In music, a scale is a set of notes in order of their pitch (that is, their frequency). If the scale starts with the note which has the lowest pitch and goes up to the note with the highest pitch, the scale is called ascending. If the scale starts with the note which has the highest pitch and goes down to the note with the lowest pitch, the scale is called descending. Scales are often the same both ascending and descending, but this is not always true. Very often, a scale is defined over an interval (such as an octave). The most common scales use intervals of five, six or seven different notes.
Scale (music) | set of notes in order of their pitch
Questions and Answers
Q: What is a scale in music?
A: A scale in music is a set of notes ordered by their pitch (frequency).
Q: How can scales be classified?
A: Scales can be classified as either ascending or descending, depending on whether the notes start with the lowest pitch and go up to the highest, or start with the highest pitch and go down to the lowest.
Q: Are scales always the same when ascending and descending?
A: Not always - sometimes they are different.
Q: What interval do most common scales use?
A: Most common scales use intervals of five, six or seven different notes.
Q: Is an octave an example of an interval used for a scale?
A: Yes, very often a scale is defined over an octave interval.
Q: What does it mean when a scale starts with the note which has the lowest pitch?
A: It means that this note has the lowest frequency among all other notes in this particular scale.