Scales Genealogy

We like to think that scales have a certain genealogy like a family tree.

We have created the following diagrams to help you visualise how scales are linked.

Diagram 1

As you can see in the example below, the notes of the C major and A minor scales are the same, but because the root notes (1) start in a different place, they sound different because the intervals between the Major and Minor scales are different.

You can instantly see all the notes of all the scales in all the musical keys with the MusicWheels™ Gizmo.

You can use MusicWheels™ to discover all the other scales and their notes.

Diagram 2

This diagram shows the genealogy of the other popular minor scales (in the key of A).

When using the MusicWheels™ Gizmo we like to use the 12 o’clock position for our starting note (keynote).

Diagram 3

This diagram shows the genealogy of the modal scales in the key of C.