Scales
To come to a clear understanding of scales there area a few terms that one should be familiar with and they are as follows:
THE MUSICAL ALPHABET
So before we come around to dealing with scales let’s start with the musical alphabet.
To begin with the notes in any given scale are taken from the letters of the MUSICAL ALPHABET
The MUSICAL ALHABET contains 7 letters namely
A B C D E F G
After the last letter (G) it starts from A again and again etc.
ACCIDENTALS
Accidentals are identified as three (3) symbols
An ACCIDENTAL alters the pitch of a note. This alteration either raises a note by a semitone, lowers a note by a semitone or restores a note to its original pitch
SHARP - a sharp raises a note by a semitone (half step)
NATURAL - a natural cancels a sharp or a flat (restores a note to its original pitch)
FLAT - a flat lowers a note by a semitone (half step)
The symbols referred to above will take the following form
(INSERT IMAGE HERE OF ACCIDENTALS)
Having identified the symbols and explained their functions a couple of terms came out of it, namely SEMITONE (half step) and TONE (whole step)
Now these questions need to be answered:
What is a SEMITONE (half step)?
What is a TONE (whole step)?
SEMITONE (half step)
A SEMITONE (half step) is half of a tone or can also be described as the shortest distance in pitch between two notes.
TONE (whole step)
A TONE (whole step) is two semitones (or two half steps) and can also be described as the longest distance in pitch between two notes.
The best method to depict tones and semitones (half steps and whole steps) is the piano diagram.
(INSERT PIANO IMAGE HERE)
SCALES
Once these terms are read and understood we now come back to the initial topic of SCALES
A SCALE is a series of seven (7) notes arranged in alphabetical order containing tones (whole steps) and semitone (half step). A major scale has certain characteristics that are outlined below.
Eg. C D E F G B C
To come to a clear understanding of scales there area a few terms that one should be familiar with and they are as follows:
- The Musical alphabet
- Accidentals
- Tones (whole step)
- Semitones (Half step)
THE MUSICAL ALPHABET
So before we come around to dealing with scales let’s start with the musical alphabet.
To begin with the notes in any given scale are taken from the letters of the MUSICAL ALPHABET
The MUSICAL ALHABET contains 7 letters namely
A B C D E F G
After the last letter (G) it starts from A again and again etc.
ACCIDENTALS
Accidentals are identified as three (3) symbols
- Sharp
- Natural
- Flat
An ACCIDENTAL alters the pitch of a note. This alteration either raises a note by a semitone, lowers a note by a semitone or restores a note to its original pitch
SHARP - a sharp raises a note by a semitone (half step)
NATURAL - a natural cancels a sharp or a flat (restores a note to its original pitch)
FLAT - a flat lowers a note by a semitone (half step)
The symbols referred to above will take the following form
(INSERT IMAGE HERE OF ACCIDENTALS)
Having identified the symbols and explained their functions a couple of terms came out of it, namely SEMITONE (half step) and TONE (whole step)
Now these questions need to be answered:
What is a SEMITONE (half step)?
What is a TONE (whole step)?
SEMITONE (half step)
A SEMITONE (half step) is half of a tone or can also be described as the shortest distance in pitch between two notes.
TONE (whole step)
A TONE (whole step) is two semitones (or two half steps) and can also be described as the longest distance in pitch between two notes.
The best method to depict tones and semitones (half steps and whole steps) is the piano diagram.
(INSERT PIANO IMAGE HERE)
SCALES
Once these terms are read and understood we now come back to the initial topic of SCALES
A SCALE is a series of seven (7) notes arranged in alphabetical order containing tones (whole steps) and semitone (half step). A major scale has certain characteristics that are outlined below.
Eg. C D E F G B C