scale explained
theorySKALE
A comprehensive guide to the ordered sequences of notes that form the basis of melody and harmony.
A scale is an ordered series of notes spanning an octave, arranged by ascending or descending pitch. Scales provide the raw material from which melodies and harmonies are constructed. The major scale and natural minor scale are the two foundational scales of Western tonal music, each producing a distinctive emotional character — major sounds bright and happy, minor sounds dark and melancholy. Other important scales include the harmonic minor scale, melodic minor scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, chromatic scale, and whole tone scale. Each scale is defined by its pattern of intervals (whole steps and half steps). Modal scales — Dorian mode, Phrygian mode, Lydian mode, Mixolydian mode, Aeolian mode, Locrian mode, and Ionian mode — offer further colour. Jazz musicians routinely use diminished, octatonic, and altered scales over complex chord progressions.
The pentatonic scale is so universal that it appears independently in musical traditions on every inhabited continent.