Major & Minor Scales
Every major and natural minor scale with its notes, key signature, diatonic chords and common chord progressions. Pick a scale to see it on an interactive piano and hear how it sounds.
Major scales
Minor scales (natural)
What is a musical scale?
A scale is an ordered set of notes that defines the tonal material of a key. The major scale follows the step pattern W–W–H–W–W–W–H (W = whole step, H = half step), while the natural minor scale follows W–H–W–W–H–W–W. Every major key shares its notes with a relative minor key, which starts on the sixth degree of the major scale.
Knowing scales helps you find the chords that belong to a key, build melodies that stay in key, and transpose songs. Each scale page shows the scale on a piano keyboard, its key signature, the seven diatonic chords, and progressions you can use right away.
Frequently asked questions
How many major and minor scales are there?
There are 15 major and 15 minor key signatures (including enharmonic spellings like F♯ major and G♭ major), but only 12 distinct pitch collections of each type — some scales are enharmonic equivalents of each other.
What is the difference between a major and a minor scale?
The major scale has a major third and major sixth and seventh above the tonic and sounds bright; the natural minor scale lowers the third, sixth and seventh, which gives it a darker sound. Their step patterns are W–W–H–W–W–W–H and W–H–W–W–H–W–W respectively.
What is a relative minor?
The relative minor is the minor key that shares the same key signature as a major key. It starts on the sixth degree of the major scale — for example, A minor is the relative minor of C major.
