Basic Music Theory #2
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There
is a simple formula to explain why F major has one flat
in it's scale and it is B b (flat.)
This formula also explains how we get to the
other
"accidentals," (sharps and flats) of a major scale.
That formula is whole steps, ( Indicated with a
"W") and
half steps. (Indicated with a "1/2").
The formula is W W
1/2 W W W 1/2. A
whole step can be between a white key to a white key, a black key to a
black key, or a white key to a black key and a black key to a white
key. There are two half's to a whole. A half step
is just
one key to the next key just one half. Now
when you look
at the piano keyboard you see a series of white and black
keys.
You will notice not all the white keys have black keys in between
them. There are no black keys between B and C and
also
between E and F. The black keys are accidentals.
Going up
the key board they are sharps and going down the keyboard they are
flats. Hence, you have "inharmonic equivalence." (
B b is
an inharmonic equivalence to A #... B flat is an inharmonic equivalence
to A sharp.) The same is true for the white keys that are
right
next to each other. ( B and C, plus E and F.) Hence C b ( C
flat)
is the enharmonic equivalence of natural B.
( The
sign for a natural B is like having one line pointing up next
to a
line pointing down and in between these lines is a small
box.) Also E # (E sharp) is the enharmonic equivalence of F
natural. A half step is a white key to a black
key, a
black key to a white key or between B and C plus
between E
and F.
On
the Piano key
board you will see the B to C white keys and then two black
keys.
You will then see the E to F white keys and Three black keys
afterwards. The pattern in the middle of the Piano key board
indicates where "middle C " is.
In front of the first two black keys right in
middle of the
keyboard. Now using the W W 1/2 W W W
1/2 step pattern
in the key of C Major we will see that there are no sharps or flats in
this scale. Start of the key of C. A whole step
from C is
D. ( C to D flat is a half step. D flat to D is the second
half
step making up the entire whole step.) A whole step
from D
is E. (D to E
flat is a
half step. E b to E is the second
half step
completing the whole step.) A Half step from E is F.
( No
black keys between E and F.) A Whole step from F is
G. ( F
to G b is a half step. G
b to G is the
second half step making up the entire whole step.) A whole
step
from G is A. ( A half step from G
is A
b. The second half step from A b is A, completing
the whole
step.) A whole step from A is B. ( A half step from A
is B
b. The second half step from B b is
B completing the
whole step.) A 1/2 step from B is C. ( No
black keys
between B and C.)
Now we move to F. A
whole step from F is G. A whole step from G is
A. A
half step from A is the black key of B b (flat.) A
Whole
step from B b (B flat) is C. A whole step from C is
D.
A whole step from D is E. A half step from E is F.
The scale of F Major ( Capital M
for Major scales and
a small m to indicate minor scales.) has one flat in it's name
and
it is B b. ( F major is the only flat scale without a flat in
it's
name.)
Now we move to
the next one in
order. Since B b is the only flat in the scale of F
major,
the next scale will be B b Major. ( They always go into the
next
order. It never changes. This is why we start on B
b
instead of natural B.) A whole step from B b is
C. A
whole step from C is D. A
half
step from D is E b. ( The black key.) A whole step from E b
is
F. A whole step from F is G. A whole step from G is
A.
A Half step from A is B b. The scale
of B b Major
( B flat ) has two flats in it's name. They are B b and E b.
Next is E b
Major. A whole step
from E b is F. A whole step from F is G. A half
step from G
is A b. A whole step from
A b is B b. A whole step from B b is
C. A whole
step from C is D. A half step from D is E
b. The scale
of E b ( E flat ) Major has 3 flats in it's name.
They are B
b, E b and A b.
Moving onto A b
Major. A whole
step from A b is B b. A whole step from B b is C. A
half
step from C is D b. A whole
step from D b is E b. A whole step
from E b is
F. A whole step from F is G. A half step
from G is A
b. The scale of A flat Major has four flats in it's
name. They are B b, E b, A b, and D b.
The next scale is D b major. A whole
step from
D b is E b. A whole step from E b is F. A 1/2 step
from F
is G b. A whole step from G b is A b. A whole step
from A b
is B b. A whole step from B b is C and a half step from C is
Db. The scale of D b Major has 5
flats in it's
name. They are B b, E b, A b, D b and G b.
Next up is the
major scale of G b
major. A whole step from G b is A b. A
whole step from
A b is B b. A half step from
B
b would look like a natural B
on the keyboard. However, the enharmonic equivalence of C b
is a
natural B. So using this the half step will
be C b
which is a natural B. A whole step from C b is D b.
A whole
step from D b is E b. A whole step from E b is F
natural. A
half step from F natural is G b. The Scale
of G b Major
has 6 flats in it's name. They are B b, E b, A b, D
b, G b
and C b.
Just
as the Major scale
of C has no sharps or flats, the Major scale of C b Major has
all 7 notes flat.
Moving onto the sharp scales is the same
thing. The
only Major scales with a sharp in it's name is F # and C #.
Since the sharp scales are a mirror of the flat
scales (
Backwards.) We will see the first Sharp. G b major has 6
flats in
it's scale. Hence G Major is where we will begin.
A
whole step from G is A. A
whole step from A is B. A half step from B is C. A
whole
step from C is D. A whole step from D is E. A Whole
step
from E is F #. A half step from F # is G. The scale
of G
major has one sharp in it's name. It is F #.
Since there is what is
called a "circle of
5th's we will explain that here. A circle of 5th's is
counting
the note you started on as one and the 5th note from there is where we
get the next scale. G is one. A is two, B is three,
C is
four and D is five.)
The next scale is D
major. A whole step
from D is E. A whole step from E is F #. A
1/2 step
from F # is G. A whole step from G is A. A whole
step from
A is B. A whole step from B is C #. A 1/2 step from
C # is
D. The scale of D major has two sharps in it's
name. They
are F # and C #.
Next is the
scale of A Major. A
Whole step from A is B. A whole step from B is C #.
A 1/2
step from C # is D. A whole step from D is E. A
whole step
from E is F #. A whole step from F # is G #. A 1/2
step
from G # is A. The scale of
A Major has 3 sharps in it's name.
They are F #, C #
and G #.
Next is
the scale of E Major.
A whole step from E is F #. A whole step from F # is
G
#. A 1/2 step from G # is A. A whole step from A is
B. A whole step from B is C #. A
whole step from
C # is D # and a half step from D # is E.
The scale of E Major has 4 sharps in
it's
name. They are F #, C #, G # and D #.
Next
is the scale of B
Major. A whole step from B is C #. A whole step
from C # is
D #. A 1/2 step from D # is E. A whole step
from E is
F #. A whole step from F # is G #. A whole step
from G
# is A #. A half step from A # is B.
The scale of B Major has 5 sharps in
it's name.
They are F #, C #, G #, D # and A #.l
Next is the scale of F #
Major. a
whole step from F # is G #. A whole step from G # is
A
#. A 1/2 step from A # is B. A Whole step from B is
C
#. A whole step from C # is D #. A whole step from
D # is E
# and a half step from E # ( which is really F on the Piano
keyboard, or equivalnce.) is F #. The scale of F # Major has
6
sharps in it's name. They are F #, C #, G #, D # , A
# and
E #.
Finally is the scale of C
# Major where
all the notes are sharp.