Diatonic scale

The diatonic scale is the fundamental building block of the Western musical tradition. It is also known as the "Doh-Re-Mi" scale, since the notes which comprise it seem to go "Doh-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Te-Doh".

The white keys on a piano correspond to the diatonic scale of C major (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C), with the notes 1 whole tone apart, except for E-F and B-C, which is an interval of 1 semitone (half a tone).