We can call this the major scale formula. Scale formula. Therefore, the thumb plays C, the 2nd finger plays B and the 3rd finger plays A. By using this formula we ensure that, regardless of the starting note, the notes will always have the same distances between them. of the scale. These notes follow a formula where no note name is repeated. This will be important later on for more complex chords. So we can do that with any other note. For instance, if you start on D and do this pattern, you'll end up with two notes that are not in the C scale: a F# and a C#. Stated positively, spend some time writing out the 12 major scales and you will be, a) motivated to learn the relevant short-cuts. The result is a Major Scale no matter what starting note you use. Non computer generated. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In this post, you will get acquainted with everything you need to know about key signatures. Dorian Minor scale . Nikolay Diletsky's circle of fifths in Idea grammatiki musikiyskoy (Moscow, 1679). To count a half tone (or semitone), simply move up by one key. It contains exactly the same notes, but starts on another note. This means if we start on c, we must go up 2 adjacent notes to get to the next note, which is d.  That’s the first “whole” and let’s follow the whole formula through: half:   b to c   – Note that you’re back where you started at c.  If you didn’t get back there, something would have been wrong, because as you can see from the keyboard diagram, the same notes repeat over and over. The formula to build all major scales is: W W H W W W H. W = whole step. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The formula to form a major scale involves using whole steps and half steps. Guitar Theory available from Amazon . When comparing these notes to the scale/key of the chord (C), which in the case of the root chord will be the same scale/key we are harmonizing, we have a 1, 3, 5 which is the formula for any Major chord. FretMap's interactive fretboard shows you … By Desi Serna . This is the first scale you should learn. Free Guitar Scale Charts And Fingering Diagrams. Now that we know how the Major Scale is formed and what the numbers represent, we can figure out the chord formulas. 6 Ways To Improve Your Sight Reading On The Piano, 7 steps you have to take to master chords – Part I, 7 steps you have to take to master chords – Part II, 8 ways to get the most out of your guitar lessons, Beginner Guitar Practice – How To Improve Your Timing Using A Metronome, Beginners Guitar Guide: 7 Essential Skills for Playing With Friends, Differences between the electric guitar and the harp, Guitar frustration is the best thing that has ever happened to you. In the previous lesson we learned to place this formula on the fretboard of the guitar. Scale formula expressed in terms of (H)alf and (W)hole steps. Starting on C, go up a whole step to D, a whole step to E, a half step to F, a whole step to G, a whole step to A, a whole step to B and lastly, a half step to C. My new book, Piano Scales Made Simple, will help you with your scales. Make wrong musical choices. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Everything, even other scales that have nothing to do with the major scale, gets named in relationship to it. Everything else is a whole step.”  Say it out loud 3 more times, it’s that important. W - W - H - W - W - W - H. Using this formula, say we wanted to figure out the C major scale. So just do it! Scales you can use in the real world, created by a human guitarist. The major scale formula creates the need for accidentals in key signatures.Essentially, a key signature shows which notes are changed to produce the major scale formula starting on the keynote. So chord I of the harmonized C Major scale is C Major. Pentatonic 5. The root notes are always C tones. From one piano key to the next is the distance of a half step (measured in intervals). This same method can be done to derive any scale from the major scale. b3 (flat three) means you take the third note of the major scale only a half step down. Ask Question Asked 5 years, 4 months ago. As long as you know the major scale formula, you can start on any note or key and form a major scale. Here’s the C Major Scale on the Treble Clef and Bass Clef, ascending and descending. It is very simple and consists of white keys only. . B is the leading tone and C is the octave of the scale. Keep practicing this scale until you are very comfortable with it. So for the entire C Major Scale the formula is C (1) D (2) E (3) F (4) G (5) A (6) B (7) C (8). Chord IV of the harmonized C Major scale is F (F Major). The C Minor scale consists of seven notes. Now let’s stack 2 thirds on top of the second note (2) of the C major scale. Major Scale in Every Key . 5 – Memorize the whole-half step formulas for the major and natural minor scale. This is the order of whole-steps and half-steps that make up the major scale. 0:13 In this 12 week series, going over the basics of contemporary music theory, we’re going to start right here with learning the major scale formula. All you’re playing are white keys, so you can’t get confused by the black ones. Let’s take a look at which notes would make up this blues scale if we were to begin on A. If all the notes had been exactly the same as C, it wouldn’t be in a different key at all; it would still be the key of C.  All keys have a unique combination of sharps and flats that gives that key its identity. Minor 2. 5th finger plays C, 4th finger plays B, 3rd finger plays A and 2nd finger plays G. Then you continue with your thumb, where the thumb plays F, 3rd finger plays E, 2nd finger plays D and 1st finger plays C. When going down the scale, the 3rd finger goes over your thumb, giving you enough fingers to finish the scale. 3 Reasons Why Learning To Play Guitar Is The Right Choice For Your Child. Applying that scale formula to the notes of the C major scale yields: C – D – Eb – F – G – Ab – Bb. There’s more information on playing scales on piano here. (For in… Video Lesson 1 The Major Scale Formula in my contemporary music theory series. © 2009-2020 Piano-Keyboard-Guide.com. For example in the C melodic Major scale, we have B-flat instead of B. Previously, we learned about the musical alphabet and the major scale.The quality of the scale (major) is determined by the notes in it and their relationship to the tonic A word describing the tonal center of a piece of music, with other tones resolving to this note. The formula for creating a major scale is “whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.”. This will be important later on for more complex chords. The Major Scale Formula. In the previous lesson we learned to place this formula on the fretboard of the guitar. Non computer generated. If you called it gb the scale would go “g, a, b, c, d, e, gb, g” and there would be no letter f.  Plus you’d have used the letter g twice, once for “g” and once for “gb” which doesn’t make sense. If you are interested in taking Guitar Lessons in Newfield, NY, then be sure to contact Dennis! Guitar Theory: Kindle or Paperback. Formula: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7-8 (Dmin7) Then correct them. You don’t always have to remember where you are in the “whole, whole, half” formula if you can remember this short-cut. The formula for forming a natural (or pure) minor scale is W-H-W-W-H-W-W. “W” stands for whole step and “H” stands for half step. Viewed 1k times 2. As it happens, using the step pattern for the major scales beginning on C results in no accidentls being included in the scale. Major Scale in Every Key . Active 5 years, 4 months ago. One of the most important aspects of your guitar tone, The importance of analyzing songs for a singer, The MOST Important Principle In Melody Writing And How It Helps Your Lead Guitar Playing, What to Do When Practising Time is at a Minimum. The major scale is constructed using whole and half-steps. F is the subdominant. 3 – Write down and play a C major scale, vertical approach (played across multiple strings) 4 – Build a pentatonic minor scale on a single string. A half-step is a distance of one fret. C Major Scale. 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