Scales
Scale comes from the Latin word scala which means ladder/staircase. Scale is a ladder of notes in ascending and descending order [Jermaine Griggs].
When we play notes on the piano in an ascending or descending direction as though we are climbing a staircase, we are playing scales.
Scale is a melodic progression of notes, in ascending or descending order, with a definite intervallic formula.
This broad definition of scale contains all the keywords that will give us a proper insight on scales. Intervals are the building blocks for scales. Specific arrangements of the intervals make up a particular scale.
From the definition above, A scale is [basically] a melodic progression of notes…with a definite intervallic formula.
We’ll get started by breaking down these two keywords – melodic progressions and intervallic formula.
Scale is melodic. When notes are played/heard one after the other, it yields melody. Ideas that take this form in music are said to be melodic. When a scale is played you won’t hear more than one note at a time.
Scale is NOT harmonic. Harmonic ideas are ideas that more than one note is played/heard at the same time. Scale is melodic- not more than one note should be heard at the same time. This is one of the properties of scale that I want you to be mindful of. When you are playing a scale and more than one note is heard, something is wrong!
Scale is bidirectional - Scale can ascend and descend and that’s why we are qualifying it as being bidirectional, which means that scale can move in both directions.
Scales are built/constructed with melodic progressions that are ordered or arranged in a definite pattern. This pattern is fixed. This makes every scale unique. Scales are considered unique because NO two scales share the same intervallic formula. Intervallic formulas are created when melodic progressions ascend of descend from a given note.
While constructing scales, we are not just ascending and descending on the keyboard- No! We are ascending and descending using fixed/definite intervallic formulas that are derived from melodic progressions.
When we play notes on the piano in an ascending or descending direction as though we are climbing a staircase, we are playing scales.
Scale is a melodic progression of notes, in ascending or descending order, with a definite intervallic formula.
This broad definition of scale contains all the keywords that will give us a proper insight on scales. Intervals are the building blocks for scales. Specific arrangements of the intervals make up a particular scale.
From the definition above, A scale is [basically] a melodic progression of notes…with a definite intervallic formula.
We’ll get started by breaking down these two keywords – melodic progressions and intervallic formula.
Scale is melodic. When notes are played/heard one after the other, it yields melody. Ideas that take this form in music are said to be melodic. When a scale is played you won’t hear more than one note at a time.
Scale is NOT harmonic. Harmonic ideas are ideas that more than one note is played/heard at the same time. Scale is melodic- not more than one note should be heard at the same time. This is one of the properties of scale that I want you to be mindful of. When you are playing a scale and more than one note is heard, something is wrong!
Scale is bidirectional - Scale can ascend and descend and that’s why we are qualifying it as being bidirectional, which means that scale can move in both directions.
Scales are built/constructed with melodic progressions that are ordered or arranged in a definite pattern. This pattern is fixed. This makes every scale unique. Scales are considered unique because NO two scales share the same intervallic formula. Intervallic formulas are created when melodic progressions ascend of descend from a given note.
While constructing scales, we are not just ascending and descending on the keyboard- No! We are ascending and descending using fixed/definite intervallic formulas that are derived from melodic progressions.
Scale is formed when we ascend or descend using melodic progressions. The pattern created by the melodic progressions while playing scales is its intervallic formula.
There is a common scale called the wholetone scale. It is formed from a melodic progression of notes in wholetone. While playing the scale, and ascending in wholetone progressions, it yields a pattern:
Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone - Wholetone
It is from the wholetone pattern that its intervallic formula is derived. The intervallic formula of the wholetone scale is W-W-W-W-W-W which obviously means: wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone
There is a common scale called the wholetone scale. It is formed from a melodic progression of notes in wholetone. While playing the scale, and ascending in wholetone progressions, it yields a pattern:
Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone – Wholetone - Wholetone
It is from the wholetone pattern that its intervallic formula is derived. The intervallic formula of the wholetone scale is W-W-W-W-W-W which obviously means: wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone-wholetone
Using this formula, we can construct the wholetone scale of any key. Let’s say “F”. This means that a wholetone progression of notes from F to F will give us this scale.
The musician uses the intervallic formula of a scale to construct it on any key. He sticks to the melodic progressions of the intervallic formula. In other words, when an intervallic formula is given, the musician must stick to the melodic progressions of the formula. These melodic progressions in the intervallic formula determine the distance between two notes of the scale. From the intervallic formula of the wholetone scale, we can say that all notes ascend or descend in wholetone progression. It will be wrong to use a melodic progression other than the one(s) given.
The intervallic formula describes the melodic progression to use and in the right order. Different melodic progressions will create different scales.
We can create scales and scale-like figures when we arrange melodic progressions in a definite order. You can create an intervallic pattern [by starting from any note and ascending] using any melodic progression. Example, start from any note:
1. Ascend by half-step (H)
2. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
3. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
4. Ascend by a half-step (H)
5. Ascend by a half-step (H)
6. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
7. Ascend by a whole-step (W) and
8. Ascend by a half-step (H)
By so doing, you’ve already created an intervallic pattern that can be represented as H-W-W-H-H-W-W-H. Applying this intervallic formula on C:
This is The Messiaen VI n2 scale
The intervallic formula describes the melodic progression to use and in the right order. Different melodic progressions will create different scales.
We can create scales and scale-like figures when we arrange melodic progressions in a definite order. You can create an intervallic pattern [by starting from any note and ascending] using any melodic progression. Example, start from any note:
1. Ascend by half-step (H)
2. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
3. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
4. Ascend by a half-step (H)
5. Ascend by a half-step (H)
6. Ascend by a whole-step (W)
7. Ascend by a whole-step (W) and
8. Ascend by a half-step (H)
By so doing, you’ve already created an intervallic pattern that can be represented as H-W-W-H-H-W-W-H. Applying this intervallic formula on C:
This is The Messiaen VI n2 scale
Scales are basically built off a fixed intervallic formula and intervallic formulas are a product of melodic progressions.
The pattern created by the melodic progressions used to form scale is known as its intervallic formula.
Scale is bidirectional - Scale can ascend and descend and that’s why we are qualifying it as being bidirectional, which means that scale can move in both directions.
Scales are built/constructed with melodic progressions that are ordered or arranged in a definite pattern. This pattern is fixed. This makes every scale unique. Scales are considered unique because NO two scales share the same intervallic formula. Intervallic formulas are created when melodic progressions ascend of descend from a given note.
While constructing scales, we are not just ascending and descending on the keyboard- No! We are ascending and descending using fixed/definite intervallic formulas that are derived from melodic progressions [semitone, tone, sesquitone].
The pattern created by the melodic progressions used to form scale is known as its intervallic formula.
Scale is bidirectional - Scale can ascend and descend and that’s why we are qualifying it as being bidirectional, which means that scale can move in both directions.
Scales are built/constructed with melodic progressions that are ordered or arranged in a definite pattern. This pattern is fixed. This makes every scale unique. Scales are considered unique because NO two scales share the same intervallic formula. Intervallic formulas are created when melodic progressions ascend of descend from a given note.
While constructing scales, we are not just ascending and descending on the keyboard- No! We are ascending and descending using fixed/definite intervallic formulas that are derived from melodic progressions [semitone, tone, sesquitone].
There is a point I want you to take note of when naming your major and minor scale [heptatonic scales basically], and that is “you get to use each alphabet once in the whole scale”. That means you do not skip alphabets or use an alphabet twice in sequence e.g. let us see the scale of Ab:
Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab
You can see that the alphabets do not skip or repeat themselves in sequence. There is some kind of A, then some kind of B, and some C, and some D, and some E, and some F, and some G. No matter the key you find yourself in, theoretically, you maintain that rule. You don’t say Ab, then Bb, then C, then C#...etc. That will be theoretically wrong. You have just used the letter C twice in a row.
Take another example from the key of C#:
C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#
No matter what key you are in, you don’t:
• Use a letter twice in a row
• Skip a letter
• Mix up sharps and flats in the same scale
Follow the links below for more specific description of terms:
Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab
You can see that the alphabets do not skip or repeat themselves in sequence. There is some kind of A, then some kind of B, and some C, and some D, and some E, and some F, and some G. No matter the key you find yourself in, theoretically, you maintain that rule. You don’t say Ab, then Bb, then C, then C#...etc. That will be theoretically wrong. You have just used the letter C twice in a row.
Take another example from the key of C#:
C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#
No matter what key you are in, you don’t:
• Use a letter twice in a row
• Skip a letter
• Mix up sharps and flats in the same scale
Follow the links below for more specific description of terms: