Piano for Beginners 6th ED - 2016 UK

Chords and scales

Get a happy sound with these scales

Major scales

Major scales are the first scales that many people

learn to play as they’re harmonically pleasing and

relatively simple – there are no accidentals to

contend with. To play a major scale with looking at

music, play the root note then follow these intervals:

tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone

(TTSTTTS). The easiest to play is C, as it uses all the

white keys in order. Finger patterns are exceptionally

important when learning scales, and major scales

are a good place to get used to the best way to play.

For many of the simplest major scales – ie not too

many sharps and flats – you will need to tuck under

your thumb on the right hand and cross over your

middle finger on the left hand.

“Harmonically pleasing and simple – there

are no accidentals to contend with”

Db

A

Bb

B

C