| Assuming that you can already read basic music | | | | keys on the piano. A whole step is equal to two half |
| notation on the staff, (remember your lines and | | | | steps or simply put - A whole step skips the very next |
| spaces?) let's discuss the elements that go into building | | | | key and goes instead to the following one, white or |
| a major scale. Most of us with formal training had to | | | | black. |
| learn scales the hard way. First, we needed to know | | | | Now that we have established an understanding of |
| the difference between a half step (which is any | | | | half and whole steps, you need to know that there are |
| adjacent note such as C to C#, D to D#, etc.) and a | | | | 8 notes in a major scale. For example, a C Major |
| whole step (equals two half steps or has one note in | | | | scale would be spelled C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. All scales |
| between such as C - (C#) - D. | | | | start and end on the same note which is contrary to |
| Once we established our whole steps and half steps, | | | | popular thought. These eight notes of the major scale |
| we then had to go through the painful task of | | | | are numbered as follows: |
| memorizing this lengthy and sometimes confusing | | | | #1(C) - #2(D) - #3(E) - #4(F) - #5(G) - #6(A) - #7(B) - |
| formula for building major scales using a series of half | | | | #8(C). |
| steps and whole steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H. We then | | | | Now take the major scale formula of |
| had to transfer this formula and begin to play the | | | | W-W-H-W-W-W-H as mentioned earlier and throw it |
| major scales in all twelve keys - Yikes! | | | | out the window. Why? It's simple. Upon further analysis |
| There is an easier way to accomplish playing and | | | | of this lengthy formula and breaking it down to its |
| learning scales for those that have little to no formal | | | | "lowest common denominator", in all of the 12 major |
| training. However, at the very least, you need to | | | | scales there are only 2 half steps from the 3rd to the |
| understand what a half step is and what a whole step | | | | 4th notes and from the 7th to the 8th notes. |
| is as outlined earlier. Let's review. | | | | Everything else is a whole step. Replace the |
| If you think of a piano keyboard (much easier to have | | | | W-W-H-W-W-W-H major scale formula with this: Half |
| a visual medium), the difference in pitch - also called an | | | | step from 3 to 4 and 7 to 8. |
| interval - between any white key on the piano and an | | | | With this simple formula, you will be able to play and |
| adjacent black key is called a half step. Or think of it | | | | learn all 12 major scales more quickly and easily than |
| this way - A half step is the distance from a key on | | | | using traditional approaches. Music and math are |
| the piano to the very next key, white or black. The | | | | related. So why not merge the two in a sequence of |
| only exception to this rule is that there is no black key | | | | events that takes a difficult and tedious task and |
| between E and F, nor between B and C. These are | | | | makes it easier and more fun to play in half the time. |
| the only two half steps that occur between the white | | | | Happy practicing! |