Web links Center Home - Main MenuArt & Music Musical Instruments Musical Periods Musical Forms Music Almanac Musical Humor Music Dictionary Music Jukebox Great Composers World Music
Help
÷åãí Up äáà

Scales & Modes

The musical scale consists of a series of notes arranged in pitch order and forming the basis for a musical part. Usually, a scale is a series of 8 consecutive notes that uses a pattern of half and whole steps.

This is the Major scale (begins on C and therefore called C Major):





The basic scales
There are different kinds of scales and modes:

All played from the note C.
The Red ones are the major modes and the Blue ones are the minors.


Major (Ionian mode) - played on the white keys from c' to c''

Click to hear the scale...The pattern of half and whole steps: W W H W W W H


Aeolian mode (Natural minor) - played from c' to c'' with Eb Ab and Bb

Click to hear the scale...

Harmonic minor - like Natural minor but with a leading tone (only Eb and Ab)

Click to hear the scale...

Melodic minor - like Natural minor but with 6th and 7th degrees raised (only Eb).

On descending played Natural minor

Click to hear the scale...


Improve your ability to recognize scales



The Modes

Modes are ancient scales that were common in Western music till the end of the Middle Agesþ and in many musical cultures all over the world, until today. Jazz musicians also use them extensively.


The most used modes are:


Dorian mode - like Natural minor with the 6th degree raised.

Click to hear the scale...


Phrygian mode - like Natural minor with the 2th degree lowered.

Click to hear the scale...

Lydian mode - like Major with the 4th degree raised.

Click to hear the scale...

Mixo-Lydian mode - like Major with the 7th degree lowered.

Click to hear the scale...

Locrian mode - like Natural minor with the 2 and 5th degrees lowered.

Click to hear the scale...

In the Educational Music Lab you will be able to listen to a melody played in different modesTo the music lab


You may use the online Virtual Piano to study the scales and modes from any keyVirtual Piano Chords...

up

MusixCool© By Nadav Dafni