Piano for Beginners 6th ED - 2016 UK

Scales are a great way to learn your way around a keyboard, but the way you

play them will also help you build up speed and accuracy. Okay, so you can’t

argue that they are the most exciting things to play in the world, but thanks to

their strict patterns you can play a scale on any key without even being able to

read music! Their patterns relate to the distance between the notes in the scale

and can be measured in semitones, which is the gap between each note on

the keyboard. An interval of two semitones is known as a tone. So, the interval

between C and C# is a semitone, but the interval between C and D is a tone.

But be warned; you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that the distance

between all white notes is a tone, though. In actual fact, the interval between

B and C, as well as E and F is only a mere semitone because there are no black

keys between them.

Learning the patterns

The theory behind some of the main types of scales

Major scale

The major scale’s pattern goes like so:

Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone,

Semitone. If we take the C major scale

as an example, you can see that the two

semitone intervals fall where there are

adjacent white keys: between E and F,

and between B and C. Any major scale

you care to name uses this formula – as

long as you know where the first note

is you can easily work out the rest of

the scale.

Melodic minor scale

The melodic minor is a strange one

• it’s almost like two different scales.
  Ascending the pattern is Tone,
  Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Tone,
  Semitone, but descending it’s Tone,
  Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone,
  Tone. The descending pattern is the
  same as a natural minor scale. It’s a little
  tricky to remember two patterns on the
  same scale, but once you’ve learned it
  you’ll soon be able to see the value in
  its flexibility.

Harmonic minor scale

The harmonic minor scale is a little

different, although it still uses a

pattern – albeit one with a slight twist.

The interval between the sixth and

seventh notes is three semitones – a

tone and a half. So, the pattern goes:

Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone,

Tone and a half, Semitone. Far from the

happy sound of the major scale, it has a

kind of spooky sound that distinguishes

it from the other minor scales.

Ton e Ton e Semitone Ton e Ton e Ton e Semitone

Ton e Semitone Ton e Ton e Ton e Ton e Semitone

Ton e Semitone Ton e Tone Semitone Tone & half Semitone