How to use the musical scale generator
- Type the starting note (the tonic), a letter from A to G with # for sharp or b for flat, such as F# or Bb. The preset buttons fill in common choices.
- Pick the scale: major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, one of the other modes, a pentatonic scale, the blues scale or the whole tone scale.
- Read the notes spelled with sharps and flats, the scale degrees, the pattern of whole and half steps and the sharps or flats the scale uses.
- For seven-note scales, use the table to see the chord built on each note.
Formula
Each scale is a list of semitone distances from the tonic
Major: 0 2 4 5 7 9 11. Natural minor: 0 2 3 5 7 8 10
The notes use each letter once, so the degree n gets the nth letter above the tonic
The sharp or flat is whatever makes the pitch match
Keeping one letter for each degree is what makes F# major read F# G# A# B C# D# E#, not F# G# A# B C# D# F. Chords stack every other note and their quality comes from the distance of the third and fifth.
G major and A harmonic minor
G major is G A B C D E F#: whole steps and half steps in the pattern W W H W W W H, with one sharp. The chords on its notes are G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F#dim. For a harder key, F# major is F# G# A# B C# D# E#, and G# major needs a double sharp: G# A# B# C# D# E# F##.
A harmonic minor is A B C D E F G#, with the steps W H W W H W+H H. C blues is C Eb F Gb G Bb, and the C whole tone scale is C D E F# G# Bb. D dorian is D E F G A B C, which uses the same notes as C major from a different starting point.
Spelling matters on paper
On a piano, F# and Gb are the same key, but on a page they are written differently and belong to different scales. The tool follows the standard rule of using each letter once in a seven-note scale, so the name you pick as the tonic decides the spelling. If you choose D#, the scale is written with sharps, and if you choose Eb it is written with flats. Double sharps and double flats appear in a few rare keys, shown as ## or bb.
To see how the keys relate, the Circle of Fifths is a good companion, and the Note Frequency Converter turns notes into pitches in hertz.
What to do with a scale
A scale is a pool of notes for melodies, solos and chords. Pentatonic and blues scales are favorites for improvising on guitar, the modes give different moods over the same notes, and the harmonic and melodic minor scales supply the raised sevenths that make minor key cadences work. Use the chords table to find the chords that belong to a key, then try them in the Chord Progression Generator. To move a song between keys, the Chord Transposer is the fastest route.
Assumptions and limits
- Melodic minor is the ascending form.
- The notes are spelled as in standard Western notation, with one letter for each degree of a seven-note scale.
- Pentatonic, blues and whole tone scales use the letters of the parent scale they come from.
- The tool runs in your browser and plays no sound.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes in a major scale?
Starting from the tonic, go up whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. In C that gives C D E F G A B. In G the same pattern gives G A B C D E F#.
Why are there double sharps in some scales?
Because each letter must appear once, some keys with many sharps need a note one half step above a sharp. G# major has F## for that reason.
What is the difference between a scale and a mode?
A mode is a scale built by starting a major scale on another of its notes. Dorian is the second mode, for example, and D dorian has the same notes as C major.
Does the tool play the scale?
No. It lists the notes and chords. To hear pitches, use an online piano or tuner.