Pitch & Harmony

Scale

A set of notes arranged in pitch order.

In plain English

A scale provides a collection of notes and a pattern of distances between them. Major, minor, pentatonic, and chromatic scales each have a different sound.

Try or listen for this

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C form a C major scale.

Why it matters

Scales organise pitch and support technique, melody, improvisation, and understanding keys.