What is the relationship to each other between “pitches,” “scales,” and “melody”?

What will be an ideal response?

• Pitches are organized in various ways to produce many different scales upon which are based different musics throughout the world. The most commonly used European scales are major or minor scales, each of which divide the octave into seven different steps or scale degrees, but do so differently. The melody to "Joy to the World" begins by "stepping down a major scale" (i.e., the melody to the words "Joy to the world, the Lord has come" make a descending major scale). In contrast to a major scale, in a minor scale the third scale degree is lowered a half step, giving the melody of, e.g., "Oifn Pripetshik," which is based on a minor scale, a different character or flavor from either "Joy to the World" or "A Mighty Fortress." Both of these last two songs are based on a major scale or key. Listen to and/or sing the melodies of these examples for practice with these two scales.