The Scale Palette

About the Scale Palette

The Scale Palette serves several functions. First, it gives you a complete overview of all 12 keys for any scale. You can use the Scale Palette as a reference to see how tones function in different modes and keys.

The Scale Palette also provides the means to set the context of your chords. You can define the key to which a chord belongs and which note in that key will serve as the root note of the chord (and that determines how the chord is named).

Finally, you can use the Scale Palette to add tones and triads to your chords by double and triple-clicking.

Palette Features

Current Mode / Scale
There are 10 scales available: the 7 modes of the Major Scale, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, and Oriental. The color of the scale's name indicates that the scale is Major, Minor, or Diminished.

 

Scale Arrows
Use these arrows to change scales.

 

Scale Heading
These are the tones of the Current Mode as they relate to the Major Scale. These are color coded to indicate the type of chord harmony that extends from each scale degree. There are four types indicated: Major, Minor, Diminished, and Other (in gray).

 

Key Column
The twelve keys are arranged according to the Circle of Fifths. You can click and drag in the Key Column to move the Key Cursor between keys without affecting the Scale Cursor (described below).

 

Scale Box
All the scales are laid out here for you to see and interact with. You move the Scale Cursor by clicking in this box. You can also:

Double-click to add a note to the Current Chord.
Triple-click to add a triad to the Current Chord.
Add shift to these to clear the chord before adding a note or triad.
Use option to subtract rather than add notes and triads.

 

Key Cursor
Fantastic one-glance color technology indicates the Current Key. A yellow border indicates that the Current Chord's root is attached to the Current Key. This cursor, along with the Scale Cursor supply the context of a chord.

Control-up arrow and control-down arrow move the Key Cursor.

 

Scale Cursor
The Current Tone is indicated by the Scale Cursor. A yellow border indicates that the Scale Tone is the Current Root. The Scale Cursor and the Key Cursor together supply the context of the Current Chord. The Key Cursor is the chord's key and the Scale Cursor may optionally be attached to the chord's root. (See the Chord Root Button for details).

Control-arrows move the Scale Cursor one square in any direction.
Tab moves the Scale Cursor up a third (+2 degrees).
Shift-Tab moves the Scale Cursor down a third.
Option-Tab adds the Scale Tone to the Current Chord and moves the Scale Cursor up a third.
Shift-option-Tab adds the Scale Tone to the Current Chord and moves the Scale Cursor down a third.

 

Lightbulb Gadget
Click this gadget to show or hide Chord Tones in the Scale Box. When the lightbulb is on tones which are not in the chord appear gray.

 

Accidental Gadget
This gadget gives you access to tones outside the Current Key by raising or lowering the tone at the Scale Cursor. This may be useful if you want to make a chord progression with a chromatic run, such as the chords C - C# - Dm7 which sound great in the key of C but don't necessarily "fit" the key.

..... Flat lowers the Scale Tone by a half-step.

..... Natural doesn't modify the Scale Tone.

..... Sharp raises the Scale Tone by a half-step.

Fret Note Gadget
You can move the Scale Cursor to the Fret Note with this gadget. Move the Fret Cursor someplace and click on the Fret Note gadget. The Scale Cursor moves to the position of the Fret Note in the Current Key, changing the Accidental Gadget if necessary.

Chords and Scales

Chords are customarily built from three or more tones. (Two tones are called a harmony.) Thus to build a complete C chord - called a triad - we need to start with the Root, C, add its third, E, and the next third, G. You can add a triad in a single step by triple-clicking on any note in the scale or by using the Triad Button.

Scales and chords are intimately related. A chord is said to "belong" to a scale if it contains only tones that appear in that scale. Any particular chord may fit into more than one key, which is what makes it possible to move between keys. The more notes a chord has the fewer keys it will fit.

Every 7-tone scale has 7 basic chord harmonies from which all its other chords are built. Each harmony is built from three successive thirds starting from its position in the scale. (A third corresponds to three steps in the scale, so for example if we want to find the tone a third up from F in the Ionian Scale we count F - G - A, which tells us that A is a third away from F.)

The seven harmonies of the key of C are shown here:

The Root of the Chord

The root of the Current Chord is shown as a yellow outline around the Key Cursor or the Scale Cursor. The setting of the Root Button in the Current Chord Palette determines whether the Scale Cursor or Key Cursor (or neither) is used as the Current Root.