Camelot scale notes: all 24 codes

Scale pitches for every Camelot code

Each line gives the seven notes of the code's natural minor or major scale. Accidentals name pitches, not separate keys on a piano. The 12A line uses the more readable C-sharp-minor spelling for the same pitches the wheel page labels D-flat minor; that exception is explained below.

The scale formula makes the list reproducible: major steps are 2–2–1–2–2–2–1 semitones; natural minor steps are 2–1–2–2–1–2–2. Start on the tonic and follow the matching pattern to check a row.

A six-bar MIDI sketch: let the cadence change the center

Suppose a producer has an A-minor loop marked 8A and wants a later section to feel settled in C major, marked 8B. Since these relative keys share the same seven pitches, drawing a different scale into the piano roll is not the step that creates the change. Instead, make a short arrangement that first returns to A minor, then gives C a clear resolution.

1. Enter the chords as separate MIDI notes. Use the exact pitch names shown in the diagram and set one chord per bar. The bass plays each chord root one octave below the lowest chord tone. The octave number depends on the DAW's convention, so compare pitch classes if yours numbers octaves differently.
2. Read the piano roll, not just the code label. The sketch uses A, C, E, G, B, D, and F: all seven notes in either scale. It deliberately includes a G7 chord, whose F natural is a useful check that the table says F rather than F♯ for 8A and 8B.
3. Listen for the new home chord. Compare the opening A-minor loop with the final Dm–G7–C phrase. The dominant seventh points toward C, and the final C chord can make C feel like the landing point. If the arrangement still resolves to A, the code pair alone has not made a convincing modulation.
4. Keep the claim narrow. This exercise checks a written note set and demonstrates one possible change of tonal center. It does not prove that a recording is in A minor or C major, predict whether two songs will mix well, or validate an automatic key estimate. Those questions need the actual musical context and a careful listen.

If you want a strictly pitch-preserving handoff between relative keys, you can keep every MIDI note and change which chord resolves the phrase. If you want the track to sound higher or lower, use your DAW's semitone transpose control separately; changing 8A to 8B does not transpose any note.

What the number and letter mean

The letter identifies the mode used by the reference: A is minor and B is major. The number labels a position on the wheel. Pairing the same number, such as 8A and 8B, gives a relative minor and major with the same seven pitch classes. Their tonic and harmonic role differ; the scale note collection does not.

Adjacent numbers with the same letter are a fifth apart, with the wheel wrapping from 12 to 1. That is not a one-semitone transpose. For example, 8A to 9A moves from A minor to E minor, while a semitone-up transpose from A minor would be B♭ minor. Use the wheel as a relationship label and use the DAW's transpose control when you need a specific interval.

The Camelot wheel guide shows the code map and common neighboring-key options. A wheel neighbor is a shortlist to listen through, not a promise that the tracks' melodies, bass, phrasing, or energy will work together.

Why the same pitch can have two names

A sharp raises a note by one semitone; a flat lowers it by one. Equal-tempered instruments usually give enharmonic spellings such as D♭ and C♯ the same piano key, but a score may choose one name to make its scale degrees easier to read. DAWs also vary: one piano roll may display C♯, another D♭, and octave numbering can differ as well.

For 12A, the wheel page follows this site's key label, D♭ minor. Its theoretical natural-minor spelling is D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B-double-flat, C♭. In a piano roll, the same sounding pitches are much easier to check as C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, B, so that is the list shown in the table. Both names describe the same seven equal-tempered pitches; the table is explicit about which spelling it uses.

Other rows can also contain spellings such as C♭, F♭, or E♯. They are not extra notes: C♭ sounds like B, F♭ like E, and E♯ like F in equal temperament. When matching a DAW, compare the pitch class and then use the spelling preferred by the project or notation. Do not read a flat and its enharmonic sharp as two different steps in the scale.

What this scale list cannot tell you

• Natural minor is one minor-scale form. A piece in minor may raise scale degrees 6 or 7 in a melody or harmony, use borrowed chords, or move between modes. Those notes do not make this reference wrong; they fall outside the seven-note natural minor collection shown here.
• A key is more than its pitch collection. Relative major and minor share notes, so a note inventory alone cannot prove whether a phrase centers on A or C. Chord roots, phrase endings, bass motion, and musical emphasis matter.
• A Camelot code is not an analysis confidence score. This page is a music-theory lookup. The site's audio analyzer estimates key from a file; listen to the source and check its chords before relying on the candidate. An unclear estimate should stay unclear.
• A matching scale does not guarantee a smooth mix. Register, arrangement, dissonant overlaps, vocal lines, phrasing, and tempo can still clash. Audition the transition at the actual mix point.