Scales, modes and melodic direction

Select a collection and a tonic

The scale tool combines a tonic with an interval pattern. Major and natural minor have dedicated reference pages across the canonical root spellings. Other supported patterns can be explored with the same controls.

A list of pitch classes does not establish musical emphasis by itself. Use the tonic as the point of reference when reading degree labels, and return to it in your listening exercise.

Read the supported patterns

Formulas compare each degree with the major-scale reference on the same tonic. A flat 3 label means a minor third above the tonic; it does not mean that an already written flat note should be flattened again.

Check melodic-minor direction

In the classical convention, melodic minor raises degrees 6 and 7 ascending and returns to the natural-minor collection descending. In A, the ascent uses F-sharp and G-sharp; the descent uses G natural and F natural.

The jazz convention retains the raised sixth and seventh in both directions. Select the convention deliberately. A descending label should make the chosen behavior clear instead of silently reusing one version for both.

Understand the familiar aliases

Ionian is the same interval pattern as major, and Aeolian is the same as natural minor. They do not need duplicate reference entries with identical notes. The names can be useful when comparing all seven diatonic modes together.

For a same-tonic comparison, choose C major, C Lydian and C Mixolydian. F changes to F-sharp in Lydian, while B changes to B-flat in Mixolydian. This isolates each mode’s characteristic difference.

Read, hear and preserve one comparison

Play slowly in a single direction before comparing an ascent and descent. Check the note list as well as the keyboard or fretboard: unusual names such as E-sharp can be correct when the letter structure requires them.

Save the scale type, tonic and convention you actually used. A reference labeled only “minor” may leave an important difference unexplained.