2. Learning Outcomes
• By the end of today’s session, students will be
able to:
• Define what a ‘scale’ is, and understand the
relationship between relative major and minor
scales
• Identify the half step/whole step pattern of
major and natural minor scales
• Understand the relationship between natural,
harmonic and melodic minor scales
3. Scales
• A scale is a series of ascending or descending
notes in a stepwise pattern.
4. C Major/A minor scale - Relative
• The scales of C Major and A minor are built
using all natural notes (white notes on the
piano), in the order of notes:
5. • These two scales have the same notes, but
they are not the same kind of scale.
• We can tell the difference between the two
because of where the half steps fall.
• A minor is the relative minor to C major
6. Relative minor
• The relative minor uses the same set of notes,
placed in a different order
• This creates a different pattern of whole and
half steps
• The relative minor of any major scale begins
on the 6th scale degree
• The relative major of any natural minor scale
begins on the b3 scale degree
7. Activity
• Write out a major scale starting on the
following notes:
– F
– G
– D
– Bb
Now find the relative minor scale
10. • The melodic minor scale has traditionally
occurred in ascending/descending form.
• These days, we tend to only use the ascending
form – with the b3, natural 6 & 7, when going
up and down
Melodic minor (ascending)
11. Similarities
• All minor scales contain the same first 5 scale
degrees.
• The degrees which change between scales are
the 6th and the 7th
