Saxophone Lesson #23: Diatonic Scale

In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven-note musical scale comprising five whole-tone and two half-tone steps, in which the half-steps are maximally separated. Thus between each of the two half-steps lie either two or three whole-steps, with the pattern repeating at the octave. Major Scale The major scale (or Ionian scale) is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, (Do)". The simplest major scale to write or play on the piano is C major, the only major scale not to require sharps or flats, using only the white keys on the piano keyboard.
	A major scale may be seen as two identical tetrachords separated by a whole tone, or whole step. Each tetrachord consists of two whole steps followed by a half step. The pattern of whole and half steps (WWHWWWH) is shown on the picture (left) of a C major scale (C D E F G A B C).
Major Scales with sharp key signatures C maj – 0 sharps G maj – 1 sharp – F♯ D maj – 2 sharps – F♯, C♯ A maj – 3 sharps – F♯, C♯, G♯ E maj – 4 sharps – F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ B maj – 5 sharps – F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯ F♯ maj – 6 sharps – F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ C♯ maj – 7 sharps – F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯ Major Scales with flat key signatures C maj – 0 flats F maj – 1 flat – B♭ B♭ maj – 2 flats – B♭, E♭ E♭ maj – 3 flats – B♭, E♭, A♭ A♭ maj – 4 flats – B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ D♭ maj – 5 flats – B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ G♭ maj – 6 flats – B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ C♭ maj - 7 flats - B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ Minor Scale A minor scale is a diatonic scale whose third scale degree is an interval of a minor third above the tonic. There are three different kinds of minor scale: natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales. Natural Minor One way of remembering the steps in the natural minor scale is to start on the 6th degree of the relative major scale. In that way, one does not have to remember the new set of steps "W,H,W,W,H,W,W," (in semitones - 2 1 2 2 1 2 2) but rather just the familiar major scale steps with a different starting point. For example, A is the 6th degree of the C major scale, so the A natural minor scale is the C major scale starting on the 6th degree.
	C major is C D E F G A B C; the A natural minor scale (see picture left) is A B C D E F G A (A is the 6th degree of C major).
Harmonic Minor The harmonic minor scale is the same as the natural minor but with a chromatically raised seventh degree.
	tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone-and-a-half, semitone. For example, in the key of A minor, the harmonic minor scale is: A B C D E F G# A'
Melodic Minor The interval between the sixth and seventh degrees of this scale (in this case F and G sharp) is an augmented second. While some composers, notably Mozart, have used this interval to advantage in melodic composition, other composers have felt it to be an awkward leap, particularly in vocal music. Thus, for purposes of melody, either the subtonic is used, or the sixth scale degree is raised; either way, there is a whole step between these two scale degrees, considered more conducive to smooth melody writing.
	The ascending melodic A minor scale
	The descending melodic A minor scale

Tenor Saxophone C Major Scale Tenor Saxophone D Major Scale Tenor Saxophone F Major Scale

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