Erasmus

Note shapes

Every chord and scale is a shape on the circle of twelve notes. Click notes to add them, see the shape they make, hear it, and find out what it's called. The same shape in another key is the same chord or scale, just turned.

Mirror line: the shape is the same on both sidesC: click to add it CD♭: degree 5. Click to take it out. D♭5D: click to add it DE♭: degree 6. Click to take it out. E♭6E: click to add it EF: degree 7. Click to take it out. F7F♯: degree 1. Click to take it out. F♯1G: click to add it GA♭: degree 2. Click to take it out. A♭2A: click to add it AB♭: degree 3. Click to take it out. B♭3B: degree 4. Click to take it out. B4

Round in half steps, like a clock: each step clockwise is one fret up.

Turn moves the whole shape to another key. Flip mirrors it (a major triad flips into a minor one). Next mode keeps the notes and counts from the next one round.

F♯ Ionian (Major)

A 7-note scale.

NotesF♯ A♭ B♭ B D♭ E♭ F
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7
StepsW-W-H-W-W-W-H (W whole, H half)
As a chord One at a time The scale Sound

Root:

What the shape says

  • Mirrored. The dashed line shows where it folds onto itself: flip it and you get the same notes back.
  • Intervals inside it:½ ×2W ×5m3 ×4M3 ×34th ×6♯4 ×1
    Every pair of notes in the shape, counted by how far apart they are. Lots of fifths and fourths sound open; lots of half steps sound tense.

Every name for these notes

The same notes counted from a different root. Click one to count from there.

  • scale
  • scale · mode 2 of Major
  • scale · mode 3 of Major
  • scale · mode 4 of Major
  • scale · mode 5 of Major
  • scale · mode 6 of Major
  • scale · mode 7 of Major
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