A musical scale is a set of notes ordered by increasing pitch.
Melodies and harmonies are created using a musical scale.
Usually, a scale is represented using a single octave, but when played, it may span over several octaves.
Musical scales are classified by the number of distinct notes in the scale:
A Scale is used as a guide or tool for composing melodies. A melody may be based on one or more scales.
Scales have historical and cultural value:
In the West, from 1600 to 1900, the following scales have been used extensively for composition:
In the 20th century, additional scales were explored:
A variety of other scales are used worldwide: