Piano Scales
Piano scales on an interactive keyboard: pick a key and a scale to see the notes, the whole and half steps, the key signature, and hear it played.
- Steps
- Degrees
W = whole step (2 semitones), H = half step (1 semitone), W+H = a step and a half (3 semitones). Keyboard: Space plays or stops the scale, ← → move the key down or up a half step. Tap any key to hear it.
How to use the piano scales tool
To play scales on piano, pick a key and a scale here: the keyboard marks every note from the root up one octave, spells each one correctly, shows the whole and half steps and the key signature, and plays the scale up and down at your tempo. Pick a Key and a Scale. The piano scales tool marks the scale on the keyboard from the root up one octave, writes each key's note name on it, and lists the notes with the step between each pair: W for a whole step (two keys apart), H for a half step (the very next key) and W+H for a step and a half. Under that you get the scale degrees, the key signature and the relative major or minor.
Press Play up and down to hear the scale at the Tempo you choose; the keys light up as they sound. Tap any key to play it yourself. On a computer, Space plays and stops, and the left and right arrow keys move the key down or up a half step, so you can walk through all twelve major scales in a row.
The major scale: W W H W W W H
Every major scale uses the same pattern of steps: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start on C and that pattern gives only white keys: C D E F G A B. Start anywhere else and some black keys come in. The note names follow a simple rule: each letter from A to G appears once, in order, so a scale uses either sharps or flats, never a mix. That is why F major has Bb and not A#: the scale already has an A, and it needs a B.
The three minor scales
The natural minor scale steps W H W W H W W. A natural minor is A B C D E F G, the same notes as C major starting on A; that makes A minor the relative minor of C major. The harmonic minor raises the 7th: A B C D E F G#. The gap from F to G# is a step and a half, which gives the scale its sound, and the raised 7th makes a major V chord (E major in A minor). The melodic minor raises the 6th as well: A B C D E F# G#. In classical practice it is played this way going up and as a natural minor coming down; the tool shows the ascending form.
Music modes
A mode is a major scale started on another of its notes. On the white keys you can hear all seven without a single black key:
| Mode | Start on degree | White-key example | Compared with major |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian (major) | 1 | C D E F G A B | the major scale |
| Dorian | 2 | D E F G A B C | b3, b7 |
| Phrygian | 3 | E F G A B C D | b2, b3, b6, b7 |
| Lydian | 4 | F G A B C D E | #4 |
| Mixolydian | 5 | G A B C D E F | b7 |
| Aeolian (natural minor) | 6 | A B C D E F G | b3, b6, b7 |
| Locrian | 7 | B C D E F G A | b2, b3, b5, b6, b7 |
Pick a mode in the tool and it names the parent major key and its key signature, so D Dorian shows C major. The Degrees line gives the same comparison with major for any root.
Key signatures and relative keys
For major and minor scales the tool shows the key signature: the sharps or flats written once at the start of each line of music instead of before every note. Relative keys share a key signature: G major and E minor both have one sharp, F#. See all fifteen on the key signatures chart, or see how the keys connect on the circle of fifths.
Practice ideas
- Play along with the tool at a slow tempo, one hand at a time, then both hands an octave apart.
- Go round the circle of fifths: C, G, D, A and so on. Each new scale adds one sharp, so you only change one note at a time.
- Sing or name each note as you play it; the spelled names on the keys help you think in letters, not only shapes.
- Hear the scale used in a tune: the melody generator writes a random melody in the key and scale you pick.
- The same step pattern works on any instrument: lift one finger at a time on a D whistle and you climb the D major scale, as the tin whistle fingering chart shows.
- Try the scale on the full online piano and build its chords with piano chords.
More for piano: Online Piano · Piano Chords · Chord Finder · Treble Clef Notes · Bass Clef Notes
Questions
What is the pattern of a major scale?
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (W W H W W W H). A whole step skips one key; a half step goes to the very next key, white or black.
What is the difference between the major and minor scale?
The natural minor scale lowers the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the major scale. Its step pattern is W H W W H W W. C major is C D E F G A B; C natural minor is C D Eb F G Ab Bb.
What are the music modes?
The seven modes are the major scale started on each of its seven notes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Ionian is the major scale and Aeolian is the natural minor.
Does the tool show piano fingerings?
No. It shows the notes, steps and key signature. Fingerings vary with the scale and the teacher, so we leave them to your teacher or method book.