Music Composition For Dummies
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If you're composing music, you generally use one of the seven main types of musical scales, or modes, generally referred to as Greek scales. Each one consists of eight notes, combining whole and half steps in slightly different combinations to produce different feelings in the listener. The following list shows these Greek scales:

  • Ionian (the major scale): W(hole step), W, H(alf step), W, W, W, H

  • Dorian: W, H, W, W, W, H, W

  • Phrygian: H, W, W, W, H, W, W

  • Lydian: W, W, W, H, W, W, H

  • Mixolydian: W, W, H, W, W, H, W

  • Aeolian (the minor scale): W, H, W, W, H, W, W

  • Locrian: H, W, W, H, W, W, W

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Scott Jarrett has been a theatrical music director and has taught recording labs, voice, guitar, music theory, and composition. He has worked with artists from Willie Nelson to Dave Grusin.

Holly Day has created work for over 3,000 international publications including Guitar One Magazine, Music Alive!, and Brutarian Magazine. She is also the co-author of Music Theory For Dummies.

Michael Pilhofer, MM, holds a Master's in Music Education with a Jazz Emphasis from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami.

Holly Day's work has appeared in Guitar One Magazine, Music Alive!, culturefront Magazine, and Brutarian Magazine.

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