Major Scales Explained! www.teachersunite.co.nz

1. Yr 10 Theory
Major Scales
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2. White Note Names
The white note names are as shown below. There are only 7 letters as they repeat as they move
up and down the keyboard, the distance between a letter and the same letter re-occurring is
called an octave. There are around 8 octaves on a normal piano.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
Octave
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
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3. Black Notes Names
• Black notes don’t have their own letter names, they use the letter name of the white note
they are beside.
•Therefore, each black note has two names because each one sits inside two white notes
• When naming a black note if you want to name it in relation to the white note to the right of
it, it is called a flat. if you name it in relation to the white note to the left of it, it is called a
sharp.
C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A#
Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
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4. Intervals: Tones / Semitones
Interval: Distance from one note to another.
Semitone: The smallest interval in western music. Distance from one note to the
one right beside it, either up or down.
Tone: Second smallest interval. Two semitones side by side. Distance from note to
another up or down with one note in between.
Semitone
Tone
C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A#
Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db Eb Gb Ab Bb
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
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5. Major Scale
Scale: A scale is a series of notes when its pattern of notes is the same in every octave.
Major Scale: The major scale is a series of Tones and Semitones.
Major Scale Pattern: T = Tone S = Semitone.
T T S T T T S
The most common major scale is C Major as it is all white notes.
! " " " " "
" " "
" " " "
# " " " "
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
T T S T T T S
C Major Scale: C D E F G A B C
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6. Applying the major scale pattern to the different start points below. Use the
keyboards you have below to work out two major scales using the note below as
start points .
F G Bb D Eb A Ab E Db B
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
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7. F#
G Major Scale
G A B C D E F# G
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
F# C#
D Major Scale
D E F# G A B C# D
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
C# F# G#
A Major Scale
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
A B C# D E F# G# A
T T S T T T S
F# G# C# D#
E Major Scale
E F# G# A B C# D# E
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
C# D# F# G# A#
B Major Scale
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
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8. Bb
F Major Scale
F G A Bb C D E F
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
Bb Eb Bb
Bb Major Scale
Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
Eb Ab Bb Eb
Eb Major Scale
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
T T S T T T S
Ab Bb Db Eb Ab
Ab Major Scale
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
Db Eb Gb Ab Bb Db
Db Major Scale
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
T T S T T T S
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9. Major Scale Formula
Sharps ♯
6 0 1 2 3 4 5
F C G D A E B
1 0 6 5 4 3 2
Flats
To work out the notes in a major scale you need only remember F C G D A E B in order.
To work out what how many flats a particular major scale has: look at the line of purple boxes starting at 0 count to the left, each step adds on a flat.
Therefore F has 1 flat when moving around from one side to the another e.g F around to B the following letters takes on a Flat. Therefore Bb has 2 Flats
Eb has 3 flats and so on to Gb which has 6 Flats.
Alongside this working out what the flats are is easy. Looking at the purple arrow if a scale has 1 flat it will be Bb if 2 Flats it will be Bb plus Eb and so on
all the way down to a scale with 7 flats which would have Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb and Fb.
To work out what how many sharps a particular major scale has: look at the line of green boxes starting at 0 count to the right, each step adds on a sharp.
Therefore, G major has 1 sharp, D major has 2 sharps and so on to B Major which has 5 sharps when moving from one side to other e.g B around to F
the following letters take on a sharp. Therefore F# has 6 sharps.
Alongside this working out what the sharps are is easy. Looking at the green arrow if a scale has 1 sharp it will be F# if 2 Sharps it will be F# plus C# and
so on all the way down to a scale with 7 Sharps which would have F# C# G# D# A# E# and B#.
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