Lesson Goal: To quickly internalize the Major Scale in all keys… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
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Major Scale Wiki
Learn more: Major Scale (Wikipedia)
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Why Learn the Major Scale?
Because it’s used used in a wide variety of music all around the world: classical, folk, pop, rock, bluegrass, country, and modal jazz. And because it provides the foundation for building a rich network of scale, chord, and chord progression mastery.
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Major Scale Theory
- Scale Structure (Scale Degrees): 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1.
- Scale Structure (Solfege): Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do.
C Major Scale Theory
Your first lesson in the C Major Scale… integrating reading, theory, ear training, and visuospatial keyboard awareness…
Here’s one possible rendition for the C Major Scale: a single octave in treble clef ascending from C4 to C5…
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C Major Scale Solfege Ear Training
Reading, playing, and singing the Solfege Syllables out loud is an extremely effective way to tune up your ears and to internalize the unique sound-feeling of each note in the scale with respect to the key center Do. Make sure to do this slowly enough for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege Syllable to make a meaningful impression on your mind’s ear.
C Major: Linear, Ascending…
Listen to Frank model one way you might play and sing this…
C Major: Linear, Descending…
Listen to Frank model one way you might play and sing this…
C Major: Do-X-Do, Ascending…
Listen to Frank model one way you might play and sing this…
C Major: Do-X-Do, Descending…
Listen to Frank model one way you might play and sing this…
Note: We could sing lots more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (the 80-20 Principle) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
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Major Scale Theory & Ear Training, All Keys
Showing the notation, key signature, letter names, scale degrees, solfege syllables, and keyboard layouts in 12 keys…arranged chromatically ascending (C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B)…
C Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The C Major Scale is spelled C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.” (Also sing the solfege syllables out loud… ditto for all the keys below)
Sidebar: The goal here is learn how to read the notes and where they are on the keyboard. Don’t worry about fingerings right now. In fact, it’s perfectly fine and maybe even preferrable to play these with one finger for now so that you don’t instill poor technical habits.
D Flat Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The Db Major Scale is spelled Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-C-Db.”
D Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The D Major Scale is spelled D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D.”
E Flat Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The Eb Major Scale is spelled Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb.”
E Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The E Major Scale is spelled E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#-E.”
F Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The F Major Scale is spelled F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F.”
G Flat Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The Gb Major Scale is spelled Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb-Db-Eb-F-Gb.”
G Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The G Major Scale is spelled G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G.”
A Flat Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The Ab Major Scale is spelled Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb-F-G-Ab.”
A Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The A Major Scale is spelled A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A.”
B Flat Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The Bb Major Scale is spelled Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb.”
B Major
Say this aloud as you read and play: “The B Major Scale is spelled B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A#-B.”
Practice Tracks, All Keys (MP3s)
Buy Frank a cup of coffee (Donations Page) and he’d be happy to send you a high-res pdf of the scores and keyboard layouts.
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Major Scale Solfege, All Keys (Flashcards)
Online flashcards that quickly teach the Major Scale Solfege Syllables in all keys…
How to Use these Flashcards
Given the key and letter name say the Solfege name… or given the key and Solfege name say the letter name. (By the way, you will internalize these important connections much faster if you say them out loud as you go!)
C Major Solfege
F Major Solfege
B Flat Major Solfege
E Flat Major Solfege
A Flat Major Solfege
D Flat Major Solfege
Gb Major Solfege
B Major Solfege
E Major Solfege
A Major Solfege
D Major Solfege
G Major Solfege
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Major Scale Practice, All Keys
Here’s a possible rendition for the major scale: ascending and descending in the right hand, played over a I chord and V7 chord in the left hand to provide an appropriate musical harmonic background… arranged chromatically ascending in all major keys…
Listen to a sample @ 120 beats per minute…
Major Scale Practice, All Keys (MP3 Play Along Tracks)
The benefits of playing along with a click track at various tempos cannot be overstated: very slowly at first (60-80 bpm) to have enough time to “think about everything”, then fast enough (160-180 bpm) to be forced to “play without thinking”.
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 60 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 80 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 100 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 120 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 140 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 160 bpm…
Play Along Practice Tracks, All Keys @ 180 bpm…
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Solfege Ear Training (MP3s)
Lesson Goal: To recognize the sound-feeling of each Solfege syllable in the Major Scale… a skill that will pay enormous dividends in your ability to read, memorize, transpose, improvise, and play by ear.
Format: Downloadable MP3s that allow you to do Solfege ear training almost anytime and anywhere: while doing the dishes, taking a walk, or driving your car!
Important Notes from Frank
As you do these, keep the following in mind:
- Solfege is relative pitch ear training with respect to a key center (Do).
- Don’t try to listen for intervals. The goal is recognize the unique sound-feeling of each note with respect to the key center.
- Succesful ear training is not about trying to hear something. It’s about being receptive to the sound-feeling you are experiencing and then associating that sound-feeling with something you already know– in this case the Solfege name.
- While all these MP3s are in the key of C major, the Solfege sound-feelings learned in C generalize to all keys because of the phenomenon of relative pitch generalization.
- You still need to do the left-brain work of mapping the Solfege names in each key to the notes in written music or physical keys on the keyboard.
- Don’t get too carried away with this. Do just enough to get a general feel for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege syllable with respect to the key center Do. Once you start hearing in Solfege (you should start noticing results almost immediately), start getting your ear training directly from the music you want to play.
Download & Usage Instructions
Each mp3 follows the same sequence…
- A G7 to C (V7 to I) cadence is played, clearly establishing the key center and tonality as C Major.
- A random note is presented (from 2 octaves below middle C to 2 octaves above middle C).
- You identify the pitch using its Solfege name: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti.
- After a short pause, Frank gives the answer.
Listen to an example…
Think of these as audio flash cards with a timer that’s not too slow and not too fast. Simply download, unzip, create a playlist, set to random play, and enjoy the results!
Buy Frank a cup of coffee (Donations Page) and he’d be happy to send you a zip file that includes a high-res pdf of the score and all the play along tracks for the above.
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learn more… Scales
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The first time I looked at this page I glossed over the DO-X-DO exercise. Now I see that this is extremely valuable. Not only is this helping me “know” the notes, it also helps my ability to sing the notes.
🤜🤛 Thanks so much for the positive feedback. Music to my ears!!!