This means that the key signature for D minor is the same used to play F major. So the relative major of D minor is F major. Signature of D minor, count 3 half steps up from D: Eb, E, F. To figure out a minor scale's relative major, justĬount up three half steps from the name of the minor scale. You start on the note the scale is named for just like for a major scale, but you use the This means that when playing a minor scale That's because every minor scale has a relative major. You may observe that there's a relation between the schemes on which major and minor scales are built. So there's a total of five whole steps (you can count them).īy the way, these notes that fall in between the notes of a scale without belonging to it are called chromatic notes. On the other hand, if you take C and D, there's C# in between: they are separated by a “whole step”. You'll immediately notice that there are no notes between B and C: that's what we meant by “half step”. The highlighted notes form the A minor scale. Just be content to know that all western music is based on this twelve-note system). (explaining what this is and where it comes from is far beyond our scopes. Here you can see all the notes in the modern twelve-tone equal temperament The sequence is the same for all minor scales: one whole step, one half step, two whole steps, one half step, two whole steps (W, H, W, W, H, W, W).įor example, consider the A minor scale: A The minor scale is one of the diatonic scales, meaning that it is made up of five whole steps and two half steps. (or a natural when the 7th degree has a flat in the key signature). Please note that the 7th degree cannot be called “leading tone” unless it is raised by a semitone with a sharp These notes are assigned different names:
Is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first one an octave higher. Click the arrow to begin.In music theory, a minor scale (also known as aeolian scale) This tutorial will explain the three forms of minor scales and give you a chance to practice and review them before you get to display your knowledge at the end. Why so many minor scales you ask? There are 3 types of minor scales for every 1 major scale. There are 12 major scales and 36 minor scales. How many different types of scales are there? There a grand total of 48 major and minor scales. Think how much less practicing you will have to do if you know your scales. These passages are often based of scalar material. Another reason you should learn your scales: sometimes composers will write very complex passages of eighth notes or sixteenth notes (we often call these "runs"). The scales then help form melodies, which form phrases, which eventually leads to an entire musical work. Think of it like this you learn the alphabet so you could learn to form words, which then forms sentences, which leads to paragraphs, which eventually leads to books. Scales help you to be comfortable playing in a variety of keys. So why should you learn your scales? For starters, learning your scales improves your playing technique. The first and last note of every scale is the same. Characteristics of Scales: Most scales consist of a total of 8 pitches, but only 7 different pitches are used. A scale is a linear sequence of notes/pitches in a ascending or descending order. ” What is a scale? Scales are one of the most important things you will ever learn in your musical career. “But I don’t understand why scales are important.