Scale Identifier
Type a set of notes and find out which scales they form, and on which tonic.
Most likely reading
D Dorian
D E F G A B C
| Tonic | Scale | Notes | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Dorian | D E F G A B C | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| B | Locrian | B C D E F G A | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| F | Lydian | F G A B C D E | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 |
| C | Major (Ionian) | C D E F G A B | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| G | Mixolydian | G A B C D E F | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| A | Natural minor (Aeolian) | A B C D E F G | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| E | Phrygian | E F G A B C D | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Give it the notes a passage uses and it tells you which scales contain exactly those notes, and on which tonic. Expect several answers: one set of seven notes is a major scale, a natural minor and five modes at the same time.
How it works
Each note is tried as a tonic and the resulting set of intervals is matched against the scale catalogue. The match has to be exact: this answers "what scale is this", not "which scales contain these notes", which would return almost everything.
Results are ordered by how few accidentals the spelling needs, so the reading a musician would write comes first.
Examples
| Case | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| One set of notes, seven readings of it | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | C natural minor, E♭ major, F Dorian, G Phrygian and three more |
Frequently asked questions
Why do I get seven answers?
Because the modes of a scale are the same notes starting in a different place. C D E F G A B is C major, D dorian, E phrygian and so on. Which one it is depends on which note the music treats as home, and that is not something a list of notes can say.
Nothing matched.
Either the set is not one of the scales in the catalogue, or a note is missing. A six-note set will not match a seven-note scale, because the match is exact.
Good to know
- The match is exact. A set of notes one accidental away from a scale is not offered as nearly that scale, because a listener does not hear “nearly”.
- Only scales in the catalogue are matched. One that is missing is a gap in the catalogue rather than a claim that it is not a scale.