Click on the scale name for a diagram and explanation of each scale type:
A Major Scale | A Natural Minor Scale | A Harmonic Minor Scale | A Melodic Minor Scale | A Major Pentatonic Scale | A Minor Pentatonic Scale | A Major Blues Scale | A Minor Blues Scale
The A major scale contains seven notes and starts and ends on A. Major scales are arranged in a specific pattern of whole and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
The A natural minor scale follows the key signature of its relative major: C major. In natural minor scales, there are no additional accidentals.
The relative major key of A minor is C major. Therefore, A minor has no sharps or flats.
TIP: To find the relative major key, count up three half-steps from the minor key’s root note.
Harmonic minor scales follow the key signature of the relative major key and raise the seventh note of the scale by one half-step.
The relative major key of A minor is C major and the seventh note of A minor is G♯. Therefore, A harmonic minor has no sharps or flats but G is raised to G♯.
In melodic minor scales, we raise the sixth and seventh notes up one half-step when ascending and lower them back down when descending. Melodic minor scales follow the key signature of the scale’s relative major.
The relative major key of A minor is C major. Therefore, A minor has no sharps or flats and F and G are the sixth and seventh notes. We raise F and G to F♯ and G♯ when ascending the melodic minor scale, and we lower them back to F and G when descending.
The A major pentatonic is a five-note scale built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.
The A minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7.
You can also think of the A minor pentatonic as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.
The A major blues scale is built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, ♭3, 3, 5, 6.
The A minor blues scale is built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, ♭5, 5, 7.
You can also think of the A minor blues scale as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7.
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Charmaine Li is a Vancouver writer who has played piano for over 20 years. She holds an Associate diploma (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music and loves writing about the ways in which music—and music learning—affects the human experience. Charmaine manages The Note. Learn more about Charmaine here.
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