Music Scales

Welcome!

We are so excited to discuss music scales with you! As a little disclaimer, this lesson will assume you have an understanding of notes and intervals. To get started, click the right arrow to proceed to the next page.

What is a Scale?

A scale in music is a series of notes ordered by pitch that spans an octave. They serve as a guide for creating melodies and harmonies in songs. Each note is separated by intervals, normally half steps and whole steps. Below is an example of a scale. You can click on the play button below the scale to hear what the scale sounds like.

This is a D major scale.


In this lesson, we will go over seven of the scales: major, minor, lydian, mixolydian, dorian, phrygian, and locrian.

Major Scales

Major scales are the most common type of scale found in music. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. In this example, we start with the root note of C. Using the interval pattern, we get a scale with the notes in this order: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. This is the C major scale. Every name of a scale starts with its root note.

Minor Scales

Minor scales are another common type of scale. They are often said to have a relatively "darker" sound than major scales. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole. In this example, we start with the root note of E. Using the interval pattern, we get a scale with the notes in this order: E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E. This is the E minor scale.

Quiz

Time for a little quiz! The notes in this scale are: D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D. Is this a major scale or a minor scale?

Lydian Scales

Lydian scales have a very bright sound to them. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of whole-whole-whole-half-whole-whole-half. Starting with the root note C, we get these notes: C-D-E-F#-G-A-B-C. This is the C lydian scale. The raised fourth gives it that brightness.

Mixolydian Scales

Mixolydian scales are the next type of scale we will look at. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of whole-whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole. Starting with the root note C, we get these notes: C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C. This is the C mixolydian scale. These scales have more of an edge to them than major scales because of the lowered seventh.

Quiz

Quiz time! The notes in this scale are: D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D. Is this a lydian scale or a mixolydian scale?

Dorian Scales

Dorian scales contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole. Starting with the root note E, we get these notes: E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D-E. This is the E dorian scale. They sound slightly brighter than minor scales due to the raised sixth.

Phrygian Scales

Phrygian scales are getting into some very gritty territory. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole-whole. Starting with the root note E, we get these notes: E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E. This is the E phrygian scale. The lowered second provides that dark sound to them.

Locrian Scales

Locrian scales are the least common of the seven scales covered here. They contain seven unique notes and follow an interval pattern of half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole. Starting with the root note E, we get these notes: E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E. This is the E locrian scale. This scale is not common in music because its corresponding key has a diminished root chord while the other six scales have either a major root chord or a minor root chord.

Quiz

You know the drill. The notes in this scale are: C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb-C. Is this a dorian scale, a phrygian scale, or a locrian scale?

Summary

In this lesson, we went over seven of the music scales: major, minor, lydian, mixolydian, dorian, phrygian, and locrian. We also went over their interval patterns. It may help to use abbreviations for half steps (H) and whole steps (W). So here is the list of scales ordered from "brightest" to "darkest" with their interval patterns.

  • Lydian: WWW H WW H
  • Major: WW H WWW H
  • Mixolydian: WW H WW H W
  • Dorian: W H WWW H W
  • Minor: W H WW H WW
  • Phrygian: H WWW H WW
  • Locrian: H WW H WWW

Review

Now, let's test your knowledge of scales with a final review quiz! Take a deep breath and click the right arrow when you're ready.

Review

Question 1/3

The notes in this scale are: F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F. What scale is this?

Review

Question 2/3

The notes in this scale are: G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G. What scale is this?

Review

Question 3/3

The notes in this scale are: D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb-C-D. What scale is this?

Congratulations!

You have completed the lesson on Music Scales! To celebrate, here is a short song I wrote using notes from the A minor scale. Feel free to play this as many times as you want, preferably at the loudest possible volume your device can handle.

About

Author: Torin Tashima

Date: April 29, 2024

Class: DTC477, Advanced Web Design and Development, taught by Will Luers

Additional Credits: For the sheet music notations and audio playback, I used the open-source ABCjs library created by Paul Rosen and Gregory Dyke. Big thanks to them for making implementing sheet music on a website possible.