Explore any musical scale or mode — see the notes, degree names, step pattern, and a piano keyboard diagram.
| Scale | Steps | Notes in C | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major (Ionian) | W W H W W W H | C D E F G A B | Bright, happy |
| Natural Minor (Aeolian) | W H W W H W W | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | Sad, dark |
| Dorian | W H W W W H W | C D E♭ F G A B♭ | Minor with raised 6th; jazzy |
| Phrygian | H W W W H W W | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | Spanish/flamenco feel |
| Lydian | W W W H W W H | C D E F# G A B | Dreamy, raised 4th |
| Mixolydian | W W H W W H W | C D E F G A B♭ | Major with flat 7th; bluesy |
| Locrian | H W W H W W W | C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ | Dissonant, unstable |
| Pentatonic Major | W W +1.5 W +1.5 | C D E G A | Universal; folk/pop/rock |
| Pentatonic Minor | +1.5 W W +1.5 W | C E♭ F G B♭ | Blues, rock, guitar solos |
| Blues | +1.5 W H H +1.5 W | C E♭ F F# G B♭ | Blues ♭5 adds tension |
| Harmonic Minor | W H W W H +1.5 H | C D E♭ F G A♭ B | Classical minor; raised 7th |
| Melodic Minor (asc) | W H W W W W H | C D E♭ F G A B | Jazz minor |
| Whole Tone | W W W W W W | C D E F# G# A# | Impressionistic, no tonal center |
| Diminished (H-W) | H W H W H W H W | C D♭ E♭ E F# G A B♭ | Symmetrical, tense |
| Chromatic | H H H H H H H H H H H H | All 12 notes | All semitones |