) and whole tones. 

A whole tone is a major 2nd. It is made up of 2 semintones.  

Semitones are the smallest distance between 2 pitches in western music.  If you were to look at the piano it would be the distance between a note and the very next black or white note. 

The Major Scale is one of the most common types of scales. The organization of whole tones and semitones in an ascending scale are in the following order:

Tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone semitone. 

Minor Scales are also very common scales in Western music.  There are three possible pitch organizations for minor scales but the common element is the semitone between the 2nd and 3rd notes.  

Minor scales have the same key signature as their relative major but have a different order of pitches.  Some of these pitches can be altered to change the type of minor scale. 

The Natural Minor Scale has pitches that are the same as its relative major key but the ordering of the whole tones and semitones is different. The organization of whole tones and semitones in an ascending natural minor scale are in the following order:

Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone. 

The pitches are in reverse for the descending scale.

The Harmonic Minor Scale is is similar to the natural minor scale but has a raised 7th scale degree causing an augmented second (3 semitones) between the 6th and 7th scale degrees. The organization of whole tones and semitones in an ascending harmonic minor scale are in the following order:

Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, 3 semitones, semitone. 

Then the order is in reverse for the descending scale. 

The Melodic Minor Scale is is similar to the natural minor scale but has a raised 6th and 7th scale degrees when ascending and then are flattened to return to the natural minor scalen when descending. The organization of whole tones and semitones in an ascending harmonic minor scale are in the following order:

Tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, tone, semitone. 

The descending pattern is as follows:

Tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone

Modes are scales which are used to define the tonality of music.  They existed before the modern concept of "keys" was developed.  They are still used in modern music and can be refered to as diatonic modes. 

Each modal scale has its own unique ordering of tones and semitones.  They are built on each pitch of what is our major scale.  For example if you played each white note on the piano between D and the D an octave higher, you would be playing in the Dorian mode.  The following is a list of the modal scales:

C to C: Ionian Mode

D to D: Dorian Mode

E to E: Phrygian Mode

F to F: Lydian Mode

G to G: Mixolydian Mode

A to A:  Aeolian Mode

B to B: Locrian Mode