Click on the scale name link for a diagram and explanation of each scale type:
C Major Scale | C Natural Minor Scale | C Harmonic Minor Scale | C Melodic Minor Scale | C Major Pentatonic Scale | C Minor Pentatonic Scale | C Major Blues Scale | C Minor Blues Scale
Major scales contain seven notes arranged in a pattern of whole and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
Natural minor scales follow the key signature of their relative major key and have no additional accidentals.
The relative major key of C minor is E-flat major. Therefore, C minor has three flats: B♭, E♭, and A♭.
TIP: To find the relative major key, count up three half-steps from the root note of the minor key.
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 C minor is E-flat major and the seventh note of C minor is B♭. Therefore, C minor has three flats (B♭, E♭, and A♭) but B♭ is raised to B.
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 C minor is E-flat major. Therefore, C minor has three flats (B♭, E♭, and A♭) and A♭ and B♭ are the sixth and seventh notes. We raise A♭ and B♭ to A♮ and B♮ when ascending the melodic minor scale, and we lower them back to A♭ and B♭ when descending.
A major pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.
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 minor pentatonic scale as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.
A major blues scale is built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, ♭3, 3, 5, 6.
A minor blues scale is built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, ♭5, 5, 7
You can also think of it as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7
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