Meter is also used in poetry. In poetry, the meter and rhyme pattern help to propel the poem forward. A Waltz is an example of triple meter. It is also used to describe things other than music. Back up Melody is a succession of tones that has a recognizable musical shape.
Scale is the arrangement of tones within an octave.
A scale is used as the basis of a composition. The Italians thought a scale was like a ladder with each of the rungs representing a pitch. We have many scales in Western music. The two that are most often used are major and minor. A series of musical notes arranged in succession, in a particular rhythmic pattern, to form a recognizable unit.