First of all, you have to be able to identify a key from the key signature — a subject for another tip entirely, so I'll assume you can do this first step!

Based on the key signature, you will end up with a choice of two options based on the key signature: a major key and a minor key.

Next, you will need to identify the first note of the scale (the tonic), which might pose a problem if the scale is written in an unfamiliar clef.

Again, reading notes in different clefs is a subject for another tip, so I'll assume you can do this already!

Normally, the bottom note of the scale is the tonic, but you might encounter a nasty question in which the scale does not begin on the tonic. This will be explicitly mentioned in the question itself, so always assume that the scale begins on the tonic unless otherwise indicated.

• If the tonic note is the same as the major key signature (e.g., tonic of D and a key of two sharps), then you have your answer — the name of the scale is simply the tonic note, plus "major", e.g. "D major".
• If the tonic note is the same as the minor key signature (e.g., tonic of B and a key of two sharps), then you have a choice of three answers. Look at the following scales, which are the three minor scales that have two sharps, with a tonic of B, written in alto clef:

• If there are no accidentals in the scale, then the scale is the melodic minor descending, which just follows the key signature, just like a major scale (number 1, above).
• To tell the difference between the melodic minor ascending and the harmonic minor, look for the number of accidentals. The harmonic minor will only have one accidental (a raised leading note, number 2), and the melodic minor ascending will have two accidentals (a raised leading note, and a raised submediant, number 3).

Alternatively, if you feel confident about intervals, look at the interval between the 6th and 7th notes of the scale. The melodic minor (ascending and descending) has a major 2nd, and the harmonic minor an augmented 2nd. To tell the difference between the two melodic minor scales in this case, simply look to see if the scale is rising up (ascending) or coming down (descending). The correct answer should be quite obvious, because the ascending melodic minor can only, of course, ascend, and the descending melodic minor can only descend!

In general, it is a good idea to become familiar with the interval patterns within scales, because you might be given the hardest variation on this question: when the key signature is not printed, and when you aren't told the key either. In this case, how would you tell the difference between a descending melodic minor scale and a major scale, neither of which have any accidentals? (The answer is: you must know the intervals between each note in the scale!)

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