Pitch and scales 

When you play 5 or more notes in ascending or descending order on an instrument it creates a scale. It is like climbing a ladder of pitches. Gaps between the ladder rungs might vary in size and these are called intervals in music.

Different scales have their own character. Music written in a particular scale might feel joyous, mellow, uncertain, relaxed or confused. Cultures around the world have thousands of approaches to organising pitch, including raga, maqam, mode and scale.

In western music, the lowest and most important note in a scale is called the tonic or tonal centre. The second most important note is a fifth higher, labelled the dominant note.

Task 1

Look at the notation and watch the video to appreciate the similarities and differences between some of the scales from around the world.