Scale quality

ionian

Ionian is the major scale itself — the seven-note pattern every other scale in this dictionary is measured against. Its steps run whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, and its degrees are the familiar do-re-mi ladder. Because it contains a major third, a major sixth and a major seventh, it sounds completely settled, with the seventh acting as a leading tone that pulls home. It is the parent of the major-scale family and the reference for the other six qualities built from its degrees. Listen for the half-step between the seventh and the octave root — that small gap is what makes the scale feel finished.