#Chromatic scale piano series

The thumb is 1, the index finger 2, the middle finger 3, etc.) However, there are standard, common-practice fingerings, explained below. Most fingering for major scales can be intuitively figured out-basically, whatever is comfortable for your hands. Major scale but with a flat 3rd and a flat 7th. Instead, it means to take the degree pattern forĭorian (as seen above, having a b3 and a b7) and apply this to C major. On the second degree which is D-but this is not what is meant by 'C Dorian'. It may seem logical to first think of the major key of C and then surmise that the Dorian mode of C starts If someone speaks of, say, the C Dorian key or scale, One clarification should be made regarding modes. It is much easier toĬonsider how the scale degrees of each mode deviate from a major scale (a.k.a. Thinking of the modes as interval patterns is not very intuitive, however. Is most clearly seen by the absence of a black note between E and F (3 and 4) and between B and C (7 and root).īy changing the key of the example, you can see how the whole-step/half-step pattern remains consistent. Use the example below to see the major scale landscape in all keys. The goal is to become a seasoned traveler in all of these various landscapes. It lays the foundation for the freedom of creating music from symbols on a page. The more you practice and become familiar with the major scales/keys, the more they willĪnd to really understand what's going on behind chords and progressions, learning and practicing the major With different areas that are 'home' or 'away'. I like to think of each key as a landscape on the keyboard, The major scale is the basis for understanding and speaking about chords and progressions.įor instance, if I mention a 'G chord with a sharp five', the 'five' refers to the fifth note of the G major scale,Īnd if I speak of a 'two-five-one' progression, again, those numbers refer to degrees of the major scale.Īs we saw above, the C major scale is easily visualized on the piano since it is all white keys.Įvery other key or scale also has its own distinct visual and tactile form. I'm afraid following these rabbit holes would quickly derail us from the central topic Why 'tone' and 'semitone'? Why start with C and not A? Who came up with the piano design anyway? (In classical theory, these are also called a semitone and a tone, respectively.)Īs with many topics in this tutorial, this explanation of intervals and scales may leave you with

#Chromatic scale piano series

This series of notes is called a chromatic scale and the distance, or interval, between each note is called aĪn interval of two half-steps makes a whole-step. When we've reached note 13, we've come to another C (an octave higher) and the same 12-note pattern starts again. We can see this on the piano keyboard by counting the notes (both black and white) between two Cs. In Western music, the octave is divided into 12 equidistant notes. Within the interval of an octave, individual pitches or notes can be determined in different ways. Sometimes when trying to match a pitch, we may even sing the note in a different octave and not notice We perceive as the same note, or the same 'kind' of note. The octave is a natural phenomenon whereby doubling the frequency of a note results in a higher pitch that

Two notes of the same name-for example, between two Cs on the piano. One of the most basic intervals in music is the octave, the distance beween We must first grasp the underlying scales and intervals.Īn interval is simply the distance between two notes. So to accurately name and understand chord symbols,

'But wait, I thought this was a tutorial on chord charts!' Patience-we'll get there.