| Major Scale Formula |
1 <T> 2 <T> 3 <S> 4 <T> 5 <T> 6 <T> 7 <S> 8 |
| Minor Scale Formula |
1 <T> 2 <S> 3 <T> 4 <T> 5 <S> 6 <T> 7 <T> 8 |
A Diatonic Scale
A diatonic scale has exactly 7 notes in it. The last note of a diatonic scale is a repetition of the first note and doesn't count as one of those seven notes, this is the octave (8th note). The major scale is the most common example of a diatonic scale. Other types of diatonic scales include: the harmonic minor scale, the natural minor scale, and the melodic minor scale. The scale we are learning here is the natural minor scale.
The following examples show a movement of 2 tones, semitone then 3 tones, semitone. As you can see marked in red you can find both a major scale and minor scale, they just start from different points.
Diatonic Scale
T T S T T T S T T S T T T S
Major Scale
T T S T T T S T T S T T T S
Minor Scale
T T S T T T S T T S T T T S
Place you mouse over this image to see the comparison between the major and minor.
Hidden in every major scale there is a minor scale (the 6th note of that scale) and in every minor scale there is a major scale (the 3rd note of that scale). This is what is known as "Relative Minor" or "Relative Major". This is when a major and minor scale share the notes of the scale but the starting notes (the root notes) are different.
C Major Scale
1 - [T] - 2 - [T] - 3 - <S> - 4 - [T] - 5 - [T] - 6 - [T] - 7 - <S> - 8
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
A Minor Scale
1 - [T] - 2 - <S> - 3 - [T] - 4 - [T] - 5 - <S> - 6 - [T] - 7 - [T] - 8
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A |
This is derived from the Chromatic Scale
Define: A scale consisting of 12 semitones