The 12 minor scales, however, come in 3 variations the harmonic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale same starting note, but major, but lowers the 3rd and the 6th the melodic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale, but lowers the 3rd when ascending going up and lowers. The whole tone scale has no leading tone and because all tones are the same distance apart, no. Free piano exercise 5finger major scales in 12 keys. So going one fret up or down the neck is a half step. How to play wholetone scales on guitar jamie holroyd guitar. A whole tone scale is a type of scale where each note is an interval of a tone whole step apart. For example, d whole tone scale begins from d and has the same notes of the a whole tone scale, while f whole tone scale. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. Major scales and their relative minor scales have the same notes except that they start on a different note. W w h w w w h whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.
Thus, the wholetone scale comprises six degrees per octave. Home symmetric scales wholetone scale aflat wholetone scale. A chromatic scale lists all the notes white and black keys in order, usually. Its the complete opposite of the chromatic scale where every note is a semitone tone apart. Diminished scale is a symmetric scale created by the sequence. The wholetone scale can be used over a dominant 7 chord. The whole tone is a type of hexatonic scale which means it only has six notes. The major scale is easiest to see by looking at the white keys on the piano. The pentatonic scale is a great scale for improvising and soloing.
Here on this website youll find lots of tools for ear training with kids. The major scale is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in western music. The whole tone scale learn how the whole tone scale is built and how to use it. How to read piano notes and sheet music piano scales. For those who read sheet music, here are the two unique whole tone scales. Each scale begins and ends on a note of the same name, called the keynote. Go here to learn more about chords in the key of a major. The difference between these two scales is the pattern of whole and halfsteps that you use to build them. Penta scales are in a way more important than the full scale because to know the full scale, you still need to. How to read music notes quick learn cheat sheets, page 5 steady beat an unchanging, continuous pulse rhythm a pattern of long and short notes and rests. Whole tone scale, in music, a scalar arrangement of pitches, each separated from the next by a whole tone step or whole step, in contradistinction to the chromatic scale consisting entirely of half steps, also called semitones and the various diatonic scales, such as the major and minor scales. So, the whole tone scale can be played over a dominant 7 th or 9 th chord with a sharp five and sharp eleven. Basic music theory for adult beginner level piano players.
Identify the tonic keynote by drawing a whole note in the final measure of each line. A dot after the note head, for example, adds another half of that notes duration to it. Jazz piano basics dan davey tensions are non chord tones that are added to a chord to change the colortexture of the chord. The treble clef for high range notes the bass clef for low range notes the alto clef for middle range notes the treble clef also called the g clef because it. Basic music theory for adult beginnerlevel piano players covers the subject selectively. Wholetone scale, in music, a scalar arrangement of pitches, each separated from the. You may also remember the scale notes by using roman numerals. The 12 minor scales, however, come in 3 variations the harmonic minor scale uses the same keys as the parallel major scale same starting note, but major, but lowers the 3rd and the 6th. Tone semitone tone semitone tone semitone tone in the same way that we studied in the diminished chord, diminished scale repeats itself each one and a half tone.
Major scale formula music theory on the piano youtube. Whole note semibreve a whole note american english or semibreve british english is a note type that has the longest note duration. This is because there arent any semitones half steps in a whole tone. Basic music theory for adult beginnerlevel piano players with emphasis on half steps and whole steps introduction music theory is a huge subject, one whose study can become quite complex. There are other ways to extend the length of a note. The wholehalf step formula is similar to the scale formulas only it uses whole and half steps to explain the construction of a scale. This is a socalled symmetrical scale, meaning that the interval is the same throughout the scale. The distance between the first two notes in a major scale is a whole step. A whole tone is the same as two steps on the keyboard a half tone is consequently one step. The first note is the whole note, which is held for four counts. The 3 types of minor scales in music musicnotes now. Compare the picture of the circle of 5ths below with the face of a. Exploring the whole tone scale music theory composition.
A classic dream sequence sound, the whole tone scale is just that all. This is because this scale is really the blues scale with one note missing. Its showing you the basics of a musical theory which includes time, measures, bass, clefs and many more. Meter, scales, and key signatures because the white keys running from c to the next c an octave higher form a sequence of notes that have minor 2nds only between ef the 3rd and 4th notes and bc the 7th and 8th notes, musicians call that series of notes a c major scale. Half whole diminished scales pdf the halfwhole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. Notice that all the following chords have the same notes.
If you ask yourself what all symbols and the other stuff means when you look at sheet with piano notes, you can find out by reading the following guide. This type of scale is used in romantic music as well as jazz music. It is impossible to form major and minor chords and the only seventh chord we could create are the dominant 7th chord with a diminished 5th c e gb bb, or. Major and minor scales contain seven notes or scale degrees. In this exercise, you will be playing a penta scale first, then, broken 3note tonic chord, and at last, you will be playing a blocked 3note tonic chord to end each exercise. Wholetone harmony, with its similarly structured chords and absence of semitones, lacks the harmonic contrasts. The composer and music theorist george perle calls the wholetone scale interval cycle 2, or c2. In a sense, the clef calibrates or orients the staff to specific notes. Any note you hit in this scale, usually sounds right when soloing.
Like many musical scales it is made up of seven notes. The melodic minor scale raises scale degrees 6 and 7 from the natural minor scale when ascending, but lowers them to their natural minor state when descending. For a more detailed study of how to play different dominant 7 th chords and develop overall well rounded chord and comping techniques, check out this 30 day comping series i wrote. The white keys with a black key in between are a whole step apart and the ones without a black key in between are a half step. A scale from the italian word for ladder is a series of notes from low to high or high to low following some pattern of whole steps and half steps. Quarter, half and whole notes free beginner lesson 9. The distance between the 3rd and 4th notes and the 7th and 8th notes are. C major scale keynote keynote whole step l c tetrachord j ga bc the major scale consists of eight notes two tetrachords joined by a whole step.
How to read piano notes and sheet music if you ask yourself what all symbols and the other stuff means when you look at sheet with piano notes, you can find out by reading the following guide. The pattern for a major scale is wholestep, wholestep, halfstep, wholestep, wholestep, wholestep, halfstep. Each note is a certain distance apart from the next, and they form a pattern that repeats. The tones of a scale are also called the degrees or steps of the scale. Based on the pattern of whole and half steps for a major scale, the number of whole steps from one c to the next higher c is. Asking questions based on the formula whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Jun 20, 2015 the wholehalf step formula is similar to the scale formulas only it uses whole and half steps to explain the construction of a scale. The scale consists of six tones the pictures show one.
Fill in major scale notes following the interval pat tern. On the piano, a half step or half tone is the shortest distance. Starting on any note, if you follow this pattern you will build a major scale in the notes key. In this exercise, you will be playing a penta scale first, then, broken 3 note tonic chord, and at last, you will be playing a blocked 3 note tonic chord to end each exercise. Always ask yourself what is a whole step from the note you want to form a piano scale. The most basic notes are held for full counts or beats. The composer olivier messiaen called the wholetone scale his first mode of limited transposition. The first note is an f sharp note the key signature and the second is an a flat.
A scale degree is designated by an arabic numeral with a cap which indicate the position of the note within the scale. Based on the pattern of whole and half steps for a major scale, the number of half steps from one c to the next higher c is. Note that scale degrees 10 is the same as 3, 12 the same as 5, 14 the same as 7, and 15 the same as and root. There are different note types to indicate the different note durations. The half whole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. All major scales follow a formula of half steps and whole. Note duration note duration is defined as the length of time to hold the note.
A major third is 4 halfsteps, a minor third is 3 halfsteps. For some short piano pieces written completely in wholetone scale, see nos. All major scales follow a formula of half steps and whole steps. All of these are chord tones ct, and therefore, these are not tensions. The second note in is called the half note and held for two counts half a whole note. This is the beginning of the christmas song jingle bells, chosen as a simple example. Half whole diminished scales pdf the half whole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole tone. If you build chords out of a whole tone scale, you end up with augmented triads. Download free smallwoods pianoforte tutor pdf by william. Two mutually exclusive wholetone scales are formed by choosing alternate notes of the chromatic scale which has 12 notes per octave. Oct 26, 2017 major and minor scales consists of 7 notes, while pentatonic scales are made of 5 notes. Try using this formula to find the major scale of other notes, black or white.
Aflat wholetone scale play piano scales in all keys. For example, in an a minor blues scale, the added note would be d sharp. Whole tone scale demystified hear and play music learning center. So, to make the c major scale, start with the note c and go whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. This tuning provides five perfectlytuned triads 3note chords, given by the. Oct, 2016 to create a major scale you need to know the correct formula.
This pattern of whole and half steps is what creates the sound of major. Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. To create a major scale you need to know the correct formula. The major scale uses onenote from each letter of the musical alphabet. The second note in is called the half note and held for two counts half a. A whole tone scale type b whole tone scale type the other 10 whole tone scales have the same notes of these,but, of course, they begin from different tones. It is symmetrical and since it is only made up of 6 notes it is also known as hexatonic. If it helps, you can color the keys on the keyboard to. The two scales you use most frequently when you play the piano and the most famous scales in western music are the major and the minor scales. Barbara murphy university of tennessee school of music major and minor scales half and whole steps. The book is majorly for piano beginner players who teach you how and where to place your fingers right and left. If you dont want notes, here are picture scales with all the major scales plus fingering for each hand. How to read quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes.
Whole tone scales overview with pictures piano scales. The relative minor of a major key is based on the 6th note of the major scale. A whole note is generally the longest note used in modern written music. Music notation and theory for intelligent beginners. Because there are no semitones, all thirds are major, and thus all triads are augmented. A particularly easy scale is the whole tone scale, so called because all the steps in the scale are whole steps. The wholetone scale, consisting entirely of whole tones is in contradistinction to the chromatic scale which consists entirely of half steps or semitones, as well as diatonic scales like the. One thing to note about the melodic scale is that often, especially in jazz music, musicians wont lower the scale degrees when descending. If it helps, you can color the keys on the keyboard to help you determine where the half steps are. Chapter 6 major scales and key signatures 119 the circle of 5ths the circle of 5 ths is simply the twelve different notes on the piano keyboard seven white keys and. Heres a video showing the chords in the key of a based on the a major scale. The scale alternates half and whole steps until the scale starts again. Apr 17, 2017 home symmetric scales whole tone scale aflat whole tone scale.
But, again, we have to consider the letter names of the notes, f and a. A scale is a stepwise arrangement of notespitches contained within an octave. W w h w w w h w whole step h half step choose any note on the piano then apply the formula and you will create a major. Notes and rests are relative to one another in length, which is why they have fractional names. Once theyve got the scale diagrammed on the keyboard, they can easily see the whole and half step pattern. An open note head with a stem is a half note, and it gets two beats. This is really advantageous, because it opens a whole range of possibilities. In music, a wholetone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by. In other words, you can start on any note and keep moving a whole tone or whole step higher till you reach the note you started on, one octave higher.
In this tutorial were going to learn an uncommon type of guitar scale, the wholetone scale, that, as the name suggests, is composed of only wholetones take a look at your guitar and give yourself a little bit of a music theory reminder. Whole tone scales are very easy to build and to understand, since theyre. Penta scales are in a way more important than the full scale because to know the full scale, you still need to know the first 5 notes of the full scale. An open note that looks like an o without a stem is a whole note, and it gets held for four beats. Students are asked to mark the half steps in the scale on the staff with a slur and then draw a whole note for the tonic in the last measure.
W w h w w w h w whole step h half step choose any note on the piano. There are different note types to indicate the different note durations whole note semibreve a whole note american english or semibreve british english is a note type that has the longest note duration half note minim a half note american english of minim british english has half the duration of a. The whole tone scale is, as the name implies, built from notes with intervals of a whole note. You can make a major and a minor scale starting with any note on the piano.
Note duration is defined as the length of time to hold the note. In twelvetone equal temperament, there are only two complementary whole tone scales, both six note or hexatonic scales. In this part of our jazz scales series we cover the whole tone scale. Look at each notated scale below and mark the half steps with a slur.