2. Major Scales – One and Two Octaves
Table of Contents
Major Scales
A scale is a sequence of notes that act as the building blocks for a piece of music. The first scale everyone encounters when learning music is the major scale which follows the interval pattern T-T-S-T-T-T-S, where S is a Semitone, and T is a Tone (two semitones).
You can check out this post for more information on Tones and Semitones(link).
When reading the interval pattern from left to right we are ascending. Then to descend the scale we simply read the intervals backwards.
Key Signatures
To figure out what key we are in, we simply look at the key signature. These are the sharps or flats at the beginning of the piece after the clef and before the time signature.
Here’s a handy table:
One Octave White Key Major Scales
One octave means we are going from the note to the next note with the same letter name.
I made the following video of all the one octave major scales. I go from C major up to B major in alphabetical order. Right hand, left hand, then hands together.
I recommend adjusting the playback speed to 0.5 and playing along.
One Octave Black Key Major Scales
The black keys are sharps and flats(link). These scales are a bit more difficult and typically only appear beyond the Grade 2 syllabus.
Regardless, I’ve made a video. Here it is!
Two Octaves White Key Major Scales
If we want to elongate any of the scales into two octaves, and go to the second next note with the same name, we simply skip over the last finger letter and use the same fingering as that of the first note, repeat from the beginning and continue as though we are restarting again.
Sorry for the wordy sentence, but you’ll understand when you follow this video:
Two Octave Black Key Major Scales
Here’s another video, the black key major scales in two octaves. These typically pop up after the grade 3.
Practice your Scales
Yes, I know, they can be boring. But, to us pianists practicing our scales should be like brushing our teeth. Do it every day.
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