Tag: <span>sharps</span>

07 Apr

Sharp Scales & Circle of Fifths

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 scales6 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. 
03 Apr

Notes Naming Convention

This article talks about the naming convention for the musical notes. It covers definitions on half notes (semitones), whole notes (full tones), sharps and flats.

Half Note: (H)

The note immediately adjacent to the reference note is called as a Half Note. They are also called as Semi Tones. 

Half Note Examples

Every reference note has two half notes (semitones).

  • One half note is UPwards (right hand side)
  • Another half note is DOWNwards (left hand side)

Whole Note: (W)

Two half notes make one whole note.

Whole Note Examples

Every reference note has two whole notes (full tones) too.

  • One whole note is 2 half notes UPwards (right hand side)
  • Another whole note is 2 half notes DOWNwards (left hand side)

Sharp: (#)

A sharp can be defined as 1 half note UP.

OR

1 semi tone towards the right hand side of the reference note. 

Sharp Notes

Sharps

So, the 5 black keys now have their sharp names.

But do E# and B# exist?

Special Sharps

Sharp exceptions

Yes, E# and B# exist. 

  • Since F is 1 half note UP of E, F is also called E# 
  • Since C is 1 half note UP of B, C is also called B#

Yes, E# and B# exist

Since F is 1 half note UP of E, F is also called E# 

Since C is 1 half note UP of B, C is also called B#

Flat: (b)

A flat can be defined as 1 half note DOWN.

OR

1 semi tone towards the left hand side of the reference note. 

Flat Notes

Flats

So, the 5 black keys now have their flat names too.

But do Fb and Cb exist?

Special Flats

Flat exceptions

Yes, Fb and Cb exist

Since E is 1 half note UP of F, E is also called Fb 

Since B is 1 half note UP of C, B is also called Cb