All scales, from every note
Every scale has its own page with notes, formula, step pattern, keyboard and playback. Pick the type of scale and the starting note.
Major
The reference scale of tonal music: every other scale is measured against it.
Major
Minor
Three variants with a minor third: natural, harmonic (raised seventh) and melodic (raised sixth and seventh).
Natural minor
Harmonic minor
Melodic minor
Modes
The seven scales you get by starting from each degree of the major scale.
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
Modes of the harmonic minor
The seven scales you get by starting from each degree of the harmonic minor: they fit the chords of minor cadences.
Locrian ♯6
Ionian ♯5
Dorian ♯4
Phrygian dominant
Lydian ♯2
Locrian ♭4 ♭7 (ultralocrian)
Modes of the melodic minor
The seven scales you get by starting from each degree of the melodic minor: the language of modern jazz, from the Lydian dominant to the altered scale.
Dorian ♭2
Lydian augmented
Lydian dominant
Mixolydian ♭6
Locrian ♯2
Altered (super Locrian)
Modes of the harmonic major
The seven scales you get by starting from each degree of the harmonic major: less common colours, for half-diminished, diminished and 7♭9 dominant chords.
Harmonic major
Dorian ♭5
Phrygian ♭4
Lydian ♭3
Mixolydian ♭2
Lydian augmented ♯2
Locrian ♭♭7
Pentatonic
Five notes with no half steps: easy to use and found in every genre.
Major pentatonic
Minor pentatonic
Lydian pentatonic
Dominant pentatonic
Minor 6 pentatonic
Major ♭6 pentatonic
Major ♭3 pentatonic
Major ♭2 pentatonic
Locrian pentatonic
Whole-tone pentatonic
Altered pentatonic
Lydian dominant pentatonic
Minor-major pentatonic
Blues
The pentatonic scales with one extra passing note, the blue note.
Major blues
Minor blues
Composite blues
Bebop
Eight-note scales: the added note makes chord tones land on the strong beats.
Bebop major
Bebop dominant
Bebop minor
Bebop major – Dorian mode
Bebop major – Phrygian mode
Bebop major – Lydian mode
Bebop major – Mixolydian mode
Bebop major – Aeolian mode
Bebop major – Locrian mode
Minor 6 diminished (Barry Harris)
Symmetric
Built by repeating the same pattern of intervals over and over.
Whole tone
Diminished (whole-half)
Diminished (half-whole)
Augmented
Six-tone symmetric
Chromatic
Other scales
Scales from modern jazz and from traditions other than the European one.
Double harmonic
Hungarian minor
Neapolitan minor
Neapolitan major
Egyptian
Hirajoshi
In sen
Iwato
Locrian major (Arabian)
Lydian minor
Hungarian major
From theory to practice
Pick a scale and a pattern: the generator writes the exercise on the staff and plays it for you, with no sign-up.