MUSIC SCALES

Learn about the different types of scales you can use

in music

Andrew Milner
 Copyright © 2024 Andrew Milner First published online by Andrew Milner in 2021
2nd edition published by Andrew Milner in 2024

Text and illustrations copyright © Andrew Milner 2024.

The author / illustrator asserts the moral right to be identified as the author / illustrator of the work.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
prior permission of Andrew Milner
 CONTENTS TITLE PAGE

Copyright
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – Music theory concepts
2.1 Naming and notating notes
2.2 Reading musical sheets
2.3 Tones and semitones
2.4 Accidentals and enharmonic notes
2.5 Music intervals
2.6 The circle of 5ths and key signatures
Chapter 3 – The C major and A minor scales
3.1 Detailing the C major and A minor scales
3.2 Relative scales
Chapter 4 – Major and minor scales in detail
4.1 Major scales explained
4.2 Minor scales explained
Chapter 5 – Harmonic and melodic minor scales
5.1 Harmonic minor scales
5.2 Melodic minor scales
Chapter 6 – Modal scales
Chapter 7 – Pentatonic scales
7.1 Major pentatonic scales
7.2 Minor pentatonic scales
Chapter 8 – Chromatic scales
Chapter 9 – Harmonic minor scale modes
Chapter 10 – Melodic minor scale modes
Chapter 11 – Diminished scales
Chapter 12 – Oriental and exotic scales
12.1 Oriental scales
12.2 Exotic scales
Chapter 13 – Blues scales
13.1 Major blues scales
13.2 Minor blues scales
Chapter 14 – Conclusion
References
 CHAPTER 1 –
INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to the beginning of this Musical Scales booklet. This is
a book dedicated to those who want to learn all about musical scales, how
they are built and where you can use them.
We’ll start by going through the necessary music theory concepts required
to understand what we’re talking about here.
Afterward, we’ll go through major and minor scales, which are the most
common ones used in music. We will also talk about advanced scales such
as chromatic scales, modal scales, blues scales, pentatonic scales, and many
more concepts.
CHAPTER 2 – MUSIC
THEORY CONCEPTS
2.1 Naming and notating notes
A note is the musical equivalent of a letter in a word, in that it is the base
unit used to create music. There are a total of seven different base notes.
These notes can be altered, thus creating new notes, by using what is
known as accidentals, but more on that in a future chapter. Notes have
many names, but the following two naming conventions are the most
common:

the first ones uses the first seven letters of the English
alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G; in some cases you may also
find a number after the letter
the second one uses a Neo-Latin set of names: La, Si, Do,
Re, Mi, Fa, Sol
Throughout this series and this blog in general, I will be using the letter
notation instead of the Neo-Latin one since I am used to is more and
generally speaking other chapters you may have encountered also use this
notation. And with regards to the number, it signals what octave the note is
a part of. More on that in the next chapter.
And since a picture speaks a thousand words, here is a graphic
representation of the easiest musical scale out there, the C major (or Do
major) scale:

The notes of this scale are, in order, C (Do), D (Re), E (Mi), F (Fa), G
(Sol), A (La), B (Si) and C (Do) once again.
2.2 Reading musical sheets
A musical sheet is the most common method musicians use to write their
music. And this method is a universal one, meaning that it doesn’t matter
what instrument you play, you can always write your music on a musical
sheet.
Musical sheets have various elements inside them, used to designate the
tempo of the song, the key of the song, the time signature and of course
the notes of the song (organized in what is known as bars or measures).
Worth noting is that the areas in which the notes are actually written are
called staffs and they consist of 5 horizontal lines, each having an empty
space area and that notes are written on either the lines or the space area.
More on that below.
Musical sheets can have multiple staffs. The example I am about to use is a
sheet containing what is known as a grand staff, which is used to write a
piano song. This type of staff actually contains two regular staffs, one for
each hand. Other musical sheets can also contain multiple staffs, but most
of the time each staff is dedicated to a different instrument. These types of
sheets are extremely useful for conductors, who are required to follow
several instruments at a time and need to know when each instrument starts
and stops playing during a song. And there are of course sheets that contain
a single staff, dedicated to a single instrument.
So, let’s take a look at a musical sheet:
Quite a lot of stuff there. Let’s break it down:

The tempo section is used to tell the musician how fast a piece is meant to
be played. Now there are two ways in which you can specify tempo:

using a number and a note duration, like in this example

using an Italian tempo word such as Andante, Allegro etc.
In our case, the tempo is read as quarter note equals 120 or 120 beats per
minute (BPM). We’ll discuss these in detail in a separate chapter.
Next up we have the time signature. As you can see, it consists of two
numbers. The number at the bottom represents the note duration used to
measure a beat in a measure while the number at the top represents the
number of beats in a measure. In our case, the time signature is read as
four quarter notes. We will learn about time signatures in more detail in a
future chapter.
Up next is the key signature. This is used to tell the musician what key (or
scale) the song is written and played in. In our case, it is a variant of the F
minor key (scale) called melodic F minor. We will discuss this as well in
more detail in a future chapter.
The next aspect is that of clefs. Clefs are important because they designate
the octaves in which you are supposed to play the notes. On the top staff we
have what is known as the G2 clef. It’s called the G2 clef because its
starting point is located on the line where the G note is located, which is the
second line of the staff (hence the G2 name). More often than not though it
can be referenced to as the G clef or treble clef.
Notes written on the G2 clef staff usually pertain to the fourth octave or
higher. As you remember, the fourth octave is the one that starts with the
middle C note and is also known as the middle octave. As a general rule,
notes with medium and high pitches are placed on staffs with the G2 clef.
The clef on the lower staff is called the F4 clef for the same reasoning as
above. Notes written on this type of staffs are usually the ones with lower
pitches (or bass notes, if you will). Usually the notes on this clef are from
the third octave or lower. Also, this clef can also be referenced to as simply
the F clef or the bass clef.
As you can see, note placement is different for these clefs (e.g. the G note is
on the second staff line for a G2 clef and on the 4th space area for an F4
clef). However, two rules are available for both. First, the higher the pitch
of the note, the higher its position on the staff. And the second rule to
remember is that each note has its very own position reserved on the staff,
be it a line or a space. The only time this is not true, in a sense, is when you
use accidentals but even then the notes are different, though based on the
same one. We’ll get to that when the time is right.
And finally, let’s talk about measures. Measures are closely linked with
time signatures in that you cannot have more notes in a measure/bar than
the time signature allows you to. A measure is used to delimit a section of a
song and it usually contains what is known as a musical motif (which is
basically a group of notes that wants to transmit an idea, expressed by using
notes instead of letters). Measures are separated by a vertical line called a
bar separator and the end of a song (the last measure of the song) is
designated by a special kind of marker, as you can see. The terms bar and
measure can be used interchangeably.
Since this chapter in particular is more about reading notes, let’s take a look
at our good old friend, the C major scale, written in both the G2 clef and the
F4 clef versions:

As you can see, we have notes both on the 5 lines of each staff and outside
of them. This is of course allowed and we can write notes outside of the
designated 5 lines by using ledger lines in the places where one would
expect a staff line. Also worth noting is the alternation between lines and
spaces. Two consecutive notes are located on a line and on a space area, or
on a space area and then on a line, be it a staff line or a ledger line.
When it comes to the G2 clef, the notes on the lines are E, G, B, D and F,
while the notes on the spaces in between are F, A, C and E.
When it comes to the F4 clef, the notes on the lines are G, B, D, F and A,
while the notes on the spaces in between are A, C, E and G.
You may also notice that the notes have different lines. These are specific to
their duration, meaning how long the note is played. In our particular
example we have 16th notes on the G2 clef and whole notes and quarter
notes on the F4 clef, which also has what is known as rests in the
beginning. We will detail all of this in another chapter.
One final note is with regards to places where you see notes on different
positions on a staff but on top of each other. That tells the musician that he
needs to play all the notes at the same time.
2.3 Tones and semitones
A semitone (also known as a half step) is the smallest measuring unit or
interval used in classical Western music. Frequency wise, it is equal to a
twelfth of an octave or half a tone, hence the name a half step.
A tone (also known as a step) is composed of two semitones.
A simpler definition for a semitone is the difference between two
consecutive pitches (which may or may not be part of the same scale, as
we’ll talk about in a future chapter).
On a piano, this translates to the difference in pitch between playing a white
key and a black key found next to each other on the keyboard (sometimes
you will have two white keys next to each other but never two black keys).
On a guitar, this translates to the difference between two consecutive frets
located on the same string.
So why are tones and semitones so important? We’ll unravel this mystery
chapter by chapter but for now, let’s just say that they help us classify
music intervals, scales, and chords (let’s just say that the difference
between a major chord and a minor chord is one semitone, placed at the
right note so to speak).
Also, it’s useful to understand these concepts when other musicians talk to
each other about how a note is one semitone higher than another.
2.4 Accidentals and enharmonic notes
Accidentals are musical symbols which, when used on a note, alter its
pitch by one semitone or one tone. There are 5 common accidentals in
music. Here is what they look like:

So, what exactly do we have there? Well, let’s take them one by one:

the sharp ( ♯ ) accidental raises the pitch of a note by one

semitone
the flat ( ♭ ) accidental lowers the pitch of a note by one
semitone
the natural (♮) accidental returns a note to its original pitch
the double flat ( ) accidental lowers the pitch of a note by
one tone (or two semitones)
the double sharp ( ) accidental raises the pitch of a note
by one tone (or two semitones)
Now that we know what accidentals are, it’s time to take a look at
enharmonic notes. Enharmonic notes are two notes with different
notations that have the exact same pitch.
Think of it like this. What note do you obtain when you sharpen a C? The
answer is C♯. What note do you obtain when you flatten a D? The answer is
D ♭ . However, when you actually play these notes on an instrument, you
will realize that they are one and the same, pitch wise.
So why are there two notations? The answer to that question is closely
linked to the key (or scale) the song is written in. We will get a firm grasp
of keys when we talk about scales and the circle of 5ths.
2.5 Music intervals
A musical interval is the difference in pitch between 2 notes. There are two
types of such intervals:

simple – the ones we will be discussing in this chapter, and

their name comes from the fact that they are located within
the same octave
compound – these ones are obtained by putting together two
simple music intervals and they span two octaves
Simple music intervals consist of two components:

a number which indicates how many different tones the

interval contains
a quality which gives us the level of consonance the interval
has (no one’s gonna ask you about this so don’t worry)
Quality wise, an interval can be one of perfect, major, minor, augmented
or diminished. The last two are out of scope for this series, so we’ll be
focusing only on the first 3.
We have a total of 8 simple music intervals that we are going to discuss.
The first one is called the prime and it consists of a single note. In terms of
interval quality, a prime is perfect:

Next up is the second, which is the difference between two consecutive

notes. Seconds can be either major or minor. Tone/semitone wise, a major
second contains 1 tone, while a minor second contains 1 semitone. Here are
some examples:
Next in line is the third. Similar to seconds, thirds can also be either major
or minor. Major thirds contain 3 tones, each separated by the other by 1
tone, while a minor third has its tones separated by a tone and a semitone
respectively. Here are some examples:

As you can see, each and every interval is computed between two notes.
The number giving us the name of the interval is based on how many
pitches there are between the two notes, including them. In the case of the
third, we have 3 tones: C, D and E.
The next interval is the fourth. Unlike seconds and thirds, fourths are
perfect, quality wise. A perfect fourth consists of 2 tones and 1 semitone. A
particularly interesting type of fourth is the tritone (which basically means
it has 3 tones in it), which you’ll undoubtedly notice when we play some
examples in a bit:

Next up is the fifth musical interval. Similar to fourths, fifths are also
perfect and they consist of 3 tones and a semitone. Here are some
examples:

Our next interval is the sixth. Sixths can be either major (4 tones and 1
semitone) or minor (3 tones and 2 semitones). Here are some examples:

Our penultimate interval is the seventh. Sevenths can also be either major
(5 tones and 1 semitone) or minor (4 tones and 2 semitones). Here are some
examples:
And finally, we have the octave. Octaves are perfect and they consist of 5
tones and 2 semitones. Here is an example:

Generally speaking, when someone mentions an interval, they are most

likely referring to it from a rising or ascending point of view. In other
words, the two notes the musician thinks of have the trait that the first one
has a lower pitch than the second one (e.g. C-E, F-A etc.).
We can think of intervals in a descending manner as well, with the first note
having a higher pitch than the second one. This is why we’ve also learned
about how many tones and semitones are in an interval. By using those
numbers and lowering the pitch by the necessary number of tones and
semitones, we will get a descending music interval.
So, why are intervals important? Well, for many reasons. The first one
refers to key signatures, as we’ll learn in more detail in the next chapter.
The next important one refers to chords. I won’t go into too much detail
here, but let’s just say that the main difference between a major chord and a
minor chord, both formed on the same note, lies in the quality of the rising
third formed by using the root note.
2.6 THE CIRCLE OF 5THS
AND KEY SIGNATURES THE
CIRCLE OF FIFTHS IS AN ACTUAL DIAGRAM IN THE

FORM OF A CIRCLE, THAT HELPS US IN FORMING

MAJOR SCALES AND THEIR RELATIVE MINOR

COUNTERPARTS. THE CIRCLE ITSELF LOOKS

SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

 Source:
[Link]
In the image above we have all possible major scales that can be formed.
Everything starts at the top with the C major scale.
So why is it called the circle of 5ths? Because the difference between each
root note of the major scales is a fifth. Let’s understand what this means.
If you look at the top of the diagram, as we’ve seen, we have the C major
scale. If we go through the circle clockwise, the first major scale we
encounter is the G major scale. The tone difference between C and G is a
rising fifth. Next in line is the D major scale. The difference between G
and D is once again a rising fifth and so on.
We can go through the circle counter-clockwise, the first major scale we
encounter is the F major scale. The difference between C and F is of course
a falling fifth. And so on.
One thing you may notice is that at some point these scales overlap,
meaning that you have two different names for scales that seem to be one
and the same. Which, enharmonically speaking, they are, because they have
the same pitches, but with different names. From my experience, you will
most likely never encounter the C♭ key (everyone will use B) or the C♯ key
(everyone will use D♭). G♭ and F♯ may be used, but in the end it all boils
down to preference (I usually use F♯).
Another thing to notice is that next to each scale we have a staff with a
bunch of sharps or flats on it (aside from the C major scale). That, my
fellow music enthusiasts, is the key signature.
A key signature refers to the sharp notes or flat notes a certain scale (or
key) has. As we can see from the circle of 5ths, aside from the C major
scale (and as a result A minor), every other scale has at least one accidental
in their signature.
So why are key signatures important? Because when a song is written in a
key that has an accidental in its signature (for example, G major), whenever
you encounter the note or notes that have accidentals in the key signature
(in the case of G major, it has an F♯ in its signature), then you are obligated
to play those notes with the accidentals applied, unless stated otherwise,
usually by the use of a natural accidental (in the case of G major, we will
always play the F notes on the staff as F♯).
Key signatures, therefore, allow musicians to avoid placing an accidental
each and every time a note should have one because of the scale it is part of.
Placement wise, a key signature is located at the very beginning of a song
or anywhere else a key change is required in more complex pieces of music.
 CHAPTER 3 – THE C
MAJOR AND A MINOR
SCALES
 3.1 DETAILING THE C
MAJOR AND A MINOR
SCALES A MUSICAL SCALE IS AN
ORDERED SET OF PITCHES THAT ARE FOUND IN

THE SAME OCTAVE. AN OCTAVE IS THE

FREQUENCY INTERVAL BETWEEN TWO NOTES

WITH THE SAME FUNDAMENTAL PITCH OF WHICH

ONE HAS DOUBLE THE FREQUENCY OF THE

OTHER.
The simplest example of a major scale is the C major scale. This scale
consists of the C, D, E, F, G, A and B notes. This is how it looks like:

The A minor scale consists of the A, B, C, D, E, F and G notes. Here’s how

it looks like:
3.2 Relative scales
Those of you with a keen eye will have noticed that the two scales in this
chapter have the same notes but in a different order. And this observation is
correct.
When it comes to music, each major scale has a relative minor scale and
vice-versa. And it’s pretty easy to figure out the relative of a scale.
If you want to figure out the relative minor scale for a major scale, you
have to look at the sixth note from the major scale. That note will be the
starting note (or root note) for your relative minor scale.
If you want to figure out the relative major scale for a minor scale, you
have to look at the third note from the minor scale. That note will be the
root note of the relative major scale.
In our case, the sixth note of the C major scale is A. As a result, the A
minor scale will be the relative minor scale for the C major scale.
Similarly, the third note of the A minor scale is C. As a result, the C
major scale will be the relative major scale for the A minor scale.
CHAPTER 4 – MAJOR AND
MINOR SCALES IN
DETAIL
4.1 Major scales explained
Major scales contain 7 different notes, as you have seen in the previous
chapter. And, as we have discussed, all these notes are located within the
same octave. Each major scale begins on a note called the root note (or
tonic) and ends on the same note, but an octave higher.
However, in order to have a proper major scale, notes need to be located at
certain tonal distances between one another.
Let’s take the C major scale as an example again. The notes are C, D, E, F,
G, A, B and C, which we end the scale on. Based on this, we can identify
that major scales have the following tonal distance formula: Tone Tone
Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone What that means is that the distance
between the first note and the second note is one tone, the difference
between the second note and third note is one tone and so on.
You can apply this formula on any possible note and obtain a new major
scale. Of course, the key signature of the scale will change. In a future
chapter, we will talk about the circle of 5ths, which will give us an easier
way of figuring out all the possible scales which can be used in songs.
4.2 Minor scales explained
Minor scales function in a similar manner to major scales. They also have
7 notes, which have to be located at certain tonal distances between one
another in order to have a proper minor scale.
Let’s take the A minor scale as an example. It consists of the A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, and A notes. As a result, the formula for minor scales is the following
one: Tone Semitone Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone What that means is that
the distance between the first note and the second note is one tone, the
difference between the second note and third note is one semitone and so
on.
CHAPTER 5 – HARMONIC
AND MELODIC MINOR
SCALES
5.1 Harmonic minor scales
In the previous chapters, we have discussed minor scales. The minor scales
we discussed are also known as natural minor scales. However, there are
two variations of these scales, which we will talk about today.
The first variation is called the harmonic minor scale. This variation is
obtained by raising the 7th note of the natural minor scale by one
semitone.
For example, the harmonic A minor scale will consist of the A, B, C, D, E,
F, G♯, and A notes. Here is how the scale looks like:
5.2 Melodic minor scales
A melodic minor scale is also obtained by altering the natural minor scale.
This time around though, we raise both the 6th and 7th notes of the said
natural minor scale. For example, the melodic A minor scale will consist of
the A, B, C, D, E, F♯, G♯, and A notes. Here’s how it looks like:
 CHAPTER 6 – MODAL
SCALES MODAL SCALES ARE SOMETHING
THAT MAY SEEM WEIRD AT FIRST, BUT IN THE END,

THEY ARE PRETTY EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

Let’s consider the C major scale. As you know, it consists of the C, D, E, F,
G, A, B and C notes. And since there are 7 different notes in a scale, you
can actually form a different scale with each and every one of them.
What I mean by that is the following. Let’s play all the notes from the C
major scale, but instead of starting with C, let’s start with D. The resulting
scale will contain the following notes: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. As you
can see, the formula for this scale is different than the formula for either a
major scale or a minor scale.
What we have here is an example of a modal scale. More precisely, it’s an
example of a Dorian scale, D Dorian to be exact.
And that is exactly what modal scales are. They are scales obtained by
playing the notes of a major scale, starting on each of the 7 different notes
of the said major scale.
Since there are 7 different notes in a scale, you can have 7 different modal
scales, which have the following names:

Ionian scale – this is basically the major scale, which is

obtained by playing the notes from the major scale starting
on the root note; for example, C major can also be referred
to as C Ionian
 Dorian scale – this one is obtained by playing all the notes
from the major scale, starting on the second note; in the case
of C major, its associated Dorian modal scale would be D
Dorian
Phrygian scale – this one is obtained by playing the notes
from the major scale starting on the third note; in the case of
C major, its associated Phrygian scale would be E Phrygian
Lydian scale – obtained by playing the notes of the major
scale starting on the fourth note; in the case of C major, its
associated Lydian scale is F Lydian
Mixolydian scale – obtained by playing the notes of the
major scale starting on the fifth note; in case of C major, its
associated Lydian scale is G Mixolydian
Aeolian scale – obtained by playing the notes of the major
scale starting on the sixth note; this is basically the minor
relative scale and in the case of C major, that translates to A
Aeolian or A minor
Locrian scale – formed on the seventh note of the major
scale; for C major, its associated Locrian scale is B Locrian
Aside from this method, there is another one in which you can figure out a
certain modal scale. There are some formulas with accidentals that you can
apply to the major scale that will transform it into one of these modal
scales. And while the Ionian scale formula is basically…well, you just have
to play the major scale…for other scales, some accidentals need to be
applied to some of the notes.
Let’s check them out, one by one. The Dorian scale formula looks like this:

1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
What that formula above means is that, in order to obtain a D Dorian scale,
you need to flatten the 3rd and 7th notes of the D major scale.
The Phrygian scale formula is the following:

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
This time around, you have to flatten the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes of the
major scale.
The Lydian scale formula is a bit easier:

1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
As you can see, you need to sharpen the fourth note of the major scale in
order to obtain the Lydian version of it.
The Mixolydian scale formula is also fairly easy:

1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
As you can see, you need to flatten the 7th note and presto, it is done.
The Aeolian scale formula is the following one:

1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
You’ll have to flatten the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes for this one.
And finally, the Locrian scale has the following formula:

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
 CHAPTER 7 –
PENTATONIC SCALES
7.1 Major pentatonic scales
Major pentatonic scales, much like their minor counterparts, are scales
that contain five notes. Pentatonic scales are used by guitarists during their
solos, especially in rock genres.
And as you’re about to see, major and minor pentatonic scales are fairly
similar in shape.
In order to obtain a major pentatonic scale, you need to play the first,
second, third, fifth and sixth notes of the major scale.
For example, the C major pentatonic scale will consist of the C, D, E, G,
and A notes.

There are 5 different shapes for this scale on a guitar. Let’s start with the
one known as the G-form or the G box:

It’s called the G form because if you look closely, it’s based on the G shape
of the C chord, which looks like this: E|--8--|
 B|--5--|
G|--5--|
D|--5--|
A|--7--|
E|--8--|

Let’s move on to the E-form box:

Next up is the D form:

Next up, the C form:

And finally, the A form:
7.2 Minor pentatonic scales
Minor pentatonic scales function in a similar manner. Only instead of
looking at the major scale, we look at the minor one.
In order to obtain a minor scale, we need to play the first, third, fourth,
fifth and seventh notes of the minor scale.
For example, the A minor pentatonic scale will consist of the A, C, D, E
and G notes. As you can see, the notes are the same ones from the C major
pentatonic scale, but in a different order.
Consequently, the shapes in which you can play the A minor pentatonic
scale are the same as the ones for the C major pentatonic scale.
The only difference is what you consider the root note. Here is what I am
referring to, by using the A form. For minor pentatonic though, that form is
actually the G form:

As you can see, the form is identical, the only difference being what we
consider the root note. The same goes for all the forms above. The G form
changes its name to the E form for minor pentatonic scales:
The E form from above becomes the D form now:

The D form from above becomes the C form:

Finally, the C form from above now becomes the A form:
 CHAPTER 8 – CHROMATIC
SCALES CHROMATIC
SCALES ARE QUITE
POSSIBLY THE EASIEST
OF SCALES TO
UNDERSTAND. IN ORDER
TO OBTAIN A
CHROMATIC SCALE, YOU
HAVE TO PLAY EVERY
NOTE LOCATED INSIDE
AN OCTAVE.
For example, the C chromatic scale consists of the C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F, G,
G ♯ , A, A ♯ , B and C notes. Here’s how it looks like:

Chromatic scales are neither major nor minor. As for their usage, they aren’t
used as a whole scale to write a song. Rather, when composing, people tend
to use chromatic tones, which are notes located outside of the scale the
song is written in.
CHAPTER 9 – HARMONIC
MINOR SCALE MODES
MUCH LIKE HOW EACH
MAJOR SCALE HAS ITS
MODAL SCALES, EACH
MINOR SCALE CAN ALSO
HAVE DIFFERENT
MODES. AND WHILE THE
ONES FOR THE NATURAL
MINOR SCALE ARE THE
SAME ONES AS THE ONES
FOR ITS RELATIVE
MAJOR SCALE, JUST IN A
DIFFERENT ORDER,
WHEN IT COMES TO
HARMONIC MINOR
 SCALES AND MELODIC
MINOR SCALES, THINGS
ARE A BIT DIFFERENT.
THE MODES HAVE
DIFFERENT FORMULAS
AND CONSEQUENTLY
WILL HAVE DIFFERENT
NAMES.
What is the same though is the number of modes a harmonic minor scale
can have, which is 7. The first one is basically the harmonic minor scale
itself. And the formula which is based on the major scale is the following:

1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Similar to how we built modal scales in the previous chapter, what this
translates to is the major scale, but with a flatted third and sixth notes. For
example, the C major scale is C D E F G A B while the C minor
harmonic scale is C D E♭ F G A♭ B.
The next mode is called the Locrian 13 or Locrian 6 and has the following
formula:

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Next in line is the Ionian ♯5, which has a much simpler formula:

1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7
The fourth harmonic modal scale is the Dorian ♯11 (or Dorian ♯4), which
is basically a Dorian scale, but with a sharpened 4th note:

1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Next in line is the Phrygian dominant:

1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The penultimate one is the Lydian ♯ 2, which is basically a Lydian scale,
but with a sharpened 2nd note:

1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 7

And I know what you’re thinking. Easy enough, just a bunch of flats and
sharps here and there. Therefore, I give you the final one, which is called
the Super Locrian ♭♭7:

1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7
And yeah, that’s actually a double flatted note at the end there.
The funny thing about these modes is that I never really used them all that
much, but it seems that they offer quite the possibility in terms of cool
sounds. Some examples of how they can be used include but are not limited
to:

harmonic minor scale – can be played over minMaj7

chords, or chords like m6, m7, m9, m11, m6/9
Locrian 6 – anywhere you play the Locrian mode, generally
over half-diminished chords
Ionian ♯5 – usually played over maj7♯5 chords
Dorian ♯ 11 – can be used as an alternative to the Dorian
scale and is usually played over minor chords
Phrygian dominant – you can play it for dominant chords to
add a bit of Jazz vibe to your songs
Lydian ♯ 2 – usually played over major 7th chords and can
act as a substitute to the Lydian scale
Super Locrian ♭♭7 – a rarely used scale, but it can be used
to great over diminished 7th chords
 CHAPTER 10 – MELODIC
MINOR SCALE MODES
MUCH LIKE THE
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
WHERE WE LEARNED
THAT HARMONIC MINOR
SCALES HAVE MODES, SO
DO MELODIC MINOR
SCALES HAVE MODES.
THERE ARE STILL 7
SINCE THERE ARE 7
NOTES. AND WE ARE
GOING TO TALK ABOUT
EACH OF THEM HERE. WE
ARE GOING TO LOOK AT
THE FORMULAS FOR
 EACH SCALE AND AS
USUAL, THE FORMULAS
WILL BE BASED ON THE
MAJOR SCALE.
The first one is basically the melodic minor scale, which you may also find
under the name of Jazz Melodic Minor, which has the following formula:

1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Next up is the Dorian ♭2 scale, which is formed on the second note of the
melodic minor scale, and has the following formula:

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Let’s move on to the Lydian augmented scale, which is formed on the
third note of the melodic minor scale, and has the following formula:

1 2 3 #4 #5 6 7

The next scale is the Lydian dominant scale, which is formed on the
fourth note of the melodic minor scale and has the following formula:

1 2 3 #4 5 6 ♭7
The fifth one is the Mixolydian ♭6 scale, which is formed on the 5th note of
the melodic minor scale and has the following formula:

1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The sixth scale is the half-diminished scale, which is formed on the sixth
note of the melodic minor scale and has the following formula:
 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Finally, the seventh scale is the altered scale, which is formed on the 7th
note of the scale and has the following formula:

1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Here are some pointers on how to use these scales:

melodic minor scale: use over minor chords, min/maj7

chords
Dorian ♭2 scale: can be used ♭9sus4 chords
Lydian augmented scale (aka Lydian #5): can be used over
maj7#5 chords
Lydian dominant scale (aka Lydian ♭ 7): can be used over
dominant7(#11) chords
Mixolydian ♭ 6 scale: can be used over dominant 7( ♭ 13)
chords
half-diminished scale: can be used over m7(♭5) chords
altered scale: rarely used, but can be used over dominant
chords to some extent
 CHAPTER 11 –
DIMINISHED SCALES THE
DIMINISHED SCALE IS A VERY INTERESTING ONE,

MOSTLY BECAUSE IT IS A SYMMETRICAL SCALE.

THE FORMULA FOR IT IS THE FOLLOWING ONE:

TSTSTST
Basically, the difference between the first and second notes is a tone, the
difference between the second and third notes is a semitone and so on.
Let’s take a look at the C diminished scale. It consists of the C, D, E♭, F,
G♭, A♭, A and B notes. Here’s how it looks like:

The diminished scale can be used in both guitar and piano songs and it can
be played over a diminished chord or over a dominant chord.
As you can see, the diminished scale has 8 different notes rather than 7.
Such scales are also known as octatonic scales.
CHAPTER 12 – ORIENTAL
AND EXOTIC SCALES
12.1 Oriental scales
The oriental scale, which has its origins in China, can be built with the
following formula:
Semitone-Tone and a Semitone-Semitone-Semitone-Tone and a
Semitone-Semitone-Tone As you can see, it’s a scale with larger
intervals than the ones we are used to working with.
Let’s take a look at a C oriental scale. It consists of the C, D♭, E, F, G♭, A,
B♭, and C notes.
Here’s the scale on a music sheet:
 12.2 EXOTIC SCALES
Exotic scales are a group of scales that are based on certain countries or
cultures and they can be found under different names.
A comprehensive list of exotic scales can be found here:
[Link] .
CHAPTER 13 – BLUES
SCALES
13.1 Major blues scales
Blues scales are very common in guitar songs. There are many versions for
them, but the most commonly used blues scales are the ones based on
pentatonic scales.
In order to create such a blues scale, you simply need to add a chromatic
tone to the pentatonic scale.
As you remember, the major pentatonic scale is obtained by playing the
first, second, third, fifth and sixth notes of a major scale. And in order to
obtain a major blues scale, we need to add a flatted third note to this scale.
As a result. the notes of the major blues scale are: 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6
Those are the notes of the major scale which are played as part of the major
blues scale. For example, a C major blues scale will consist of the C, D, E♭,
E, G, and A notes.
Here are some examples of how you can play the major blues scale, based
on major pentatonic scales.

First up, the A form:

Next up, the G form:

Next in line is the E form:

Let’s take a look at the D form now:

Finally, let’s take a look at the C form:

13.2 Minor blues scales
Minor blues scales function in a similar manner. The only difference is that
you will be adding a flatted fifth note. As a result, the formula for them is
the following:

1 3 4 ♭5 5 7
An example of a minor blues scale would be A minor blues, which consists
of the A, C, D, E♭, E and G notes.
Here are some examples of how to play this scale. Let’s start with the G
form:

Next up, the E form:

Next in line, the D form:

Another form is the C form:

And finally, the A form:
 CHAPTER 14 –
CONCLUSION AND
ANOTHER BOOK HAS
REACHED ITS
CONCLUSION. THIS ONE,
DEDICATED TO SCALES,
HAS TAKEN US THROUGH
ALL THE THINGS
NEEDED TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT
SCALES ARE AND HOW
YOU CAN BUILD THEM.
And with another conclusion, comes a time where I thank you for bearing
with me throughout these chapters.
So, what now you ask? Well, feel free to check out other music-related
courses you can find around here. Until next time, happy studying.
 REFERENCES
Pentatonic and blues scales images made with Guitar Scientist:
[Link]