Ever wonder, “What are the notes in D harmonic minor?” or “How do I spell the 6th mode of melodic minor?” This free PDF spells out every major, harmonic minor and melodic minor scale in every key, plus all of their modes, so you never have to guess.
Free printable reference
Music Scale Spelling PDF
Every major, harmonic minor and melodic minor scale and mode, spelled correctly in every key.
Scale Spelling PDF
- All 15 major scales
- All 12 harmonic minor scales
- All 12 melodic minor scales
- Every mode, named and spelled
- An intro page on how scales are built from intervals
Major, Harmonic & Melodic Minor: A Reference Manual
- Full spellings for every key in all three scale systems
- Modes labeled under each scale
- Blank staff pages for your own exercises
- Fretboard and keyboard diagrams for guitar, bass, ukulele and piano
What’s inside
Each page covers one scale. Under each scale, its modes appear in order with their names, so you can scan the whole family at a glance. Start with the intro page, which shows how each scale is built from intervals.
The 21 modes at a glance
These are the modes of each scale system, starting on each note of the parent scale. The PDF spells all of them in every key.
| Mode | Major | Harmonic minor | Melodic minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ionian (major) | Harmonic minor | Melodic minor |
| 2 | Dorian | Locrian ♮6 | Dorian ♭2 |
| 3 | Phrygian | Ionian ♯5 | Lydian augmented |
| 4 | Lydian | Dorian ♯4 (Ukrainian Dorian) | Lydian dominant |
| 5 | Mixolydian | Phrygian dominant | Mixolydian ♭6 |
| 6 | Aeolian (natural minor) | Lydian ♯2 | Locrian ♮2 |
| 7 | Locrian | Ultralocrian (Altered 𝄫7) | Altered (Super Locrian) |
Why these three scale systems?
Major, harmonic minor and melodic minor are the foundation of functional harmony in modern music. They shape how we build chords, melodies and progressions in every style and on every instrument. As a guitarist and music educator, I find it incredibly useful to have them all in one place. Whether I’m writing, analyzing a solo or teaching, a quick reference makes all the difference.
Bonus insight: notice how many harmonic and melodic minor mode names, like Dorian ♯4 or Mixolydian ♭6, are described as changes to a major-scale mode. The major system is the standard that all the others are measured against.
Our Scale Harmony Explorer takes that idea all the way: it compares all 462 seven-note scales to the major scale.
Check any scale instantly
Keep learning with us
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