Category: <span>Scales & Its Analysis</span>

06 May

Flat Scales & Circle of Fourths
Posted in Music Theory, Scales & Its Analysis by admin on May 6, 2020 @ 9:05 pm

In this article, we are going to learn the flat scales & circle of fourths.

Let us, deep-dive, into major scales and its analysis. As we already know, major scales sound happy. They are one of the most common types of scales, popularly used in Bollywood music.  

The 12 major scales can be further classified into –

6 sharp scales & 6 flat scales

Flat Scales: (#)

The last 6 major scales are called as the flat scales. Note that, no sharps appear in a flat scale.

The order of these 6 sharp major scales is decided by using the Circle of Fourths.  

timeline_pre_loader
Sharp Scales

F major scale

Bb major scale

Eb major scale

Ab major scale

Db major scale

Gb major scale

What is Circle of Fourths?

For the last 6 sharp major scales, the next scale in the sequence is the 4th note from the current scale. 

For Example,

1. Let the current scale be F major scale – F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F. The fourth note is Bb. So, the next scale in the sequence would be Bb major scale. 

2. Let the current scale be Eb major scale – Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb. The fourth note is Ab. So, the next scale in the sequence would be Ab major scale. 

All 6 Flat Major Scales in a Table

Tip: Remember the names of flats in the order of their origin i.e Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb. And these too are in the intervals of fourths.

F major scale
Bb major scale
Eb major scale
Ab major scale
Db major scale
Gb major scale
Bb
Bb, Eb
Bb, Eb, Ab
Bb, Eb, Ab, Db
Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb
Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb

Tip:

  1. Every new scale has only one new flat in addition to all the flats from the previous scale.
  2. This new flat is the 4th note from the scale. 

Also Read:

Why are the scales important?
Sharp Scales & Circle of Fifths

07 Apr

Sharp Scales & Circle of Fifths
Posted in Scales & Its Analysis by admin on April 7, 2020 @ 6:56 am

In this article, we are going to learn the sharp scales & circle of fifths.

Let us, deep-dive, into major scales and its analysis. As we already know, major scales sound happy. They are one of the most common types of scales, popularly used in Bollywood music.  

The 12 major scales can be further classified into –

6 sharp scales & 6 flat scales

Sharp Scales: (#)

The first 6 major scales are called as the sharp scales. Note that, no flats appear in a sharp scale.

The order of these 6 sharp major scales is decided by using the Circle of Fifths.  

timeline_pre_loader
Sharp Scales

C major scale

G major scale

D major scale

A major scale

E major scale

B major scale

What is Circle of Fifths?

For the first 6 sharp major scales, the next scale in the sequence is the 5th note from the current scale. 

For Example,

1. Let the current scale be C major scale – C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. The fifth note is G. So, the next scale in the sequence would be G major scale. 

2. Let the current scale be E major scale – E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E. The fifth note is B. So, the next scale in the sequence would be B major scale. 

All 6 Sharp Major Scales in a Table

Tip: Remember the names of sharps in the order of their origin i.e F#, C#, G#, D#, A#. And these too are in the intervals of fifths.

C major scale
G major scale
D major scale
A major scale
E major scale
B major scale
-
F#
F#, C#
F#, C#, G#
F#, C#, G#, D#
F#, C#, G#, D#, A#

Tip:

  1. Every new scale has only one new sharp in addition to all the sharps from the previous scale.
  2. This new sharp is the 7th note from the scale. 

Also Read: Why are the scales important?

05 Apr

Introduction to Scales
Posted in Scales & Its Analysis by admin on April 5, 2020 @ 7:40 pm

We already now know that there are in all 12 unique notes as per the music wheel. That is to say,

  • The 7 white keys – C, D, E, F, G, A, B
  • The 5 black keys – C#(Db), D#(Eb), F#(Gb), G#(Ab), A#(Bb) 

The 12 unique notes of music

All Note Names

What is a scale?: 

A scale is a group of musical notes chosen from the 12 unique notes, arranged in a sequential manner. 

A scale is used in composing melodies. Similarly, Raagas are used in Indian Classical music.

Types of Scales: 

There are many types of scales which are used in different genres of music like western, jazz, blues, rock, etc. 

However, the most common types of scales are –

  • Major Scales
  • Minor Scales 

Most importantly, they are widely used in Bollywood music.

Since a scale can start from any note,
there are 12 major scales and 12 minor scales.

What is the difference between a major scale and a minor scale?

 

  • A major scale has a happy tone. So, a song composed in a major scale generally sounds happy. For example, 
    • Pehla Nasha (F major scale)
    • Raabta (C major scale)

 

  • A minor scale has a sad tone. So, a song composed in a major scale generally sounds sad. For example, 
    • Tum Hi Ho (E minor scale)
    • Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (D minor scale)

But, why are Scales important to learn & memorize?

Scales are the primary element in music theory. Moreover, any song is built on the foundation of a scale.

To conclude, scales are important to learn & memorize to help us – 

  • Listen and play any song 
  • Understand chords & structures
  • Create harmonies 
  • Improvise

And much more . . .