Interval patterns for major and minor scales

Love ’em or hate ’em, there’s no better method of keyboard practice than scales for improving overall dexterity. Major and minor scales are specific sequences of eight notes, defined by the patterns of intervals between those notes. By applying this pattern as a kind of formula, we can work out the major or minor scale for any key. The formula for a major scale is T-T-S-T-T-T-S, where S stands for an interval of one semitone (the smallest possible interval on the keyboard, between any two adjacent keys) and T stands for tone (an interval of two semitones). So, using C major as an example, we’d start on C, move up a tone (two semitones) to D, another tone to E, then a semitone to F, another tone to G, and so on until we get the whole scale; C-DE-F-G-A-B-C. Apply the same formula to the key of D major, and we get D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D. For a natural minor scale, the formula is T-S-T-T-S-T-T, so C minor would give us C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C, and D minor D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D.