Music: Music Theory: Major and Minor Scales
Identifying, building, and comparing major and minor scales
Music: Music Theory: Major and Minor Scales
Identifying, building, and comparing major and minor scales
Music - Grade 9-12
- 1
Write the whole-step and half-step pattern for a major scale. Use W for whole step and H for half step.
Think of the C major scale from C to C using only white keys.
The major scale pattern is W-W-H-W-W-W-H. - 2
Build a D major scale. Write all eight notes, including the repeated tonic at the top.
The D major scale is D, E, F-sharp, G, A, B, C-sharp, D. It uses F-sharp and C-sharp to match the major scale pattern. - 3
Build an A natural minor scale. Write all eight notes, including the repeated tonic at the top.
A natural minor is the relative minor of C major.
The A natural minor scale is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. It uses only natural notes. - 4
Write the whole-step and half-step pattern for a natural minor scale. Use W for whole step and H for half step.
The natural minor scale pattern is W-H-W-W-H-W-W. - 5
Identify the relative minor of E-flat major. Explain how you found it.
The relative minor starts on scale degree 6 of the major scale.
The relative minor of E-flat major is C minor. It is found by moving down a minor third from E-flat, or by using the sixth scale degree of E-flat major. - 6
Identify the relative major of F-sharp minor. Explain how you found it.
The relative major of F-sharp minor is A major. It is found by moving up a minor third from F-sharp, or by using the third scale degree of the minor scale. - 7
Build a G major scale and name its key signature.
The seventh note must be a half step below the tonic at the top.
The G major scale is G, A, B, C, D, E, F-sharp, G. Its key signature has one sharp, F-sharp. - 8
Build an E natural minor scale and name its key signature.
The E natural minor scale is E, F-sharp, G, A, B, C, D, E. Its key signature has one sharp, F-sharp. - 9
Compare C major and A natural minor. They use the same notes. Explain why they sound different.
The home note, or tonic, strongly affects the feeling of a scale.
C major and A natural minor sound different because they have different tonic notes. C major centers on C, while A natural minor centers on A, which changes the pattern of intervals around the tonic. - 10
A scale contains the notes F, G, A, B-flat, C, D, E, F. Identify the scale and explain your answer.
The scale is F major. It starts and ends on F and follows the major scale pattern with one flat, B-flat. - 11
A scale contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B-flat, C, D. Identify the scale and explain your answer.
Check the half steps between E and F, and between A and B-flat.
The scale is D natural minor. It starts and ends on D and follows the natural minor pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W. - 12
Explain the difference between parallel major and minor scales using C major and C natural minor as examples.
Parallel major and minor scales share the same tonic but use different notes and interval patterns. C major is C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, while C natural minor is C, D, E-flat, F, G, A-flat, B-flat, C.