Now we can make a formula for the minor scale. So the relative minor scale of C Major is A minor and the notes are A B C D E F G A. The starting note of a relative minor scale is 3 half steps lower than the major scale. Minor Scale Formulaįor each major scale there is a corresponding minor scale that uses the same notes known as its relative minor scale. Now you can take any starting note on the piano and construct the corresponding major scale. It creates the formula for a major scale which is “W W H W W W H” Consider where the whole steps and half steps land. Now consider a C major scale, which is all the “natural” notes or C D E F G A B C. So from D to E is a whole step because it skips D♯. A whole step is the distance from one key to a key two half steps higher or lower. This should be review, but a half step is the distance from one key to the very next. Constructing Major vs Minor Scales (Theory) Major Scale Formula Another big difference is that minor scales tend to evoke negative emotions while major scales tend to evoke positive emotions. It covers major vs minor scale construction (theory), hearing the difference between them (auditory), and the scientific basis for emotional associations of each.įor a short answer to the question: the difference between major and minor scales is the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes which are often a half step lower in a minor scale compared to a major scale.

While there are many types of scales, in this article describes the differences between major and minor scales. When I listen to “don’t worry, be happy” by Bobby McFerrin I can’t help but smile as I hear his expert whistling and light hearted “doot, doots.” When I listen to “Hello” by Adele I can’t help but feel the anguish of missing someone you love as she belts “Hello from the other side.”īut what makes some songs cheerful, and others tearful? Arguably, the scale a song uses determines the emotional texture more than any other aspect.

Harmonic minor scale formula