Major & Minor Scales Flashcards

Grade 6 · Music · Flashcards

Study essential terms about scales, intervals, and musical patterns.

Flashcards

Scale: A sequence of musical notes arranged in ascending or descending order by pitch
Half step (semitone): The smallest musical interval — moving to the very next adjacent key on a piano
Whole step (whole tone): Two half steps combined — skips one key on the piano
Major scale pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H — produces a bright, happy sound
Natural minor scale pattern: W-H-W-W-H-W-W — produces a darker, sadder sound
Tonic: The first note of a scale — the home base that gives the scale its name
Octave: The interval spanning 8 notes — the top note sounds like the first note but higher in pitch
C major scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C — the foundational major scale using only white piano keys
A natural minor scale: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A — the relative minor of C major, also using only white piano keys
Relative minor: The minor scale that shares all the same notes as a major scale; starts on the 6th scale degree
Major key mood: Generally bright, happy, or uplifting in emotional character
Minor key mood: Generally dark, sad, tense, or mysterious in emotional character
Scale degree: The numbered position of a note within a scale (1st = tonic, 6th = start of relative minor)