Scales

A scale is a set of distances, not a set of notes. Change one of those distances and major turns Lydian, minor turns Dorian. Every card here plays up and down over a drone, with the note that makes the difference marked in amber.

Start here

Two scales cover ninety percent.

Major and minor pentatonic will get you over almost any pop song. Learn those two, then come back for the colour.

Jump straight inPress the triangle to hear it, the name to read it

The core scales

Major
Minor Scales
Pentatonic and Blues Scales
Modes
Harmonic Minor
What a Key Is
Circle of Fifths

Going further

Harmonic Major
Modes of Melodic Minor
Bebop Scales
Symmetric Scales
Double Harmonic and Gypsy Scales
Chromatic
Non-Western Tone Systems

The core scales

what you hear in almost every song

The Major ScaleWhole, whole, half, and on toward home. Hear where the two half steps fall, move one of them, and hear the whole scale change character.
The Minor ScalesThree minor scales, one key. Hear the problem each version solves, play all three from the same root, and hear which one a song is using.
Pentatonic and Blues ScalesRemove two notes and almost nothing clashes. Hear why, play major and minor pentatonic from one root, then add the blue note and hear it rub.
The ModesThe white keys become seven different scales depending on where home is. Hear all seven from one root, then open the mode you want to keep.
Harmonic MinorRaise the seventh of natural minor and you get a leading tone, a real dominant and that wide gap. Hear both versions, then play the chords.
What a Key IsA key is the note a song keeps coming home to, plus the seven notes it uses. Hear the pull of the tonic, and what changes when the key changes.
The Circle of FifthsThe circle of fifths answers one question: which keys and chords belong together? Near on the circle fits, far does not. Click any key to hear it.

Going further

colour, symmetry and everything outside the twelve

Harmonic MajorLower the sixth of a major scale and it turns bittersweet. Hear major and harmonic major back to back, then play the chords that come out of it.
Modes of Melodic MinorLydian dominant and the altered scale come from one parent scale. Hear all seven modes over their own chord, then play them against a bass note.
Bebop ScalesAdd one chromatic note and your chord tones land on the beat. Hear a seven note line drift, then hear the eight note version lock in.
Symmetric ScalesEqual steps remove the pull toward home. Hear a whole tone scale float and a diminished scale threaten, then play them from any root.
Double Harmonic and Gypsy ScalesOne gap of three half steps changes everything. Hear double harmonic, Phrygian dominant and the Hungarian scales side by side, then play them.
The Chromatic ScalePlay all twelve notes and hear motion without a destination. Then hear the same notes inside a key, where they turn into color and pull.
Non-Western Tone SystemsTwelve equal notes is a choice, not a law. Hear a quarter tone maqam, a gamelan tuning and a raga, and hear where the piano cannot follow.

Keep going

Chords
Harmony
Intervals
Playing and Improvising
Aeolian Mode
Dorian Mode
Phrygian Mode
Ionian Mode
Locrian Mode
Lydian Mode
Mixolydian Mode
Scale Ear Training

The other sections

Everything on this site sits in one of these, in the order they are meant to be learned.

The building blocks

Chords
Intervals
Rhythm
Reading Music

How music works

Harmony
Chord Progressions
Melody and Form
Sound and Hearing

In practice

Songwriting
Styles
Playing and Improvising
Production and Arranging