Lesson 7
Major Scales
As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are several different types of scales. What do I mean by types? If you start a scale on a particular note, say C, there are several different alterations of pitch classes in that scale that can be used to produce different flavors and moods in the music. We saw an example of a C-major and a C-natural minor scale in the last lesson and the differences between the two.We will look at the C scale first because a C scale with no alterations is what is called a major scale. It is called this because the distance, or interval, between the first and third note of the scale, C and E, is two wholetones, or a major third (we will discuss intervals more in the next course: Intervals, Chords and Triads). It is easy to visualize the C-major scale on a piano because it only involves the white keys. The notes are C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
The nature of a scale is determined by the placement of the wholetone and semitone (whole-step and half-step) intervals in the scale. We pay particular attention to the placement of the semitone intervals. Generally speaking, scales have two semitone intervals in them. As we will discuss in future courses, the semitone intervals provide leading and direction to the music and are primarily reponsible for the music's color and mood.
Let's look at the intervals in the C-major scale.
The C-major Intervals
- C-D: wholetone
- D-E: wholetone
- E-F: semitone
- F-G: wholetone
- G-A: wholetone
- A-B: wholetone
- B-C: semitone
The other thing to remember is that when you build a scale, you will use all seven pitch classes. This is important in a key like G-flat major, where the fourth note in the scale would be called C-flat even though it would be the same pitch as the note B. The scale for G-flat if you use the interval pattern above would be: Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb(not B because we do not want two B pitch classes in the same scale)-Db-Eb-F-Gb.
Basically, then, when we create a scale we are essentially naming the pitch that will be represented on each line or space in the staff. We are also choosing the alteration of every pitch class we will be using in the piece of music.