Music Scales Explained: Pentatonic, Major, Minor, Blues and Modes

A scale is a set of notes in order of pitch, from a key note to the same note an octave higher. The major scale has 7 notes in the pattern whole–whole–half–whole–whole–whole–half (C D E F G A B C). The pentatonic scale has 5 notes – C major pentatonic is C D E G A – and the blues scale adds a flattened 5th to the minor pentatonic.

Updated 1 November 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

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Key facts

• Major scale: 7 notes in the pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step); C major is C D E F G A B C.
• Natural minor: W H W W H W W; A minor is A B C D E F G A. Harmonic minor raises the 7th; melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th going up.
• Pentatonic scales have 5 notes: major pentatonic 1 2 3 5 6 (C D E G A), minor pentatonic 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 (A C D E G).
• The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus a ♭5: A C D E♭ E G.
• The chromatic scale has all 12 notes, each a half step apart; the seven modes start the major scale on each of its notes.

What is a scale in music theory?

A scale is a set of notes arranged in order of pitch, from a starting note (the key note or tonic) up to the same note an octave higher. The pattern of whole steps and half steps between the notes gives each scale its sound: the major scale sounds bright, the minor scale darker, and the pentatonic open and folky.

Most Western music uses seven-note scales, in which every letter name A–G appears once. A scale also defines a key: a piece “in G major” mostly uses the notes of the G major scale.

Scale explorer: any scale, any key

Choose a key note and a scale. You get the notes spelled correctly, the pattern of steps, the keys on a piano, the notes on a staff, and the sound up and down.

Key note CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭BScale MajorNatural minorHarmonic minorMelodic minor (going up)Major pentatonicMinor pentatonicBluesChromaticDorian modePhrygian modeLydian modeMixolydian modeLocrian mode

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Sounds are made in your browser. This tool never uses the microphone, and nothing is recorded, saved or sent.

What is the pentatonic scale?

The pentatonic scale is a five-note scale. The major pentatonic uses notes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the major scale – C D E G A in C – and the minor pentatonic uses 1, ♭3, 4, 5 and ♭7 – A C D E G in A minor. With no half steps between its notes, it is hard to play a wrong-sounding note.

The black keys of a piano form a pentatonic scale (F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯), which is why improvising on the black keys always sounds good. Pentatonic tunes are found all over the world: Scottish, Chinese, West African and Native American music use it, and folk tunes such as “Amazing Grace” and “Auld Lang Syne” are built almost entirely on it. C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic share the same five notes.

What is the major scale formula?

The major scale formula is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (W W H W W W H). Start on any note, follow the pattern, and you get that note’s major scale: from G it gives G A B C D E F♯ G, so G major needs one sharp.

What are the three minor scales?

There are three forms of the minor scale. The natural minor uses the notes of its key signature (A B C D E F G A); the harmonic minor raises the 7th note (G♯ in A minor) to give a strong pull to the key note; and the melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th going up (F♯ and G♯) and uses the natural minor coming down.

Each minor key shares its key signature with a major key three half steps higher – its relative major – so A minor and C major have the same notes. See them all on the circle of fifths.

What is the blues scale?

The blues scale is a six-note scale: the minor pentatonic with one extra “blue note”, the flattened 5th. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, so the C blues scale is C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ and the A blues scale is A C D E♭ E G. It is the basis of blues and rock solos.

The ♭5 is usually played briefly, sliding into the 5th or the 4th. Some musicians also use a “major blues” scale: 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6.

What is the chromatic scale?

The chromatic scale is all 12 notes in an octave, each a half step apart – every white and black key on a piano in order. Going up it is usually written with sharps (C C♯ D D♯ E F…) and coming down with flats (C B B♭ A A♭ G…).

It has no key note of its own, so it is used for runs, slides and color rather than as the basis of a key. Practise it on any instrument to learn every note.

What are the modes in music?

The modes are seven scales made by starting the major scale on each of its notes. On the white keys of a piano, C to C is Ionian (the major scale), D to D Dorian, E to E Phrygian, F to F Lydian, G to G Mixolydian, A to A Aeolian (the natural minor) and B to B Locrian. Each has its own pattern of steps and its own mood.

Choose a mode in the explorer above to hear it from any key note. For piano fingering of every major and minor scale see Classfern’s piano scales chart; for guitar shapes, the guitar scales page.

Scales quiz

Marked by Classfern 5 multiple-choice questions on the Classfern lesson engine. Your answers stay on this device.

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Classfern’s free scale explorer is part of the Classfern Music Department at lessonplanner.info. Every scale is spelled by rule (one letter per note), so D♯ harmonic minor shows C𝄪, not D.

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