Look for next post for the more important intervals. Thanks to starwars for the minor scale (see his post).
How To Construct Major Scales
All major scales have a typical structure. Let’s have a look at the C major scale to find out more about that structure:
C D E F G A B C
I added a C at the end of the scale. This C is one octave higher (12 half tones) compared to the first C. Now we are going to have a look at the intervals between the notes of the C major scale. An interval is the distance between 2 notes.
C-D: D is 2 half steps higher than C
D-E: 2 half steps
E-F: 1 half step
F-G: 2 half steps
G-A: 2 half steps
A-B: 2 half steps
B-C: 1 half step
So, every note in the C major scale is 2 notes higher than the previous note, except the F and the C (this is important, remember these two notes):
C D E F G A B C
2 2 1 2 2 2 1
We can use this as a scale formula:
Major Scale Formula: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1
And we can use this formula to construct other major scales. Let us find the major scale of D:
The first note is of course: D
The formula tells us that the second note is 2 half steps further: E
The next note also needs to be 2 half steps further.
We remember from before that F is only 1 half step further than E.
To make the F 2 half steps further, we have to add a sharp (#).
A sharp adds 1 half tone to a note, so when we write F#, it means one half step further than F.
To summarize: the 3rd note of the D major scale: F#
The formula tells us that note 4 can only be 1 half step further then the 3rd. G is 2 half steps further than F, but only 1 half step further than F#, so G is the 4th note of the D major scale.
Note 5 is 2 half steps further: A
Note 6 is 2 half steps further: B
Note 7 needs to be 2 half steps further, but C is only 1 half step further than B, that’s why we need to add a sharp: C#
The next note in the scale is the same note as the first, but one octave higher and is one half step further then C#: D
So here’s the D major scale:
D E F# G A B C# (D)
2 2 1 2 2 2 1
Let’s try another scale, the F major scale:
The first note is F
The second note needs to be 2 half steps further: G
The third note also: A
The fourth note only needs to be 1 half step further. B is 2 half steps further than A, so we need to add a flat ( to make it only one half step further than A. So the fourth note is: Bb
The fifth note needs to be 2 half steps further. C is only 1 half step further than B, but because we flatted the B we are ok: C is 2 half steps further than Bb
The next note needs to be 2 half steps further: D
The seventh note is also 2 notes further: E
We close the circle by adding the first note, but one octave higher. F is one half step further than E.
The following two are important to remember, we call them accidentals: #: the sharp sign: makes a note a half step higher
b: the flat sign: makes a note a half step lower
Here’s a list of all the major scales:
C Major Scale: C D E F G A B
D Major Scale: D E F# G A B C#
E Major Scale: E F# G# A B C# D#
F Major Scale: F G A Bb C D E
G Major Scale: G A B C D E F#
A Major Scale: A B C# D E F# G#
B Major Scale: B C# D# E F# G# A#
C# Major Scale: C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
Eb Major Scale: Eb F G Ab Bb C D
F# Major Scale: F# G# A# B C# D# E#
Ab Major Scale: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
Bb Major Scale: Bb C D Eb F G A
This is, of course, stolen,err… I mean, copied from another site:
http://www.jazzguitar.be/music-theory.html
What you thought I we know stuff like this? pfft… I suck at making music!
That also brings up another question? if the c major makes up all the normal non-flat or non-sharp
notes, how come you cant make any amazing song just by placing them down?
check my post farther down for intervals, assuming I can edit that one. My posting function is messing up!
Again, nearly all of them are 2 steps, except two. B-C, and E-F. (Oh look! The same two from the major!)
Here’s the scale formula for minors: 2 1 2 2 1 2 2. This can be used with all other notes. For the sake of time, I’ll just list all the minor scales:
A Minor Scale: A B C D E F G A (sister of C major)
B Minor Scale: B C# D E F# G A B
C Minor Scale: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
D Minor Scale: D E F G A Bb C D (Sister of F major)
E Minor Scale: E F# G A B C D E (Sister of G major)
F Minor Scale: F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F
G Minor Scale: G A Bb C D Eb F G
And the sharps and flats:
A# OR Bb Minor Scale: A# B# C# D# E# F# G# A# (Ironic how the sharp of A has the most sharps, while A has none)
C# OR Db Minor Scale: C# D# E F# G# A B C#
D# OR Eb Minor Scale: D# E# F# G# A# B C# D#
F# OR Gb Minor Scale: F# G# A B C# D E F#
G# OR Ab Minor Scale: G# A# B C# D# E F#
BIG NOTE: TWO OF THE SAME NOTES CANNOT EXIST IN THE SAME SCALE. THAT IS WHY I SAY E# IN STEAD OF F, AND B# INSTEAD OF C
Smaller note: later I will make a song specifically to show the major and minor scales, but maybe some one can beat me there? I’ll be gone the next couple of days so…
I read your post and I wrote that part, not to argue, but to reinstate what you said…
I was saying that rewording
would be good because I know what you meant, but they are the same notes… just different names so you could rewrite an A minor scale as
A, B, B#, etc. and it would still be called and A minor…
thats why double sharps and flats are usually just replaced with a different name for the same note
Don’t worry about it. I see…sorta. Why would you reinstate the exact same thing? To make it easier for noobs who don’t understand that B# = C and E# = F? That’s all I can think of. Oh well, no harm done. I’ll get on that song I said I’d make to get this back on topic.
EDIT: Oh dang I just realized he copied that thing, I spent one hour typing on the minor scales, and I do know them. DARN!
DOUBLE EDIT: To answer GuitarSkill’s question at the bottom of his post, this is notessimo. It’s just too simple to always use one key. I like to use these keys: Am C F and G, all in one song. That is the simplest form, and you can really use quite a few different one’s to make a song. The real reason is because some people decide that a quarter note should be used for every other note, and I will make a second song to demonstrate this.
Ok I’ll put the Interval stuff down here, because theres something messed up with the top one.
USE THIS MAINLY ON C MAJOR OR A MINOR
An interval is the space’/position (higher/lower pitch) from the last note or from the first note on a phrase( ex: in a scale!).
A 1st interval is the same tone twice. (c4 to c4)
A 2nd interval and a 7th interval is bad.
A 3rd,4th,5th intervals are very good.
A 6th is okay, but not reccomended.
A 8th is a octave (tone to tone ex: c4 to c5). these are also good.
heres an example (each sheet represents each interval.)
You didn’tanswer my question. I’m guessing you misunderstood. Though the answer is explained above. Intervals are very important.
Oh, and thank you for the minor scale.
you might notice sharps and flats are thrown into the mix. this removes the power of intervals. And remember, if you are a good enough song writer, you can make anything (YES ANTHING) sound good. Also, make sure to use intervals if you are just beginning to write songs.
also if you are using scales, those are designed to sound good! intervals are easier to memorize, too.
Unfortunately, I have no idea why you said nut, (unless it was an insult, in which case why insult me?), nor why you think intervals are so important. Also, if you are using just lines OR spaces, eventually you will make a song bad. What I mean is that if you do a C major broken-up like this: C—E—G, and then add the next line, you get this: CM7 or C—E—G—B. Unless you have a lot of experience or are somehow related to The Police (Love them!), you will have a noob trying to use incredibly difficult chords like these: Cadd9, Ddim, and Fsus4, just to name a few. Therefore, your advice is not for noobs, but really for more experienced people like Hypo or Roastmasters. I seriously doubt anyone who hasn’t taken any musical instrument will ever understand an interval, and should really spend their time on here doing covers usin actual tabs instead of pretending they can do it by ear.
Oh man, Im sorry i said nut, I meant notice. No idea how I mixed them up
And I don’t mean by ear, I mean making up your own song. I don’t know much about music. I just started taking piano at the beginning of this year (freshmen in High school, yeah!) and I haven’t learned much about music theory
I played guitar since 7th grade, but I haven’t learned much (AKA I SUCK) So I didn’t get anything you just said (OK, I got some of it) So could you explain?
And like I said, If you are good, you can make anything sound good. Also, you could say intervals are like scales. A interval could start on c, the go to e (a 3rd),
then go to f (a 2nd). This would be a total of a 4th, which still would probably sound good.
Oh, and I probably will never make a cover, because That just doesn’t sound as fun… If I want to make a cover, I will try to play it on a instrument.
I’m sorry I somehow called you nut. I think My hands had a Tourettes spasm, lol. I’m sorry. I have no idea what happened, I was trying to say about the scale.
I realize that scales are more important, but what I’m saying is, is that it is easier to use intervals than scales. http://notessimo.net/listen.php?id=35647
It might not be good, but at least it isn’t bad (compared to if you didn’t focus on scales or intervals)
It would probably be in c major, but its not like I actually put thought into the scales. I also Am not good enough to use scales.
do you know any sites that teach you how to actually use scales in a song once you memorize them? thanks
Oh, and your less talk more rokk is very good. Im glad you didn’t put all the instruments. It allows me to turn the song into a midi and use it on guitar pro to make a tab of it.
A decent song, to be sure. What you used for the strat guitar in sheet 0, and on through the song, are called broken chords. That’s when you take a chord and instead of just playing the chord at once like this, you do this. That’s mainly what I do, the only thing thats separates me and you is I use the broken up chord over more than just three notes like this. Understand? Unfortunately, I don’t know any websites that teach you how to compose (I’d google it), but I took just one short year of piano from my neighbors, and look at my songs. I think that’s the best way to do it, as there’s no real shortcut.
Hey this really helps with scales…cause this pretty much helping me learn them at this moment…it also has chords too (thanks to Hypo for the link )
I hope this will help others too Chords and Scales made easy
I know it says piano…but seriously that pretty much (i would think) would apply to all music (sheets atleast, which means notessimo of course)
