Introduction
A scale is any subset of the 12 notes within an octave, organised in a sequence (i.e. starting and ending on the same note). That is, a scale is just a formalised way of playing some combination of the 12 notes, while excluding others. Any combination of the 12 notes can form some kind of scale – though some scales are more commonly used than others and some may not yet exist. Scales are used to create melodies and improvise solos.
Scales
A scale starts on a given note (the root note) and goes up in set intervals (semitones, tones, etc.). We are able to transpose the same scale to a different note by repeating the same sequence of intervals but starting and ending on the different root note.
The scales most commonly used in Traditional Western Music are the:
- Major Scale;
- Natural Minor Scale;
- Melodic Minor Scale;
- Harmonic Minor Scale;
Each of the above scales has seven notes, though scales can have any number of notes (up to a maximum of 12). And the scale that contains all 12 notes is, of course, called the Chromatic Scale.
The Major Scale
The most commonly used scale in Western Music is the Major scale. This scale has seven notes. From the root note, this scale follows the following interval pattern: Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone.
Each of the seven notes of the Major scale is assigned a number, which is called a degree. The degrees of the Major Scale are used as the base from which all other scale and chord degrees are derived.
Below is the C Major Scale. The degrees are listed on top & the intervals are listed on bottom, where: T = Tone; ST = Semitone
The Natural Minor Scale
As a comparison, let’s also look at the C Natural Minor Scale. Notice that both the degrees and the intervals vary in relation to the Major Scale. The C Natural Minor has a ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7 when compared to the Major Scale and its interval pattern is different.
The Major and Natural Minor form the basis of most Western Music. They represent the ‘keys’ in which songs are written (we will cover Keys in a future lesson). These two scale types are called ‘diatonic scales‘. If you play only using the notes from one of these scales, you are playing ‘diatonically’. While if you play using notes outside of one of these two scales, you are playing ‘chromatically’.
I will cover the melodic and harmonic minor scales in future lessons, as well as many more exotic scales like the wholetone scale, diminished scale and augmented scale.