Build Major Scales (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic)

5 Parts:

Major Scale (Natural)

Harmonic Major Scale

Melodic Major Scale

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In music, a scale is series of musical notes ordered by different pitches. A scale also makes music meaningful and gives character to it. Where a Major scale is cheerful, a minor scale is tragic and dramatic. While there are many types of Major scales, we're just going to focus on showing you how to build three of them. These three are the Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Major scales. Note that the 'Natural' Major scale is referred to as a 'Major scale'

You might also want to know how tohow to build a minor scale. Read on to learn how to build Major scales:

This is the most commonly used scale in western music and children's songs.

A Major scale includes 7 notes ordered by specific intervals. The simplest Major scale is C Major because it is the only Major scale that doesn't have any sharps or flats. In the steps below, we'll show you how to build one.

To start with, lets choose the C Major scale, because it's easy. Keep in mind that an interval is a physical distance between two notes, for example a whole step or half step (tone or semitone). If we observe the piano keys, the interval between each neighbor white and black key is a half step, and the distance between each neighbor white key is a whole step. Note that the distance between B and C, and E and F is half step, because there is no black key between them. (Tone (T) = Whole step, Semitone (ST) = Half step)

Follow the steps below to build the C Major scale:

1. 1
   The C Major scale starts from C, so we begin with C.

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2. 2
   From C, we take one whole step, also known as a whole tone, up to D.

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3. 3
   From D, we take another whole step up to E.

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4. 4
   From E, we take a half step, also known as a semitone, up to F.

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5. 5
   From F, we take a whole step up to G.

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6. 6
   At this point, we have C D E F G.

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7. 7
   From G, again we take a whole step up to A.

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8. 8
   From A, we take a whole step up to B.

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9. 9
   From B, we take a half step up to C.

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10. 10
    This is the C Major scale, consisting of C D E F G A B C.

    

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If we examine the intervals between each note, we find a pattern for building Major scales, which is T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST (Tone (T) = Whole step, Semitone (ST) = Half step).

This series of intervals makes a Major scale.

Let's choose another note and use it to build a Major scale. For this example, we'll choose F. You should use the T-T-ST-T-T-T-ST pattern of intervals discussed earlier, to build F Major scale, or any scale beginning on any note:

• F + Tone = G
• G + Tone = A
• A + Semitone = B-flat
• B-flat + Tone = C
• C + Tone = D
• D + Tone = E
• E + Semitone = F
• F Major scale: F G A B-flat C D E F

The harmonic Major scale is most often used in Jazz Music.

A harmonic Major scale is a bit different than a natural Major scale. The harmonic Major scale was created in the Common Practice Era, which was from 1600 to 1900. The Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov, who lived from 1872-1908, named this scale. The difference between a harmonic Major scale and natural Major scale is that the harmonic Major scale has 6th degrees lowered by a semitone (half step). It means for example in C Harmonic Major, instead of A we have an A-flat.

'A scale degree is a number or name given to specific note in the scale. Considering the natural Major pattern, as it was discussed in the first section, and the diminished 6th degrees. Let's build the C Harmonic Major scale:

1. 1
   From C, We take a whole step to D

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2. 2
   From D, We take a whole step to E

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3. 3
   From E, We take a Half Step to F

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4. 4
   From F, We take a whole tone to G

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5. 5
   From G, We take a Half step to A-Flat

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6. 6
   From A-Flat, We take a whole step plus a half step to B

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7. 7
   From B, We take half step to C

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The C Harmonic Major scale Includes: C D E F G A-flat B C

Just like a natural major, by looking at the intervals, we find a pattern to build all the harmonic major scales: T-T-ST-T-ST-T+ST-ST (Tone (T) = Whole step, Semitone (ST) = Half step)

The melodic Major scale was used in Eastern European folk melodies, but was ignored by most classical composers.

Today this scale, like the harmonic Major scale, is used in Jazz Music. The difference between a melodic Major scale and a harmonic Major scale is that in the melodic Major scale we have 7th degrees lowered by a half tone. For example in the C melodic Major scale, we have B-flat instead of B. So in all melodic Major scales we have 6th and 7th degrees lowered by a half step. Let's build a C Melodic Major:

1. 1
   From C, we take a whole step to D
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