Are there such things as minor scales or other such scales?

Question:Alright, so I got how to get a major scale out of any note, you just take that note and...
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a half step up
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a half step up

But how is the pattern different with a minor scale or other scales.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Alright, so I got how to get a major scale out of any note, you just take that note and...
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a half step up
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a whole step up
go a half step up

But how is the pattern different with a minor scale or other scales.

First off, a whole step is called a tone and a half step is a semi-tone (sorry, that's just how I learned it). There are 3 types of minor scales: natural, harmonic and melodic.

Natural minor scale:
tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone.

This scale is rarely used

Harmonic minor
(one way to think of this is to raise the second las note from the natural minor by a semi-tone so it will only be a half step from the last note.)
tone,semi-tone, tone, tone, semitone, step-and-a-half, semi-tone

Melodic minor
tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, tone, semi-tone

As for other scale types, there are hundreds, but we really only use major and minor. The rest are either used in super-modern classical music or were banned when the catholic church abolished pagan rituals over a thousand years ago. The only one that you hear much is the blues scale. The website I provided has tons of good information. The circle of fifths is useful.

yes there is, but i m not sure of the pattern.
a minor is:
a, b, c, d, e, f, g sharp, a
so i think its 1 tone (full step), semitone, tone, tone, semitone, 1.5 tones, semitone.

Go to the music store and look for a blank stave paper writing book that has a one sheet in it, which is usually yellow or green and it has the complete music theory listing.

This book is always found but you have to search through their collection or ask for it. The rest is blank music writing paper. This book is worth it for that one two sided sheet.

It shows about 10 scales. Some of them are weird (mixelodian, penatonic).

That would be your best bet. Then practise them.

This doesn't show them but it describes them

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~gmhwww/38...

this one shows them in octaves

http://cnx.org/content/m11636/latest/

Try this on a piano; play all white notes beginning and ending on a C, I mean, one octave from C to C. That's a major scale. Now play all white notes beginning and ending on an A. That's a minor scale. It's the same group of notes. Also, if you know the major scale you can also play all the modes, as they are the same group of notes, or the same pattern but resolved or ended on a different note. For instance D to another D one octave up, playing all white notes is the dorian mode, etc.

http://cnx.org/content/m10856/latest/ GO HERE

Whole half whole whole half whole whole

You are thinking way to hard to create major scales. Your KEY indicates major scales--if you know your musical alphabet, this is no problem.
There are minor scales, major and minor modes, 12-tone rows, whatever you want to wrap your mind around.
There are three forms of minor scales: natural, harmonic, melodic.
Natural minor: no raised or lowered pitches, key signature dependant upon it's relative major
Harmonic: raise the 6th note of the scale
Melodic: raise the 6th and 7th of the scale, play it as natural minor on the way down.

I suggest you visit the website I link below to learn more about scales and your musical alphabet. You want your scale knowledge to be instinctual--thinking in terms of whole or half steps takes too much time!

Your major scale has half-steps between the 3-4 and 7-8.

You have the natural minor where there is a half-step between scale degrees 2-3 and 5-6

You have the harmonic minor where there is a half-step between scale degrees 2-3 and 5-6 and 7-8

You have the melodic minor where theire is a half-step between scale degrees 2-3 and 7-8 when you ascend; and reverts to natural minor when descending.

Ask Mr. Norris