Studying Scales

A scale is a succession of tones ascending (or descending) according to fixed intervals.

The Major Scale - whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

The Major Scale is also known as do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do.

Many scales simply alter notes in the Major Scale to form their own styles.

Natural Minor - 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (Aeolian)



Pentatonic Scale - 5 notes per octave with 3 whole step increments
and 2 step-and-a-half increments that are not adjacent.

Pentatonic Minor -   1  b3  4       5  b7

Pentatonic Blues -   1  b3  4  b5   5  b7

Major Pentatonic -   1   3  4   5   6

?Pentatonic Major -  1   2  3   5   6 (2nd degree)

Pentatonic Neutral - 1   2  4   5  b7 (3rd degree)

The following variations utilize the chromatic notes between the whole step increments.

Blues Variation1 -   1  b3      4  b5   5     b7  7

Blues Variation2 -   1  b3  3   4  b5   5     b7  7

Blues Variation3 -   1  b3  3   4  b5   5  6  b7  7

Iwato Scale - 1 b2 4 b5 b7



Harmonic Minor -        1  2 b3  4  5 b6  7
 
Harmonic Major -        1  2  3  4  5 b6  7

Double Harmonic Minor - 1  2 b3 #4  5 b6  7

Double Harmonic Major - 1 b2  3  4  5 b6  7

Melodic Minor -         1  2 b3  4  5  6  7



Chromatic -   1 b2 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 #5 6 b7 7 #7 (increments of half steps)

Whole Tone -  1 2 3 #4 #5 b7 (increments of whole steps)

Diminished Scale - 1  b3  b5  6 (increments of whole+half)