Sequencing - Scales

                                               SCALES

                                                    What Is A Scale? 

The simple answer: Scales are a set of notes in an Octave, that are constructed based on a certain pattern.

Now for some more detail...

A scale is a sequence of preferred notes/tones.

In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale. - Wikipedia

Scales are man-made. They can be created on any note, and there are thousands of scales and thousands of preferences on how to get from one note to the next note.

This is why music in the West sounds different from music in the East; they have different preferred scales.

You do not have to stick to a certain scale, but there are important scales to remember that are commonly used: 

• The Major Scale
• The Minor Scale
• The Blues Scale
• The Natural Minor Scale 
• The Pentatonic Scales in Major and Minor
• The Harmonic Scales in Major and Minor
• The Melodic Scale
• The Dorian Scale 
• The Mixolydian Scale

Octave 

What is an octave? 

An octave is a range of notes.

So, to understand this better, let's go back to basics real quick. 

Sounds - Vibrating air

• Fast vibrations = High sound ~ Like a bird tweeting.
• Slow vibrations = Low Sound ~ Like a tiger roaring.

Now, there are pitches between the fast and slow vibrations that sound similar, even though they are quite far away from each other in terms of pitch. When put together they not only mesh well, but sound clear and clean.

What the early musicians noticed about this was that the notes that had similar characteristics were a good way of splitting up the scale from low to high. For example; you start on a note and continue up or down until you hit a note that sounds similar to the first note that played.

Why? 

• You get a similar sounding note every time you double the speed of whatever it is that is vibrating (notes).

Hertz - Hz ~ How many times a second something is vibrating.

Example: You have a sound of 110Hz  - vibrating 110 times a second. If you increase (double) until 220Hz, and again until 440Hz (and so on), then you will notice distinctive similarities between all these notes. 

In Western music these 3 speeds have a name: A

These connections are used to show you nice divisions within the range of pitches from low to high. These divisions from Low to High are called Octaves.

For instance - On the piano, there are sets of 12 keys ( 5 black keys and 7 white keys), each set of piano keys is called an Octave, the pitches repeat but in the next register or "Octave".

The Octave relationship is a natural phenomenon called the "Basic Miracle Of Music".

 What is a Tempo?

- The speed at which a passage of music is played.

It is measured in BPM - Beats Per Minute.

Think of your Tempo like a heart rate. A beat is defined as rhythmic movement, the beat can also refer to the tempo.

Helpful links!

• Quora - What is an Octave?
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• Pitch & Octaves
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• Scales, Chords & Time - For Beginners
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• What are Scales?
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Circle Of Fifths

                                        Circle of Fifths

So, what is the circle of fifths? 

The circle of fifths is a musical tool, which is a series of notes arranged in a circle.

It is a diagram that can be easily drawn out for reference for finding the key signatures in a scale. There are 12 tones of the chromatic scale (although there can be more, but are not usually written).

It creates a link of understanding when thinking of how notes and chords go together and the musical connection behind the method.

What is a Key Signature? 

A key signature is a combination of any several notes (sharps, flats and sometimes natural) collectively called a scale after the clef of each stave (Treble or Bass). When you hit the 8th note you're back to the start of the scale on the first note that you played, except the pitch is higher, indicating that you are now on an Octave higher. 

The Key signature is what points us to what major or minor key to play within the scale.

^^

What is a Stave? - A set of horizontal lines and four spaces in between that each represent a different musical note/pitch.

So, how does this work? For starters you're going to need to remember 2 important phrases:

• For Christmas Give Dad An Electric Blanket
• Blanket Explodes And Dad Gets Cold Feet

These help you to remember in what order the keys go round the circle.

Find your key, Eb (E Flat) for example:

Imagine a line is drawn between the F and B Flat. 

1. Always start from C ~ This is because C has no Sharps or Flats. 
2. Move clockwise round the circle to count the number of Sharps you will be using. 
3. Move Anticlockwise to count the number of Flats you will be using.
4. Then, once you know how many Sharps or Flats you're working with, you can count from either F (for sharps) or Bb (for flats) to know what keys it will have.

For Eb move anticlockwise from C to Eb ~ you should have counted 3 flats. Now you know how many flats you have! After, count  3 flats anticlockwise from Bb ~ You should have Bb, Eb, and Ab. Great! You know what flats you have for your stave.

Here is a video from class explaining the process:

What can you use the Circle of Fifths for?

1. To work out the notes in a scale as it reveals the key signature. 
2. To predict the next chord in a progression based on the arrangement of chords on the circle.
3. To choose notes or chords when improvising from those near each other on the circle
4. To understand why certain notes and chords "go together" and "sound right" in music.

To know where to plot your sharps and flats, you'll need to know where all the notes on the stave are (A,B,C,D,E,F,G, and repeat). For this you'll need to remember some more phrases!

For the treble clef:

• Every Good Boy Deserves Food - On the lines
• F A C E - Between the lines

For Bass clef:

• Great Big Dogs From Africa - On the lines
• All Cows Eat Grass - Between the lines

Remembering the Circle Of Fifths makes life so much easier, just do it (even if it means printing up a poster for your bedroom wall...or getting a tattoo).