Major and minor scales are two of the most popular and commonly used scales in western music. It is possible to make a major or the minor scale using any note while playing piano. A unique pattern of notes creates a scale. While there are many similarities between these two scales, there are also differences that will be highlighted in this article.
If you know about the diatonic scale, major and minor scales become easy to understand as these are mere variations of this diatonic scale. This is a scale that has intervals of 5 full steps and 2 half steps. The third note is what makes the major scale so much more bright and cheerful sounding while giving the minor scale its characteristic sadness and darkness. The major third note is one note higher than the minor 3rd note.
There is also a significant difference between the mood of the major and minor scales. As a listener, your ears perceive a major scale as having a different personality than a minor scale. This difference is especially evident when you hear the two scales one after another or side by side. The feelings or emotions aroused by the major scale are positive and happy, while those aroused by the minor scale are full of melancholy and sadness.
Key Takeaways
- The pattern of steps in a major scale is WWHWWWH, whereas this pattern in a minor scale is WHWWHWW.
- Major scales produce feelings of happiness, whereas minor scales are known to make people sad.
- It is the third note that makes all the difference between a major scale and a minor scale; major scales have major 3rd’s, whereas minor scales have minor 3rd’s.
