Scale (music)
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When we make tunes we use notes of different pitches: some high and some low. When we have a row of notes which gradually go up or come down this is called a scale.
On a piano there are white notes and black notes. If we start on the note C and play each white note going up until we come to the next C we have played a scale. There were eight notes (C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C) It was a major scale. It has eight notes.
Click below to listen to a C major scale.
major scale (info • help)
Sometimes the major scale is sung to the words "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do". In the film Sound of Music Maria teaches the children to sing by teaching them a song called "Doe, a deer, a female deer". Each line starts on the next note of the scale.
One can start a major scale on any note. There are twelve possible starting notes (C, C#, D, Eflat or d#,E,F,gflat or F#, G,g# or Aflat, A,a# or Bflat, B). However, the distances between the notes must be the same as they were for the scale on C. For example: from C to D was a tone (or "whole step") because there was a note between (C#). From E to F is a half-tone (or "half-step"; semitone in British English), as there was no note in between. The pattern for a major scale has this set of steps:
Note 1, tone, Note 2, tone, Note 3, semitone, Note 4, tone, Note 5, tone, Note 6, tone, Note 7, semitone, Note 8.
For example: a major scale staring on D would go: D (T) E(T) F# (ST) G (T) A(T) B(T) C#(ST) D and a major scale starting on Eflat: Eflat (T) F (T) G (ST) Aflat (T) Bflat (T) C (T) D (ST) Eflat.
A minor scale sounds rather sad. The pattern of tones and semitones is different. There are two main sorts of minor scales, harmonic and melodic.
There are also chromatic scales (all semitone steps) and whole-tone scales (all tone steps).
Practising scales is important for people who play instruments or sing. It helps fingers to be strong and energetic (or warms up the singer's voice). It also helps get used to lots of fingering patterns which will help to play pieces.
See also: octave
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