A standard (chromatic) scale consist of twelve notes: C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B.
Every
scale is a selection from these twelve notes.
The most widely used scale in western music is the C major or C Ionian scale:
These are the
white keys on a piano ascending from C to C'
C major has a specific series of intervals:
tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.
T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST
This is known as the Ionian mode.
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Many EDM songs are written in a Minor Scale.
There are 3 types of minor scale- natural, harmonic & melodic (more of this later)
The step pattern of a natural minor scale is:
(Start with your root note)
tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.
T-ST-T-T-ST-T-T
Use the formula starting on any note to play the minor scale in a different key.
The most common keys are A Minor and C Minor – those are hugely popular.
This is a personal list... it may not appeal to everyone
1 – CHROMATIC, 2 – IONIAN, 3 – DORIAN,
4 – MAJOR PENTA, 5 – MINOR PENTA,
6 – SHARP NOTES, 7 – WHOLE TONE,
8 – MIXOLYDIAN, 9 – MAJOR BLUES,
10 – MINOR BLUES
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A Minor Scale (natural)
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Just 5 notes
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consists of the pitches C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, and B♭
Whole step/half/ whole/whole/half/whole/whole.
(WHWWHWW) or (T-ST-T-T-ST-T-T)
The C minor pentatonic is C, E-flat, F, G, B-flat.
The C minor Harmonic scale is C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C
(To convert any natural minor scale into harmonic minor raise the 7th note by half a step.)
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C
tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.
T-ST-T-T-ST-T-T
The notes of the D minor pentatonic scale are as follows: D – F – G – A – C.
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F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F
tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.
T-ST-T-T-ST-T-T
To convert any natural minor scale into harmonic minor raise the 7th note by half a step.
F - G - Ab - Bb - C -Db - E - F
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Below is a brief summary of natural vs harmonic vs melodic
Natural Minor
Start with your root note.
Whole step/half/ whole/whole/half/whole/whole.
eg :
the A Natural Minor scale is: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
The G# natural minor scale is : G#,A#,B,C#,D#,E#,F#,G#
The C natural Minor scale is : C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb
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Harmonic Minor
Really good for building chords
To convert any natural minor scale into harmonic minor raise the 7th note by half a step.
eg
The C harmonic Minor scale is : C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,B
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Melodic Minor
This is all about melodies .
To convert a natural minor scale into a Melodic minor
raise both the 6th & 7th notes by half a step
The C melodic Minor scale is : C,D,Eb,F,G,A,B
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phrygian dominant scale.This is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant.
This scale occurs in Indian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Central Asian, and Flamenco music. It is common in Arabic and Egyptian music,
The sequence of steps forming the Phrygian dominant scale is:
- half – augmented second – half – whole – half – whole – whole
The C phrygian dominant scale is : C – D
♭ – E – F – G – A
♭ – B
♭ – C
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Though most of this post covers minor scales. Here are others which I sometimes use
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Chromatic
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Major
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Blues
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Myxolydian mode
The mixolydian mode is the 5th mode of the major scale
C: C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C
D: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, D
E: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E
F: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F
The Mixolydian scales are believed to have been discovered by the Ancient Greek female poet Sappho
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Dorian mode .
(Often called the second mode of which there are 7 ....Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.)
This is very similar to the natural minor scale. The only difference is
in the sixth note, which is a major sixth above the first note, rather
than a minor sixth.
Formula: Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole
C Dorian: C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb, C
D: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
E: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E
F: F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F
Examples are :
'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson,
'Smoke on the Water' by Deep Purple
Scarborough Fair.
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Octatonic
An octatonic scale is any eight-note musical scale
composed of alternating whole and half steps.
This is a C-octatonic
Notes: C, Db, Eb, E, Gb, G, A, Bb, C
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Diminished
This is a symmetrical scale that is built by alternating whole steps and half steps.
Diminished chords are formed by combining the root, flatted third (minor third) and flatted fifth of the major scale (1, ♭3, ♭5).
the notes of the C major scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, B.
To form C diminished, you combine the notes, C, E♭ and G♭.
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Triad on a M7 chord
Not striclty a scale .. but might be useful
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A sharp Phygian - Favourite of Apex Twin
All sharps except B
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Aeolian pentatonic scale, also known as Hirajoshi scale.
ie 5 tones
tonic (1), second (2) minor third (b3), fifth (5) and minor sixth (b6).
(This is a fav of my mate Mitch)
C, D, D# ---- G, G#
I like this variation:
C, D, D# ---- F, G, G# - A#
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