The Complete Guide to Music Scales for Producers

Musical scales are a crucial aspect of music theory and the foundation for all compositions, improvisations, and practice sessions. Regardless of your level as an artist, having a thorough understanding of music scales can improve your performance and enhance your composition and songwriting skills. 

But what exactly are scales in music? In simpler terms, scales are a set of notes arranged in ascending or descending order of pitch, which form the basic structure of a melody. 

Musical notes can have a different pitch depending on their frequency. In Western music, there are a total of twelve notes: A, A# (or Bb), B, C, C# (or Db), D, D# (or Eb), E, F, F# (or Gb), G, G# (or Ab). Music scales are organized notes played in a sequence of intervals. The pattern in the sequence defines the type of scale, and the first note will define the musical key of that scale.

Types of Scales Music

Major and Minor scales are the most commonly found musical keys in popular music, but there are many other types of scales music worth learning to expand your sonic palette.

Major Scales

All major scales in music have the same pattern of half steps and whole steps between the notes in the scale (think of the twelve notes I explained earlier). From B to C, there's one half step of distance. From C to D is two half steps.

Major scales in music use the following pattern of intervals: W (Whole step) – W (Whole step) - H (Half step) – W (Whole step) – W (Whole step) – W (Whole step) – H (Half step). Using this sequence, you can determine the seven notes of a major scale in any musical key.

Here's how you build the C major scale:

• Start with C.
• A whole step from C is D.
• A whole step from D is E.
• A half step from E is F.
• A whole step from F is G.
• A whole step from G is A.
• A whole step from A is B.
• A half step from B returns to the root note C, an octave higher.

Then we have the seven notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

Minor Scales

Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Minor are the three varieties of minor scales. Natural minor scales are the most common type of minor scales in popular music, and they're recognizable for their melancholy and sad sound.

For every Major scale, there is a relative Minor scale that shares the same notes as the Major scale (Natural Minor scale). The pattern for Natural Minor scales is W – H – W – W – H – W – W. The A minor scale is relative to the C major scale with the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.

The harmonic minor scales have a different pattern than the natural minor scales, with the difference being that the seventh note is raised a half step. The pattern for Harmonic Minor scales is W – H – W – W – H – 3H (three half steps) – H. A Harmonic Minor scale will then be A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A.

Melodic minor scales have a raised sixth and seventh degree, which makes the scale pattern W – H – W – W – W – W – H. The A Melodic Minor scale has A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#, A. The Melodic minor is rarely used in pop music and is more common in jazz and classical music.

You can combine the three minor scales to create different effects and atmospheres.

Examples of songs written on a minor scale are close to endless. Led Zeppelin's classic "Stairway to Heaven" uses the harmonic minor scale, and the same goes for Radiohead's "2 + 2 = 5", and in both cases, the minor scale is responsible for the songs’ mysterious vibe. On a different note, the holiday classic "Carol of the Bells" uses the melodic minor scale, which gives it a distinctive and somewhat mysterious quality.

Pentatonic Scales

Pentatonic scales are scales with only five notes. The Major and Minor Pentatonic scales are the most used and versatile scales in popular music, especially for guitars in rock music, but they are also the foundation for many others, like the Chinese and Indian scales.

The Major Pentatonic scale is similar to the Major scale but without the fourth and seventh degrees. Following the pattern W – W – 3H – W – 3H you have the C Major Pentatonic scale with only C, D, E, G, A, C. You'll notice these notes are within the C, F, and G Major scales, and the A, D, and E minor scales. That's the reason why it's so versatile and used in music.

The structure of the Minor Pentatonic scale is similar to the Natural Minor scale but without the second and sixth degrees. The pattern goes 3H – W – W – 3H – W. In A Minor Pentatonic scale, you have the notes A, C, D, E, G, A.

Several popular songs have used the pentatonic scale in various ways. In Elton John's "Your Song," the melody prominently uses the Eb Major Pentatonic scale, and in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge," the chorus features the C# Minor Pentatonic scale, giving the song a bluesy and soulful feel. Pink Floyd’s guitarist David Gilmour has used minor and major pentatonic scales throughout his career. Again, the list could go on forever!

Blues Scales

The blue scales are a variation of the pentatonic scale, adding the blue note between the fourth and fifth to create an emotional and memorable blues sound. Blues scales are popular in Blues (obviously) but also in jazz, along with Blues-inspired genres such as Rock, Funk, Soul, and R&B.

For the Major Blues scale, use the pattern W – H – H – 3H – W – 3H. The C Major Blues scale uses the following notes: C, D, Eb, E, G, A, C.

The Minor Blues scale pattern is 3H – W – H – H – 3H – W. That makes the A Minor Blues scales A, C, D, Eb, E, G, A.

Here are some examples:

The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a classic rock song that features the blues scale: the main guitar riff, based on the E blues scale, gives the song a raw and bluesy vibe. 

The Doors’ ability to blend rock and blues made them legendary, and "Roadhouse Blues" is perhaps the best example of this approach. The song stays true to the blues tradition with its driving guitar and harmonica solos prominently featuring the blues scale. 

Finally, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream features a unique blending of minor pentatonic and blues scales, which creates the song's distinctive sound.

Chromatic Scales

The Chromatic scale has the twelve notes of the Western tonal system played in a sequence. It means the structure of the Chromatic scale is a sequence of half steps, including the twelve notes A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab.

The Chromatic scale is unique and exciting because it does not have a specific root note: all notes in the scale are equally balanced in tone, and you won't find a Chromatic scale in a particular Key. There is only one type of Chromatic scale, so this is an excellent scale for practice and experimenting.

The Chromatic scale has been used to write guitar solos and jazz and blues harmonies. Usually, you will hear only a section of the scale in a song, but you can create tension and movement by using more notes from the scale.

Exotic and World Scales

Some scales are specific to certain cultures but have expanded globally in recent years and have affected all genres. You can find Middle Eastern scales like the Hungarian Minor used in Eastern Europe and India, medieval scales, and oriental scales like the Chinese and Japanese scales. 

The Hungarian Minor scale is a seven-note like the Harmonic Minor scale with a raised fourth degree.

The Hirajōshi scale is one of many Japanese scales. It's a five-note pentatonic scale derived from the Koto tuning. Rock, metal, and jazz guitarists can use it for improvisations.

The traditional Chinese music uses a pentatonic scale with a pattern 2W – W – H – 2W – H. You can hear the influence of Chinese scales in Celtic and Irish folk, West African music, and American blues.

Other Scales

There are more scales besides the ones I have already covered. Here's a list of scales you can explore if you want to expand your sound:

• Whole tone scale. A six-note scale form with a pattern of only whole steps between each note.
• Octatonic scales. It's an eight-note scale alternating half and a whole step.
• Bebop dominant scale. It's an eight-note used predominantly in jazz during the Bebop era.
• Music Modes. You can find seven modes for each Major scale: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.

Final Thoughts

Mastering and personalizing your scales is what will define your career as a composer. You can blend minor scales to create melodies and harmonies and learn the pentatonic and chromatic scales to add versatility to your compositions and improvisations. 

Remember, scales are a guide to writing music and unlocking your creativity! If you want to expand your sonic palette with more scales and create unique musical flavors, start exploring the unique scales used in other parts of the world or outside your genre. 

And if you’re running short on time, you can always use Auto-Key 2 to detect any melody's key, scale, and tempo and assist you in your writing process!

FAQ

How Many Scales Are There in Music?

If you only consider the major, minor, and rhythmic scales, there are up to 50 music scales. Then, we have the Pentatonic Major and Minor scales, the Blues scales, the seven, eight, and five-note scales, plus the world scales with their variations and unique patterns, and the number of scales increases. Bear in mind that some scales share many of the same notes and are often not considered unique scales.

How Many Pentatonic Scales Are There?

You can build pentatonic scales from the Major and Minor scales, with the first six chords in a major scale. But there are also pentatonic scales with altered notes and world scales based on pentatonic scales in different modes and shapes.