Select Your Scale: Diatonic, Pentatonic, and Chromatic Explained!

A few weeks ago, we unveiled an exciting upgrade to the Artiphon Connect app: the highly anticipated “Select Your Scale” feature, now available for both Chorda and Orba 2.

 

 

This feature is one of our most requested, and whether you knew it or not, it might be exactly what you've been missing. Let’s explore why this new addition is a game-changer and how it can elevate your musical experience.

Ever found yourself thinking:

• I wish my Artiphon instrument played a different selection of notes.”
• "How can I cover my favorite songs on Chorda?"
• “Can I switch to Diatonic or Chromatic scales?”

Believe it or not, these questions all have the same solution: our latest upgrade, the “Select Your Scale” feature. This enhancement is designed to tackle these common challenges and open up exciting new musical possibilities for you.

After all not all songs are created equal, right?

In this blog post, I’ll guide you through what this feature means for your playing experience and show you how to leverage it to create amazing music with your Artiphon instruments. Prefer a visual guide? Check out our video:

 

 

Just a heads-up: we’ll be touching on some basic music theory in this blog post. But don’t worry, we’ll keep it light and easy to help you get the most out of your instruments. If you’re curious about any of these concepts and want to dig deeper, just drop a comment below with your questions. We’re here to help and can’t wait to dive in with you!

Understanding Scales: The Inspiration Behind Our Latest Feature:

Major vs. Minor Scales

The most common scales you’ll see are major and minor scales. Major scales are often described as bright and uplifting, while minor scales tend to be more serious or somber. However, there’s a lot more to these scales than just their basic emotions. And just like well-organized mathematical pattern, each scale has its unique structure and formula.

Major and minor scales both start on a root note (or your key) and follow specific patterns of whole and half steps. These patterns create their distinct sounds and feelings. The main differences between major and minor scales lies in the intervals between their notes, particularly in the 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees, which may include sharps (#) or flats (♭) depending on the scale.

The chart below demonstrates these patterns side by side in a minor and major scale, giving you a clearer picture of their unique characteristics and how the intervals between notes define their sound.

 

D Major Scale	D Minor Scale
D	D
E	E
F♯	F
G	G
A	A
B	B♭
C♯	C
D (octave)	D (octave)

 

There are a couple of key factors here to keep in mind: 

• Root Note: The root note, D, remains the same in both D major and D minor.
• 3rd Note: In D minor, the 3rd note is F, while in D major, it’s F♯.
• 6th Note: In D minor, the 6th note is B♭, whereas in D major, it’s B.
• 7th Note: For D minor, the 7th note is C, but in D major, it’s C♯.
• The 2nd, 4th, and 5th notes are consistent between the two scales.

If you’re familiar with The Sound of Music, you might recall the song "Do-Re-Mi." This classic tune is a perfect example of scale structure, as it takes you through the major scale sequentially. The lyrics follow the pattern:

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti — and then it starts over again:

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti

 

 

To help visualize the scale structure, let's put the notes from "Do-Re-Mi" into our chart. Although the song is in a different key, the concept remains the same. Here’s how the notes align in the context of the major scale:

 

Note	Solfege	Number
D	Do	1
E	Re	2
F♯	Mi	3
G	Fa	4
A	Sol	5
B	La	6
C♯	Ti	7
D (octave)	Do	8

 

In "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music, you’ll notice a sequential progression through the major scale notes. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t always have to follow this strict order. You can mix and match notes like La, Do, and Fa in any sequence you like.

You might be wondering why we’re bringing math and numbers into this discussion. The answer is simple: what else has 8 notes and can play music? Orba!

Here’s the connection: Orba is designed so that if you stick to your selected key —whether Major or Minor—you’ll always be in tune. By choosing a key and sticking with it, you can play any of the notes from that scale at different times and still sound harmonically correct. So if you instrument was in D Major this would be what it looks like: 

 Or on Chorda it will look like this:

Now Let’s Talk About Diatonic and Pentatonic Scales and Why They Matter:

Previously, your Artiphon instrument was set to default scales — Diatonic for Bass Mode and Pentatonic for Lead Mode. If you’re not familiar with these terms, don’t worry — I wasn’t either until well, just now... I'm honestly, learning with you :)

Think of Diatonic scales as similar to the white keys on a keyboard. They follow a specific pattern of whole and half steps that create a complete scale, which is great for foundational melodies and harmonies.

Pentatonic scales, on the other hand, are like a simplified version of the Diatonic scale. They use only five notes, making them ideal for solos and melodies with a more streamlined sound.

On a keyboard, black keys are referred to as sharps or flats. The white keys, which correspond to natural notes or whole notes.

With the introduction of Chorda and its 12 pads, we saw an exciting opportunity to expand your creative possibilities. Initially, the single-scale setup was meant to simplify your experience, but we realized it could also limit your musical exploration.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce the ability to choose from three new scales: Diatonic, Pentatonic, and Chromatic. This upgrade gives you greater flexibility and lets you explore a wider range of musical expressions.

Diatonic, Pentatonic, and Chromatic: What’s the Difference?

To really understand these scales, grab your Artiphon instrument, make sure you’ve updated to the latest firmware and app (you can do so here), and follow along. If you don’t have one yet, no worries — we’ll walk you through it with pictures!

Ok, so the most important thing to keep in mind here is going back to our Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti. Just keep repeating that.

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