Recognise scales and modes by ear

It’s a series of notes arranged from lowest to highest, within an octave. What defines it is the distance between its notes, counted in tones and semitones: the major scale always follows the pattern 1 – 1 – ½ – 1 – 1 – 1 – ½, whatever its starting note.

The seven modes are the major scale played from each of its degrees: on the white keys of the piano, C to C gives the Ionian mode (the major scale), D to D the Dorian, E to E the Phrygian, F to F the Lydian, G to G the Mixolydian, A to A the Aeolian (the natural minor), B to B the Locrian. In this game they all start on the same note, so you hear their colour rather than their pitch.

Listen to the third first: major or minor, it puts the scale in a family. Then look for the note that sets it apart: the augmented fourth for Lydian, the minor seventh for Mixolydian, the major sixth for Dorian, the minor second for Phrygian, the diminished fifth for Locrian, the major seventh for harmonic minor. To practise these intervals, try the intervals game and the chords game.

The natural minor has no leading note: its seventh is a whole tone below the tonic, and the melody struggles to resolve. The harmonic minor raises the seventh by a semitone to create that pull; the melodic minor also raises the sixth, to soften the wide gap that results.

The first sound takes a second to load. On iPhone and iPad, turn off silent mode (the switch on the side of the device): it also mutes web pages. Finally, check your computer’s volume and audio output.

They are samples from the Salamander Grand Piano, a Yamaha C5 grand piano recorded by Alexander Holm and published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0licence. They load on demand, note by note, and nothing is sent to the server: your progress stays in your browser.