The
C Major Scale SAMPLE LESSON (complete
as it appears within PMMO)
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Although
the keyboard is made up of a repeating pattern of twelve black and
white keys, only seven keys are used to play a song. In order to
know which seven, you need to know something about scales.
The musical alphabet is seven letters long (ABCDEFG).
A scale is an alphabetical pattern that reveals which
seven keys are used to play a song.
Each of the twelve different keys has its own unique scale,
and each scale follows alphabetical order.
The C scale uses only white keys; the other eleven scales use
one or more black keys.
The seven different tones of the C scale, alphabetically, are
C-D-E-F-G-A-B (white keys only).
Take
a moment to listen to the seven different tones of the C scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B).
(Illustration 8.)
Be
sure to LISTEN to the seven different tones of the scale.
At the end of the sequence most people feel a bit uncomfortable.
Some describe it as an emotional disturbance of some sort. It's
NOT a very satisfying sound. Did you notice how the scale sounds
and feels incomplete?
To give a feeling of relaxation and completeness to a scale, one
additional tone is needed to end the sequence. Take a moment to
listen to the difference of adding one additional tone to the sequence
of a scale.
A scale reveals which seven tones are used in music, but the
scale itself has eight tones. To make it sound and feel correct
at the end, a scale must repeat the beginning tone. Try it and see
for yourself. (Illustration 9.)
Octaves
From C to the next C eight scale tones up or down the keyboard is
an octave (which means every eighth tone). The distance of
eight scale tones from A to A, B to B, D to D, E to E, F to F, or
G to G are all octaves.
Just remember that oct means eight, as in octagon
(eight sides), octopus (eight arms), and octuplets
(too many kids).
To help you remember key points of this lesson, think of it like
the following:
There are twelve different months in a year, and twelve
different tones in music.
There are seven different days in a week, and seven different
tones in a scale.
Just as Sunday to Sunday would be an eight day week, from C
to C is an eight tone scale, and is the distance of one
octave (meaning eight tones).
Sunday C
Monday D
Tuesday E
Wednesday F
Thursday G
Friday A
Saturday B
Sunday C
There are 12 different tones on a keyboard, and each has its own
unique scale. Because a song is played in only one scale at a
time, you have been introduced to just one scale in this
lesson; the C scale.
Playing music based on the C scale (all white keys) is commonly
known as playing in the Key of C, because the tones used
come straight out of the C scale. To play music based on any other
scale, one or more black keys must be used. For now, we want to
avoid using black keys altogether, so you can begin playing by ear,
with both hands, as easily and quickly as possible.
POINTS
TO REMEMBER:
What you know about scales is more important than your ability
to play scales.
There
are twelve different months in a year, and twelve different
tones in music (and on a keyboard instrument).
There
are seven different days in a week, and seven different
tones in a scale, but for a scale to sound "finished" when
it is played, it must repeat the beginning tone (one octave
higher or lower).
A scale is an alphabetical pattern of eight
tones.
Each of the twelve different keys has its own unique scale,
and each scale follows alphabetical order.
The C scale uses only white keys (CDEFGABC); each of the other
eleven scales use one or more black keys.
An octave is the distance of eight scale tones up or
down the keyboard, to the next key with the same name (from
C to C, D to D, or A to A are all octaves). Octave means every
eighth scale tone.
Playing music based on the C scale is commonly known as playing
in the Key of C, because the tones used to play music
come straight out of the C scale.
