Scale Finder
Pick a root note and a scale or mode to see every note in it — for guitar, piano, or any instrument.
W = whole step · H = half step
7 notes per octave
A scale is a set of notes at fixed semitone distances from a root. Start on the root and add each interval, wrapping every 12 semitones back to the same pitch. The major scale uses the pattern W–W–H–W–W–W–H, so C major = C D E F G A B. Change the root or pattern to get any other scale.
What a scale is
A scale is an ordered collection of notes chosen from the twelve pitches in an octave. Each scale is defined by its interval pattern — the number of semitones between successive notes — measured from a root (the note it is named after). Apply the same pattern to a different root and you get the same kind of scale in a new key: the major pattern on C gives C major, and on G gives G major.
Musicians describe those gaps as whole steps (two semitones, W) and half steps (one semitone, H). The major scale is W–W–H–W–W–W–H; the natural minor scale is W–H–W–W–H–W–W. A mode is the same collection of notes started from a different degree — play the C major notes from D to D and you get D Dorian.
Add each scale-degree interval to the root’s pitch, then wrap around every 12 semitones (one octave). Notes are then spelled so each scale uses its letter names in order.
Worked example
Build C major, whose pattern is W–W–H–W–W–W–H, i.e. the semitone offsets 0–2–4–5–7–9–11 from the root.
- 1 Choose the root and the pattern. Root = C. Major pattern = W–W–H–W–W–W–H, which is the semitone offsets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 above the root.
- 2 Add each interval to the root. Counting semitones up from C: 0→C, 2→D, 4→E, 5→F, 7→G, 9→A, 11→B.
- 3 Wrap at the octave. After 11 semitones the next note is 12 = C again, one octave higher, so the seven distinct notes are C D E F G A B.
- 4 Spell one letter per degree. A seven-note scale uses each letter A–G once. That is why the ♭7 of C Mixolydian is written B♭, not A♯ — the same key, spelled with the right letter.
- 5 Read the result. C major = C D E F G A B. Swap the root to transpose the scale, or swap the pattern to get a mode, pentatonic, or blues scale.
Scale and mode formulas, with the example on C
Interval formula = semitones above the root, ascending. Modes share the same seven pitch classes as a major scale started from a different degree.
| Scale / mode | Interval formula (semitones) | Example on C |
|---|---|---|
| Major (Ionian) | 0–2–4–5–7–9–11 | C D E F G A B |
| Natural minor (Aeolian) | 0–2–3–5–7–8–10 | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ |
| Harmonic minor | 0–2–3–5–7–8–11 | C D E♭ F G A♭ B |
| Melodic minor (ascending) | 0–2–3–5–7–9–11 | C D E♭ F G A B |
| Dorian | 0–2–3–5–7–9–10 | C D E♭ F G A B♭ |
| Phrygian | 0–1–3–5–7–8–10 | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ |
| Lydian | 0–2–4–6–7–9–11 | C D E F♯ G A B |
| Mixolydian | 0–2–4–5–7–9–10 | C D E F G A B♭ |
| Locrian | 0–1–3–5–6–8–10 | C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ |
| Major pentatonic | 0–2–4–7–9 | C D E G A |
| Minor pentatonic | 0–3–5–7–10 | C E♭ F G B♭ |
| Blues | 0–3–5–6–7–10 | C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ |
Modes, pentatonics, and enharmonic spelling
The seven church modes — Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian — all draw from the same seven notes; each simply treats a different note as home. Ionian is the major scale and Aeolian is the natural minor, which is why every major key shares its notes with a relative minor a minor third below. The five-note pentatonic scales drop the two most dissonant degrees, and the blues scale adds a chromatic ♭5 passing tone.
Because a black key can be named two ways — C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch — the notes are spelled to keep one letter per scale degree wherever possible. So E♭ major is written E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D rather than mixing in D♯ or G♯. For an isolated pitch either name is fine; within a scale, the letter-per-degree spelling is what makes the key readable on the staff.