# Beyond the major scale

**Modes and other scales:** [Modes](modes.md) · [Modes lab](modes-lab.md) · Beyond the major scale · [Beyond the major scale lab](beyond-scales-lab.md)

Reading page: [`beyond-scales.html`](beyond-scales.html). Hear them on the
[beyond the major scale lab](beyond-scales-lab.html): pick a **family**, a **scale**, and a **root**, press
**Play scale**, and the notes, formula, note count and feel appear below. It shares the pinned **metronome**, so playback runs **one note per beat at that
tempo** — slow a scale down to study it or speed it up.

Major, minor, and the [modes](modes.md) are one family: seven notes, and the only question was which note is home. The scales here change the list itself. Pentatonic and the minor family are the ones a beginner uses. The later tables are a map for when a chord asks for something else.

**C major** is the white keys. **A minor** is those keys with home on A, so the lowered 3rd shows up right away. From here, notes get added, dropped, or moved.

## The minor family

The minor scale leaves degrees 6 and 7 low. In A minor, G does not lead up to A the way B led up to C. **Harmonic minor** raises only the 7th (G♯), and the jump into it is the dramatic sound. **Melodic minor** raises 6 and 7 together so the top climbs more evenly, and often comes back down as natural minor.

| Scale | Formula | From C | vs natural minor | Feel / use |
|-------|---------|--------|------------------|------------|
| Natural minor (Aeolian) | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | — | the plain sad scale; pop, rock |
| Harmonic minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 **7** | C D E♭ F G A♭ B | raised 7th | dramatic, exotic; classical, metal, "Spanish" — the big ♭6→7 jump is its signature |
| Melodic minor (asc.) | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 **6 7** | C D E♭ F G A B | raised 6th & 7th | smooth minor with a major-sounding top; jazz & classical (descends as natural minor) |

## Pentatonic, blues & symmetrical

Drop degrees 4 and 7 from C major (F and B) and both half steps disappear: **C D E G A**, the major pentatonic. From A minor, drop degrees 2 and 6 and you have **A C D E G**. Blues adds the ♭5 between 4 and 5. Whole-tone, diminished, and chromatic repeat one step size, so they never settle on a home.

| Scale | # notes | Formula | From C | Feel / use |
|-------|---------|---------|--------|------------|
| Major pentatonic | 5 | 1 2 3 5 6 | C D E G A | open & happy, nothing clashes; folk, country, pop hooks |
| Minor pentatonic | 5 | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | C E♭ F G B♭ | the #1 soloing scale; rock, blues, pop leads |
| Blues | 6 | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ | minor pentatonic + the ♭5 "blue note"; blues, rock, jazz |
| Whole-tone | 6 | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 | C D E F♯ G♯ A♯ | all whole steps — dreamy, no gravity; Debussy, dream scenes |
| Diminished (W–H) | 8 | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7 | C D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B | alternating whole/half — tense; jazz over dim7, suspense |
| Chromatic | 12 | all 12 notes | C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B | every half-step; passing tones & tension, never a "home" key |

**Symmetrical scales** (whole-tone, diminished, chromatic) repeat the same interval pattern,
so they have no single "home" and sound like they float.

## Modes of melodic minor

Once melodic minor exists, it has modes the way C major did: same notes, a different home. Ordinary songs do not need these. **Lydian dominant** is a dominant seventh with a raised 4th. The **altered** scale is what players use on a G7 when every tension is allowed.

| Mode | Degree | Formula | From C | Used over |
|------|--------|---------|--------|-----------|
| Melodic minor | 1st | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 | C D E♭ F G A B | minor tonic chords |
| Dorian ♭2 | 2nd | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | C D♭ E♭ F G A B♭ | sus♭9 |
| Lydian augmented | 3rd | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 | C D E F♯ G♯ A B | maj7♯5 |
| **Lydian dominant** | 4th | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | C D E F♯ G A B♭ | dominant 7♯11 (jazz/fusion staple) |
| Mixolydian ♭6 | 5th | 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | C D E F G A♭ B♭ | dominant 7♭13 |
| Locrian ♮2 (half-dim) | 6th | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | C D E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ | m7♭5 |
| **Altered (Super-Locrian)** | 7th | 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ | altered dominants (7♭9♯9♯11♭13) |

## Modes of harmonic minor

Same idea, with harmonic minor as the parent. **Phrygian dominant** is A harmonic minor started on E, its 5th: a major chord with a lowered 2nd, the Spanish sound. The other rows are that scale started on the other degrees.

| Mode | Degree | Formula | From C | Sound |
|------|--------|---------|--------|-------|
| Harmonic minor | 1st | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | C D E♭ F G A♭ B | dramatic minor |
| Locrian ♮6 | 2nd | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 | C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A B♭ | half-diminished color |
| Ionian ♯5 (augmented major) | 3rd | 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 | C D E F G♯ A B | maj7♯5 |
| Dorian ♯4 (Ukrainian Dorian) | 4th | 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 | C D E♭ F♯ G A B♭ | folk / klezmer |
| **Phrygian dominant** | 5th | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | C D♭ E F G A♭ B♭ | Spanish, flamenco, metal |
| Lydian ♯2 | 6th | 1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | C D♯ E F♯ G A B | bright & exotic |
| Super-Locrian ♭♭7 | 7th | 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7 | C D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭♭ | very tense (altered/dim) |

## Exotic & world scales

Further edits of harmonic minor, plus a few five-note scales from other traditions. The formula shows which degree moved. Several are also modes of the scales above.

| Scale | Formula | From C | Feel / use |
|-------|---------|--------|------------|
| Double harmonic (Byzantine) | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 | C D♭ E F G A♭ B | Middle-Eastern; two big "gapped" steps around the 2nd and 6th |
| Hungarian minor | 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 | C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B | gypsy / Hungarian, dramatic — harmonic minor with a ♯4 |
| Neapolitan minor | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B | classical, brooding — harmonic minor with a ♭2 |
| Hirajoshi (Japanese) | 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 | C D E♭ G A♭ | meditative 5-note scale; koto music, film "East Asia" cues |

See also: the [modes appendix](modes.md), the [other chord types](chord-types.md), and the
[scales lab](scales-lab.md).