Notes & Scales
Twelve notes, endlessly recycled. Every scale below is playable. Tap a key name to hear its ladder, tap any rung to hear that note alone, and watch the keyboard light the shape.
All twelve notes
One octave holds everything: seven letters plus five sharps/flats, a half step apart. Each note keeps one color everywhere in this app. (Every black key has two names: C♯ and D♭ are the same sound spelled for different keys.)
Major scales
One recipe, twelve homes: W–W–H–W–W–W–H. Pick a key. The step sizes stay exact, which is why most keys need sharps or flats.
Minor scales
The shadowed recipe: W–H–W–W–H–W–W. Every minor key shares its notes with the major key three half steps up (its relative major): A minor and C major are the same seven notes with a different home. Harmonic minor raises the 7th to pull harder toward home.
The circle of fifths
Neighbors on this wheel are a perfect fifth apart. And each clockwise hop adds one sharp to the key signature (counter-clockwise adds flats). Keys next to each other share six of their seven notes, which is why they feel like family. Tap any note to hear it.