Scales 101 — Starting with Major and Minor

A scale is a palette of the notes you'll use in a piece. Which notes you pick turns the same melody into a completely different mood.

Half steps and whole steps

On a keyboard, the very next key is a half step; two keys is a whole step. Scales are defined by a pattern of these gaps.

The major scale

Bright and stable. The pattern is W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Starting on C, that's the white keys: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.

The minor scale

Darker and more wistful. The natural minor pattern is W-H-W-W-H-W-W.

If major is sunlight, minor is shade — both come from the same 12 notes, just in a different order of gaps.

In SynthLab's Studio, switch the scale and play the same pattern — you'll hear the difference in feel right away.