Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [scales]

For questions about playing, understanding, or studying scales.

Most scales are made of seven notes whereby each scale degree is giving a letter name from A to G based on the distance from the root and the previous note. In seven note scales it is typical to describe the pattern in terms of half steps 'H'(one semitone) and whole steps 'W'(two semitones).

For example the scale pattern for a major scale is:

WWHWWWH

Applying that to a C root of C yields the following:

C D E F G A B C
 W W H W W W H
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Why do minor keys sound “sad”?

Oftentimes major keys are called "happy" and minor keys are "sad". Why is this? Is it universal across cultures that use these scales? Do similar connotations exist in other scale systems? (If this isn't universal, then perhaps someone could explain…
Sophie Alpert
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Why are there twelve notes in an octave?

I know that one scale consists of 12 half-tones. But my question is still: Why? Why not 13 or 11?
Agares
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What is the difference between a mode and a scale?

I can't seem to find a straight definition for both.
crimson_sprite
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Ways to get out of a scalar rut?

I'm a well versed and experienced guitarist. I have a decent sense for rhythm and melody, but I have a VERY hard time with soloing. I know you've heard it all before I'm one of those guys that got stuck practicing scales too much and cant, for the…
InternalConspiracy
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The major scale - why and how?

background: I am an amateur guitarist. I was trained in Indian classical music as a kid. Most of what I know in music theory is from books or Google. So please feel free to correct me or tell me if I'm wrong. One thing that always bothered me is how…
tinkerbeast
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Why is a C7 chord named a dominant seventh chord?

I understand that a C7 chord contains a flattened 7th note in the C major scale, but what specifically makes this a dominant 7th chord? To me there is nothing 'dominant' about taking a note out of the major scale and flattening it. Can anyone…
jaffa
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Key signature for writing in modes other than major and minor

I have trouble deciding what accidentals to put in the key signature for pieces in Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian or Mixolydian modes. There seem to be trade-offs associated with each choice. For example, when writing in G Mixolydian, setting an empty key…
Gauthier
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Why does the scale have seven (or five) notes? Why not six?

I'm a programmer by trade, and I have always felt that music was arbitrarily difficult. Please forgive my inexperience with musical notation. I had a little thought experiment with my wife today, and I wanted to ask why we don't do it the way I…
Caleb
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Why learn scales? What are they for?

I tried Googling but it seems there is no answer for this one. So the internet assumes everyone knows what scales are for? Why should I learn them? Are they important to be a good guitarist?
J Roq
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What does it mean to write a song in a certain key?

I have been searching for a while to try to correctly understand this. What exactly does it mean if for example a song is written in C Major? Does it mean the song's notes cannot contain any sharps or flats? Does it mean the song can only have…
jmasterx
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Major scale of one note is the Minor scale of another note?

I am learning guitar at the moment and I learned the major scale. Then I checked the minor scale and the positions are the same! Not only that, the C major scale is the same as the A minor scale. So how is that possible? Is there any distinction…
user1584421
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Why do notes have multiple names?

I've seen the same note called different names for example the note F# can also be written as Gb. Why is this the case and are there times to use one name over another?
Dom
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Why are the white and black keys on the piano placed the way they are?

I am pretty convinced it is not just for historical reasons. I have found a mathematically-sound explanation of the twelve-tone musical scale, thanks to this question. Does anyone know a similar, human-readable explanation for the piano key…
Ali
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Is it possible to write a song without a key?

"This song is in F Major", "That song is in A Minor", "This song is in D Minor, but modulates to F Major in the middle", etc. Can we say "This song has no key"? Are there songs that have/follow no key? Is it possible to create song without adhering…
Saeed Neamati
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What are modes and how are they useful?

I'm a self-taught guitarist with zero to little experience in music theory. After marrying a violinist I found that there's a lot to music theory that I know tribally but don't understand the technical or formal definitions for. I'd like for someone…
Jduv
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