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"The Adventure Begins"
AUDIO DISCUSSION (7:49)

 

(Just Listen)

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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.

1. The musical alphabet is seven letters long (ABCDEFG).

2. A scale is an alphabetical pattern that reveals which seven keys are used to play a song.

3. Each of the twelve different keys has its own unique scale, and each scale follows alphabetical order.

4. The C scale uses only white keys; the other eleven scales use one or more black keys.

5. 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:

1. There are twelve different months in a year, and twelve different tones in music.

2. There are seven different days in a week, and seven different tones in a scale.

3. 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:

1. 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).
2. A scale is an alphabetical pattern of eight tones.
3. Each of the twelve different keys has its own unique scale, and each scale follows alphabetical order.
4. The C scale uses only white keys (CDEFGABC); each of the other eleven scales use one or more black keys.
5. 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.
6. 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.