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Category: Basic Music Theory Lessons 1
Free beginner music theory and notation lessons from the start, kept simple
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
For convenience I will assume that a crotchet equals 1 beat. This is the case in time signatures of X/4, such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 etc. In these time signatures we have note values for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 3 and 4 beats. Including double-dotted notes we can add 1 3/4 and 3 1/2 beats.
But what if we want to have a note longer than a bar? Or a note that’s 2 1/2 beats long? Or a note that’s starts before a barline but continues after it?
Ties
A tie is a curved line joining two consecutive notes of the same pitch, resulting in a continuous note of their combined length.
For instance, 2 minims joined by a tie sound like a semibreve.
If you want to join more than 2 notes together, such as when a note is several bars long, use a tie between each pair.
Here are a few examples:
For longer notes, the same length note may need to be broken up differently depending on the time signature. Here is a 9-beat long note in 4/4 and 3/4:
Ties are written opposite the stem.
If the stems go above the notehead, ties are written underneath the note.
If the stems go below the notehead, ties are written above the note.
NOTE: Tied notes must be of the same pitch!
Slurs Are Not Ties
You may have seen curved lines joining notes of different pitch, or encompassing several notes. These are not ties! They are called slurs and are used as an expression mark meaning legato, to play smoothly, without break or emphasis.
*Some common expression markings can be found in Beginner’s Tips (coming soon).
A tie can occur inside a slur.
Try These…
Write the following note lengths, using multiple note values and ties as necessary:
3 and a half beats
2 and a quarter beats
7 beats in 4/4
6 and a half beats in 4/4
6 and a half beats in 3/4
10 and three quarter beats in 4/4
Answers at the end of this post.
Beaming and the Time Signature Hierarchy
Short notes are beamed in groups of 1 beat (in X/4, quavers can also be beamed in groups of 1 strong beat). A beam always runs from the start of a beat to the end of that beat.
Beams never run across a beat. The idea is that, in a passage of short notes, you can see at a glance where the beats fall because of the way the notes are beamed.
If a note starts partway through one beat and carries over to the 2nd beat, it should be written as two shorter notes, one at the end of one beat and one at the start of the next beat, and joined with a tie.
This enables the reader to see where the beats fall, including when that’s part-way through a note. Wrongly beamed notes make the music very difficult to read!
Note:
Rhythms with notes that cross the beat, such as the previous example and those following, are not very easy to play compared to the rhythms we’ve already learnt.
When notes are split up correctly and joined with ties, we can see when a beat falls part-way through a note. This makes it possible to learn such new rhythms by zooming in and counting quavers. (If it’s still hard to play, we can zoom in twice and count each semiquaver as a beat, as explained in the previous lesson).
Playing notes that cross the beat is a form of syncopation. We’ll look at syncopation, including some basic exercises, in Part 2 of this course.
Longer Notes and Time Signatures
If a longer note starts before or after a beat, it, too, must be split up to show where the beats fall.
If we want a minim to start on, say, the 2nd semiquaver, we have to split it up into 3 parts to show where the beats fall. It may seem like a hassle but, as I mentioned earlier, indicating where the beats fall makes it so much easier to read and play.
Note: Due to common usage, a crotchet or dotted crotchet can start on any quaver but if it starts on the 2nd or 4th semiquaver (after a semiquaver or dotted quaver) you have to split it as above.
Try These…
Rewrite the following rhythms with correct beaming, splitting notes which fall across a beat and using ties where necessary:
Answers at the end of this post.
What’s Next?
This is the final lesson in Part 1 of my 2-part course in basic music theory.
Part 2 will commence later this year. In the meantime, here are a couple of suggestions for revision and follow-up.
Follow-up
Keep practising the musicianship exercises in this course (and similar exercises) until they are second nature. The abilities to sing or hum scales and intervals and to tap, clap or play rhythms are general skills useful for most instruments and genres.
These skills also help to connect notation and music theory to musical experience.
*Relevant lessons can be quickly found under the post category of Musicianship.
Visit the category Beginner’s Tips for extra posts on navigation signs, dynamics, tempo and expression markings.
Practise reading simple, well-known melodies in various keys in your preferred genre and clef.
Revision
Music Theory
Revisit the major musical concepts of modes, scales, and keys.
Become familiar with key signatures. Either learn them via a mnemonic or become quick at using key relationships to work them out.
Become familiar with key relationships: the cycle of 5ths (or at least how it works), relative major/minor and parallel major/minor.
Revisit major/minor/perfect interval names and how to name an interval.
Notation
Become familiar with the time signature hierarchy of 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4.
Practice reading and writing 1-beat rhythms (down to semiquavers).
Write key signatures in their correct sequence.
Coming Soon… Part 2 of this 2-part course in basic music theory.
This will include harmonic and melodic minor, augmented/diminished intervals, major/minor/modal chords, 7th chords, syncopation, compound time and more.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
Congratulations!
You have completed Part 1 of Music Theory De-mystified basic music theory course. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Part 2 includes augmented/diminished intervals, compound time signatures, plenty of basic rhythm exercises, melodic and harmonic minors, major and minor chords and more.
This course is part 1 of a two-part course in basic music theory and includes elements of notation and musicianship.
Part 1 is made up of 21 lessons of about 30 minutes duration (less for the first two). This amounts to one semester at one lesson per week or a 6-week course at one lesson every two days.
The lessons are grouped into modules of a few lessons each, providing some intermediate goals. Each module looks at a particular aspect of music theory and only takes 2-3 hours to complete.
Most lessons include a few quick exercises as well as suggestions for further exploration.
Although each lesson is self-contained, the lessons and modules are designed to run in numerical order.
Lessons include links to related lessons and tips as well as to deeper explanations of some of the principles discussed in the course.
Requirements
This course assumes no prior music theory or notation knowledge. However it is strongly recommended that the student has at least beginner level of playing ability on an instrument or a basic singing ability within a vocal range of 1 octave, so that they can explore what’s taught in each lesson.
Outcomes
An Understanding Of The Following Musical Concepts
Beats
Counting beats
Tempo
Timing
Note length
Bars
Time signature
Strong and weak notes
Simple Time
Note names
Clef
Sharpen and flatten
Interval
Octave
Semitone
Root note
Mode
Scale
Key
Key signature
Accidental
Key relationships
The cycle/circle of 5ths
Relative major/minor
Parallel major/minor
Major intervals
Minor intervals
Perfect intervals
Rhythm
Musicianship Skills
Count in time
Divide a beat into halves
Count bars and beats in simple time
Recognise whether a piece has 3 or 4-beat bars
Sing a major scale
Sing major, minor and perfect intervals above a note
Recognise and name major, minor and perfect intervals
Tap or play basic rhythms in simple time down to semiquavers
Notation
Stave, great stave
Treble and bass clefs
Note names and ledger lines
Note values including dotted notes
Ties
Time signatures (simple time)
Beaming in simple time
Key signatures
Major/minor scales in various key signatures
Major/minor/perfect intervals above a note
Notate short rhythms
Follow-up links to navigation markings, repeat bars and tempo ranges
Practice Technique
How to zoom in: slow down the tempo and count twice as often.
Recommended Additional Resources
This is primarily a music theory course. The notation exercises included are far from comprehensive and may be supplemented by music reading, beginner music theory workbooks and transcription exercises.
Musicianship, too, is a subject in its own right. There are many excellent musicianship workbooks and courses available to develop these skills. Ensemble work is also a great way to develop musicianship. Play with other musicians at every opportunity!
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
If you can’t wait to get to the exercises, click here. Otherwise, first some background.
Simple Time
Simple time refers to time signatures where the upper number = the number of beats in a bar and the lower number represents the note value for 1 beat. For example:
3/2 = 3 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/2 note (minim)
5/4 = 5 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/4 note (crotchet)
4/8 = 4 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/8 note (quaver)
3/16 = 3 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/16 note (semiquaver)
Why can so many note values represent 1 beat?
This is a subject for a future post but in essence, it allows the composer to influence the look of the written page. Just as we have different ways of explaining something, a composer can present musical information in a number of ways.
X/4
By far the most frequently used time signatures in simple time are X/4, where 1 beat is represented by a crotchet (quarter note), such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 etc.
In simple time it’s easy to divide a beat into halves and quarters using standard note values. If a crotchet = 1 beat, then a quaver = 1/2 beat and a semiquaver = 1/4 beat.
When there are several notes with tails in succession (quavers, semiquavers etc.) their tails are beamed (joined) together.
Notes are beamed in groups of one beat (quavers can also be beamed in groups of 2 beats), with the first note in the group being on the beat. This makes it easy to see where the beats are in a bunch of short notes.
(Sib Graphic of 2 bars of 4/4 mixed rhythms)
Resolution
Music is a human experience. Our ability to count steadily roughly matches the range of human heart rates, about 40 to 200 bpm.
At a tempo slower than about 40 bpm we can’t feel the continuity between beats and it becomes hard to keep the beats at an even tempo.
For really slow tempi we can effectively double the resolution by doubling the counting speed; by counting the “and”s, the second half of each beat. The more frequent counts allow us to keep track of the timing.
On the other hand, at a tempo faster than about 200 bpm it’s hard to feel each beat. We just can’t keep up… We’re tempted to just count the strong beats so we can count more slowly.
In both cases, when the tempo is outside a comfortable counting speed, we can adjust the resolution by changing what we count as 1 beat.
The Zoom Factor
When practising a tricky piece of music, the first step is to slow the tempo right down so we have a chance to learn the notes.
However, some pieces don’t just have a fast tempo; the beats are divided into really short notes, 1/4 of a beat or even shorter. Even at a slow tempo, the actual notes can still be really fast…
The solution is to count the “and”s; to count a half beat as if it’s a beat. By counting twice as often, we can slow the tempo down to half without it feeling too slow to count. For more on this, please visit 3. Beats, Tempo and Timing.
I liken this to zooming in.
When zoomed in, fast rhythms are much easier to learn. Instead of having to divide a beat into quarters, you only need to divide into halves.
For example:
How To Learn A Fast Or Tricky Rhythm
Zoom in and count every half-beat as a beat at a slow tempo.
Gradually speed it up until it’s fast enough to zoom out.
Without changing the playing speed, count half as often, so you’re counting the actual beats.
Gradually build up to the final tempo of the piece.
The Percussion Clef
The exercises that follow use a percussive sound (a snare drum). Drums and percussion have their own clef, where the lines and spaces represent different percussion instruments rather than note pitches. (Cymbals and some other percussion instruments also use differently shaped noteheads).
Common 1-Beat Rhythms In X/4
In X/4, a beat can be made up of a combination of quavers and semiquavers. In principle, we can go even further, into demisemiquavers (1/8 of a beat) or more, but that’s quite advanced.
There aren’t many ways to divide a beat into halves and quarters. These rhythms make a small enough list to learn as presets. In the example below I have written each beat as a bar of 1/4.
Even at 60 bpm, some of these rhythms sound quite tricky at first glance. They are much easier to learn if we zoom in.
Clap, Tap, Sing or Play
You can practise rhythms anywhere, by tapping on a tabletop, clapping or singing a simple syllable like “da”, “do”, “la” etc.
You can also play your instrument. Note that on keyboards and some melodic instruments it’s easier to play fast by alternating between 2 or 3 note pitches than to repeat a single note rapidly. Adapt the exercises accordingly…
Try These…
The following exercises have a metronome click to keep track of the beats. In the first group the rhythms are zoomed in so we count each quaver as a beat and each semiquaver as half a beat.
Each bar is played 4 times. The text “play 4 times” above the repeat signs has been left out to save space.
Make sure that you count at a steady tempo when practising. Tap or play each rhythm a number of times before trying at a faster tempo.
Emphasise the first note of every beat a little, especially if practising without a metronome. This helps you to feel the beats.
The first three rhythms are pretty straightforward at a moderately slow tempo when zoomed in…
NOTE: If you’re having trouble getting started…
Zoom in twice and count each semiquaver as a beat. A quaver is 2 beats long, a dotted quaver = 3 beats and a crotchet = 4 beats: no dividing required.
Gradually increase the tempo, then zoom out to quaver beats and continue with the following steps.
Practise each of these rhythms until you can feel them effortlessly. Start at a slow tempo and gradually work up to at least 120 bpm.
Once they’re at 120 bpm, count half as often without changing how fast you play the notes. Now we’re counting crotchet beats at 60 bpm!
This should sound the same as the previous step…
From here, we can gradually increase the tempo depending on the piece. I recommend practising until at least 100 bpm. Try to absorb the character of each rhythm as you practise.
As you become more familiar with each rhythm, leave out the “and”s.
Now let’s look at the other rhythms, one at a time. Follow the same steps as for the first three rhythms.
Bar 4
Bar 4 is probably easier after playing bar 2 first. Again, we’ll start by counting quavers as beats, at a moderate tempo. Feel the quavers, then add in the 2nd semiquaver.
Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 5
Bar 5 is probably easier after playing bar 3 first. Feel all the semiquavers, then leave out the last one.
Note: It’s easy to get bars 4 and 5 mixed up. The difference is more obvious if you emphasise the first note of the bar.
Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 6
Bar 6 is one of the harder rhythms because there is no note on the 2nd beat. Listen for the 2nd beat before playing the last note.
Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 7
To play bar 7, hold the first note until after you’ve heard the 2nd beat. Listen for the 2nd beat before playing the last note.
Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 8
To play bar 8, play the first 2 notes quickly then hold the 2nd note all the way to the end of the bar.
Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Rhythmic Presets
Practise tapping or playing each one-beat rhythm until you can recognise it at a glance. When you see a bar with a seemingly complex rhythm you can break it down beat by beat into familiar presets.
Can you recognise the one-beat rhythms in the following short melody? Tap or clap along if you can…
Notating Rhythms
Once you can recognise the character of each rhythm, you will become familiar with how it looks on a stave.
Bear in mind that tails and beams depend on the direction of the note stems. In a pitched part, some groups may appear upside down as in the above melody.
Try These…
The following audio files are each made up of a 1-beat rhythm played 8 times.
Tap or count the beats so you can feel the tempo as you listen to each audio file.
Once you feel the tempo, listen to the rhythm and clap, tap, sing or play the rhythm.
Identify which rhythm you’re hearing/playing.
Notate each rhythm as a series of correctly beamed note values (since the pitch doesn’t matter, you can use blank paper instead of manuscript if you like).
Answers at the end of this post.
Reading Rhythms
Long notes are relatively easy to read – we can just count a number of beats while holding the note. Short notes are a bit harder because we have to divide a beat into smaller values such as 1/2 or 1/4 of a beat.
This is where rhythmic presets come in. Rather than having to learn a longer rhythm from scratch, look for one-beat presets within the music so you can recall the rhythms you’ve already learnt.
Rhythm Practice
A great way to practise rhythms is to combine it with your scales practice.
Choose a one-beat rhythm and repeat it on each scale note.
Over time, build up the tempo.
Each day, play a different scale with a different rhythm.
Another good exercise is to write out a bar of 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 made up of a combination of 1-beat rhythms, then learn to tap or play the whole bar as a larger rhythm. For example:
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
The minor intervals are minor 2nd, minor 3rd, minor 6th and minor 7th. There are a few ways we can learn to sing these intervals.
Phrygian mode
The minor intervals are based on the phrygian mode. The phrygian mode is not easy to sing!
Most people aren’t used to starting a scale with a minor 2nd (1 semitone). However, if you listen to early music or traditional folk genres, you may be able to sing it.
Give it a try if you like. Don’t worry if you find it hard because there are easier options below.
If you can sing this scale, you can teach yourself the minor intervals by counting scale notes in the phrygian mode, just as we did for major intervals in the previous lesson. If not, read on…
Natural Minor
The next option is to sing the natural minor scale. That works for all except the minor 2nd, 1 semitone. See below for how to learn to sing a minor 2nd.
Most people find this much easier to sing than the phrygian mode. Again, the best way to find out is to try it.
Try It…
If you can comfortably sing the natural minor scale without following the video, you can use it to find the minor 3rd, minor 6th and minor 7th. Learn to sing the minor 2nd separately (see later in this post).
Example: minor 7th by singing the minor scale
Major Scale
The final method, outlined below, is to start to sing a major scale. To sing a minor 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 7th, drop down by 1 semitone from the major to find the equivalent minor interval, much like the interval ruler in 16. Interval names 1: major, minor and perfect intervals.
This method is great when you want to name an interval that you hear, because at first you won’t know whether it’s major or minor.
Rather than having to try both major and minor scales, just sing the major scale. If the major scale overshoots the upper note of the interval it’s probably a minor interval. (There is one exception to this but we’ll leave that until Part 2 of this course).
This requires one trick; the ability to sing 1 semitone below a note. This may seem hard, but I’m sure you can already do it without even realising it…
How To Sing 1 Semitone Up Or Down
Try This…
Sing the first 4 (or the last 4) notes of a major scale.
Now go back and forth between the last two notes you sang – that’s 1 semitone.
Feel how close together these last two notes are, almost squeezed together… Remember that feeling when you want to sing two notes 1 semitone apart.
Does it remind you of something? Start slowly and speed it up… The theme of the all-time classic movie, Jaws…
Now you’ve sung 1 semitone up and down a few times, reverse it. Sing down before going up (start on the higher note if you like). Below we have 1 semitone as a minor 2nd on C, first upwards, then downwards. Focus on keeping the two notes squeezed tightly together.
After a little while, you‘ll be able to sing a semitone up or down down by itself.
How To Sing Minor Intervals By Singing The Major Scale
For a minor 2nd, learn to sing 1 semitone up as outlined above.
For other intervals, sing the major scale indicated by the degree of the interval name (3rd, 6th or 7th).
Sing down 1 semitone.
Repeat this a few times.
Now just sing the first and last note as an interval.
Repeat a few times. Build up to being able to sing it by yourself, without the video.
Once you’ve sung a few intervals, try to sing the in-between scale notes more quickly and quietly, until they’re just a thought.
Try These…
Minor 2nd by singing the major scale
Sing the first bar again while you listen to the 2nd bar.
This is just a semitone up rather than down, as we learnt earlier.
Minor 3rd by singing the major scale
NOTE: For this and the following intervals, repeat the 3rd bar while listening to the 4th bar.
Minor 6th by singing the major scale
Minor 7th by singing the major scale
How To Name An Interval That You Hear
Identify the lower and higher note of the interval and sing them.
While listening to the interval, start to sing the major scale of the lower note, counting degrees (note numbers).
If it’s a major or perfect interval, you’ll find the upper note and have the answer.
If it’s a minor interval, at some point you’ll be too high. As soon as you notice this, sing 1 semitone below your last note. If you’re still too high, you went too far up the major scale and you should start again.
You may need to repeat this a few times until you feel sure that your upper note matches the upper note of the interval.
Try These…
Name the following intervals:
Answers at the end of this post.
NOTE: There is one interval we haven’t covered in the last two lessons, an interval of 6 semitones, often called a tritone (we’ll learn its proper interval name in Part 2 of this course). It’s a bit harder to sing than the other intervals and isn’t all that common so we’ll leave that one out for now.
Coming Soon! The Interval-Singing Project
The interval-singing project is survey of well-known songs in many genres, each of which starts with a specific interval. For each genre I hope to collect song titles to cover each interval.
Instead of having to learn intervals from scratch, students will be able to draw on their own knowledge, needing only to remember which song represents which interval.
Anyone who subscribes to my blog will have access to the database at no cost.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
Learning To Sing Intervals
Interval names are based on scale notes.
If we can sing, hum or imagine the sound of a scale, we can teach ourselves the character and name of various intervals by ear. We can count how many scale notes there are from the lower note of the interval to the higher note.
The easiest scale to sing, at least in Western culture, is the major scale. If you can’t sing a major scale straight away, please have a look at 17. Listen And Sing: How To Sing The Major Scale before reading on.
Major scale intervals
In 16. Intervals 1: Major, Minor And Perfect Intervals we saw that intervals are always counted from the lower note to the higher note, regardless of the order in which they’re played. The lower note of the interval becomes the root note of a major scale. We count scale notes to find the higher note and name the interval.
Counting up from the root note, the major scale contains the major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th, major 7th, and, of course, the octave.
Treat the root note of the scale as the lower note of an interval.
Now sing from the root note to the 2nd note. This is a major 2nd.
To sing a major 3rd, sing the first 3 scale notes in a row but sing the 2nd note quieter or shorter than the first and third notes (see below). After a few times, leave the second note out altogether.
Repeat this exercise from the root note to each of the other notes in the scale.
Tip: the most useful intervals to become really good at are the major 3rd, perfect 5th and the octave. They are the notes of a major triad, a sound which will feel familiar to the ear and provide a shortcut for larger intervals (more on triads in Part 2 of my course).
Try These…
Below are the intervals of C major. Most voices can find a comfortable way to sing a C in the lower part of their range. The note number/scale degree is indicated below the notes.
In the first line, sing along to the first bar, then sing the same notes again in the second bar while you hear the interval played together. Feel your voice hit the lower and higher notes of the interval at the start and end of the bar.
In the second line the in-between scale notes are left out. Again, keep singing the first bar while you hear the interval played together in the second bar.
Practice each interval long enough until you don’t need to listen to the example while you sing.
Major 2nd
Major 3rd
Perfect 4th
Perfect 5th
Major 6th
Major 7th
Octave (perfect 8th)
Once you build a little confidence, choose a slightly lower or higher note for your intervals.
The more you do exercises like these, the easier it will be to recognise the interval between two notes, whether you hear them as a melodic interval (consecutive notes) or as a harmonic interval (both notes sounding together).
How To Sing An Interval Above A Note
This is just like how we learnt the intervals starting on C
Choose a major or perfect interval by name, such as a perfect 4th.
Play a note towards the bottom of your range.
Sing that note, then sing a note that’s the chosen interval above it
If you need to, you can quietly sing the in-between scale notes like in the first exercise.
How To Name An Interval You’re Hearing
You can use the same method to name an interval that you hear.
First, identify both notes of the interval by singing them. They are a little harder to pick when played together.
Sing the lower note, then sing the notes of the major scale until you hear your note match the higher note, counting notes as you sing (the starting note counts as the first note).
2 notes is a 2nd, 3 notes is a 3rd, etc. The 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are major intervals, the 4th and 5th are perfect. (Technically the octave is also perfect, we just don’t need to say so. An octave is just called an octave.)
Try These…
Below are audio files of a few harmonic intervals. Remember to sing both notes of each interval before singing (or thinking) scale notes. To make it a little easier, the two notes are quickly played as a melodic interval before hearing the two notes together.
Name each interval using the steps outlined above:
Answers at the bottom of this post.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
…If you can already sing a major scale you can skip this lesson…
If you’re panicking at the thought of doing this lesson, relax… When I say “sing”, I don’t mean “sound like a real singer”! Don’t worry about tone, voice quality, breathing etc. You don’t even have to hold a note for very long. All we’re trying to do is pitch a few moderate-length notes in a comfortable part of the voice range.
The ability to sing a scale is one of the fundamental skills of musicianship. It helps develop our sense of tonality, which in turn helps us to understand and remember melodies and riffs. We also use scales to recognise, count and name intervals.
The easiest scale to sing, at least in Western culture, is the major scale. You may even know the major scale already, in solfege, as a simple melody: do, re, mi etc.
If you’re not used to singing, start on a fairly low note, so you can sing upwards from there. The exercise below starts on C, which most people can sing as a low-ish note.
A note about voices and octaves
The range of female voices and children’s voices can be represented on the treble clef. Middle C or C4 is a comfortably low note. The octave from C4 to C5 is typically a comfortable range to sing in, even for untrained voices.
In general terms, a male voice typically sounds an octave lower than a female voice. The male voice’s actual pitch range fits on the tenor (guitar) clef.
Many songbooks don’t distinguish between male and female voices. Melodies are written in the treble clef by default. When a male voice reads middle C and sings a comfortably low note, we hear C3, not C4.
This is such a natural phenomenon that we interpret this difference more as tone than as pitch. We expect male voices to sound lower than female voices.
We all “reach up” to sing a high note and “reach down” to sing a low note. These ranges within the voice range are called registers. High notes are in a high register, low notes in a low register. As humans, we can hear the effort of reaching for high or low notes as a change in register.
When female and male voices sing together, we listen more for which register they sing in (reaching up or reaching down) rather than which actual octave.
The examples and exercises in this post are in the treble clef, at the actual pitch of a typical female or children’s voice. Male voices should have no trouble singing along an octave lower as long as middle C is thought of as a low-ish note.
What Words Shall I Sing?
For beginners, start with a consonant such as “L”, “T” or “D” followed by an open mouth vowel sound such as “aah”, “oh”or “ooh”. These are the easiest sounds to control and produce a clear and stable pitch.
Examples: La la la la, Da da da da, Ta ta ta ta , Doo doo doo doo etc.
If you’re confident that you can hold a note on different syllables, you could sing the note numbers as you go, “one, two, three, four “ etc.
How To Sing A Major Scale
The following video is the scale of C major at a slow tempo, one note per bar.
In each bar, you hear the scale note first.
During the rest that follows, answer by singing the same note (indicated on the stave by a slash).
Each bar is repeated so you can check that you’re singing the right note.
Here’s the same exercise without the repeats.
Now repeat the exercise at a faster tempo.
Feel how far you need to move from one note to the next; close for 1 semitone, a little more for 2 semitones. Remember the pattern of 2- and 1-semitone intervals that make up the major scale.
As you get used to the notes, you can sing along with the video as well as singing the answers.
Here’s the whole scale without rests.
Listen to the scale of C major, then sing along with it. Repeat several times.
When it feels comfortable, listen again, then sing the scale by yourself.
You can monitor your progress by singing along to the video again.
Once you can sing it by yourself, try speeding up the tempo or singing in quavers rather than crotchets.
Here it is at a faster tempo…
Other modes
As a follow-up, you can teach yourself to sing the scale of any other modes that are used in genres that interest you, be it the natural minor, melodic and harmonic minor (coming in Part 2 of this course), other traditional modes, the blues scale etc. Look at the pattern of intervals that make up the mode as you play and sing along.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
Interval names are equally important. Among other uses, interval names form the basis for understanding chords and chord names.
Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
An interval is the pitch difference between two notes. Intervals occur both as consecutive notes in a melody, or as two notes sounding together such as a melody and harmony. When more than two notes sound together, such as in a chord, there are multiple intervals between the various notes.
Not surprisingly, the interval between consecutive notes is called a melodic interval and that between two notes sounding together is called a harmonic interval (some call it a vertical interval). We count and name intervals the same way in both cases, from the lower note to the higher note.
Intervals are counted from the lower note to the higher note, even if the higher note comes before the lower note in a melody.
Singing A Scale
Trained musicians, including musicians who play by ear, are able to count the intervals from one note to the next in a melody or chord by mentally (or physically) singing the notes of a scale, starting on the lower note and finishing on the higher note. This is actually a very useful skill worth developing. Such general musical skills are called musicianship and form a bridge between theory and practice.
In the coming lessons I intend to look a a few basic musicianship skills including how to count intervals by singing.
Naming Intervals By Counting Scale Notes
So far we have described the interval between two notes in two ways; by counting letters and by counting semitones. Neither are enough.
Counting letters doesn’t distinguish between sharps, flats or naturals so the number of semitones can vary: A-C and A-C# are not the same interval.
Counting semitones doesn’t guarantee that we end up with the right note names: A-C# and A-Db have the same number of semitones but use different note names.
As we’ll continue to find out, note names are important. The choice of note name reflects how that note functions in a given context. We want a way of measuring the size of an interval that also tracks the note names; a method that counts both semitones and letters. Scale notes do just that.
To count in scale notes we use a major and a minor scale whose root note is the same as the lower note of the interval; the parallel major and minor. If the lower note is A, we use A major and A minor.
However, instead of using the aeolian mode, the natural minor, we use the phrygian mode. The phrygian mode has four notes that differ from the major instead of three; the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th notes, as opposed to just the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes.
Think of the phrygian mode as being more minor than minor, or the super-minor…
Even though we’re now using the phrygian mode we still call it “minor” for interval names. I will mark this minor with an asterisk * as a reminder that it’s the phrygian rather than aeolian mode.
The Interval Ruler
We can hone this down a little: the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th notes of the minor are 1 semitone lower than the major, so as a shortcut we can just write out the major scale and flatten the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th note to find the minor intervals. I call this an interval ruler.
Remember that to flatten a note we lower it by 1 semitone without changing its letter. A sharp becomes a natural, a natural becomes a flat and a flat becomes a double flat.
Here is the interval ruler for an interval whose lower note is A. The degree numbers are written below. Each scale degree shows the number of semitones from the root note to that note.
Major, Minor and Perfect Intervals
There are three main types of interval names; major, minor and perfect, based upon the following conditions:
If the upper note of the interval is only in the major scale on the lower note, the interval is major.
If the upper note of the interval is only in the *minor scale on the lower note, the interval is minor.
If the upper note of the interval is common to both scales, the interval is perfect.
We call this part the quality of the interval.
Perfect-type intervals are marked in green and major/minor type intervals in blue.
The other part of the interval name is the degree of the interval; the number of scale notes or letters including the first and last.
For instance, in the interval A to C#, the upper note, C#, is the 3rd note of the major scale on A, the lower note. A-C# is a major 3rd.
A to C# is a major 3rd
How To Name An Interval:
Write the lower note of the interval in the ruler as the root note and add the notes of the major key.
Now flatten the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th note for the *minor as indicated by the red arrows.
Next, look in the ruler for the upper note of the interval.
The interval name is made up of the quality; major, minor or both (=perfect), and the degree.
In the above example, A-C# is a major 3rd (= 4 semitones).
Similarly, A-C is a minor 3rd (= 3 semitones), A-D is a perfect 4th (= 5 semitones), etc.
1st, 4th, 5th and 8th are perfect-type intervals.
2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are major/minor type intervals, depending on which scale the upper note is in.
As well as the octave, we’ve already met three intervals:
Minor 3rd (3 semitones to the 3rd letter) – the interval between the root notes of relative major and minor keys.
Perfect 5th (7 semitones to the 5th letter) – the interval from any key to the next key in the cycle of 5ths.
Perfect 4th (5 semitones to the 4th letter)- the interval from any key to the previous key in the cycle of 5ths.
An Interval Name Is Based On The Lower Note
All the examples so far assume that A is the lower note of the interval, hence we’ve used A scales for our ruler. If we want to measure an interval with a different lower note we want the interval ruler to start on that note. For example, to name the interval from G to E we would need G scales and to name the interval from Bb to Db we would need Bb scales.
G-E
E is the 6th note of G major, so G – E is a major 6th (9 semitones).
Bb-Db
Db is the 3rd note of Bb minor, so Bb – Db is a minor 3rd (3 semitones).
By now you’ll see why I was so keen on learning key signatures of major scales: knowing them makes this process a lot quicker than having to work it out on the fly! Every time we look at the interval between a pair of notes with a different lower note, we need to use a different scale for our interval ruler.
At least by using the interval ruler we only need to learn the major scale, as we can flatten the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th to find the *minor (phrygian mode).
Try These…
Name the following major, minor and perfect intervals:
F-Bb
F-E
F-Db
G-B
G-D
G-F
Bb-G
Answers at the end of this post.
Interval Names In Reverse: finding the upper note
So far we’ve named an existing interval. Now let’s recreate an interval from its name. We’ll pick a note to be our lower note and name the higher note based on the interval name.
For instance, let’s find the note that’s a minor 6th above E.
First we’ll create our interval ruler on E. We’ll start with E major. The key signature of E major is 4 sharps: F#, C#, G# and D#, so the scale of E major is E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E.
Now we’ll write E *minor below it by flattening the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th notes.
Next we look for the interval, in this case a minor 6th. Minor 6th means the upper note is the 6th note of the minor built on the lower note, so we look for the 6th note of E *minor on our interval ruler.
Minor 6th above E
An interval name means:
The higher note of the interval is the …th (degree name) note of the … (major or minor or both) scale built on the lower note.
Saying it in this way may help to remember how interval names work.
Try These…
Find the upper note in the following major, minor or perfect intervals:
a minor 3rd above C
a major 6th above C
a minor 2nd above E
a perfect 4th above E
a minor 7th above E
a major 2nd above Eb
a major 7th above Eb
Interval Names As Scale Degrees
The different notes of a scale are called degrees. So far I have used the note’s position in the scale to indicate the degree, such as 3rd or 5th. We can refine this by calling the third note of a major scale the major 3rd, the 5th note of either scale the perfect 5th and so on.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
The chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is made up of every one of the 12 musical note pitches, each 1 semitone apart from the next. It is the parent of all modes (…except in cultures with more than 12 note pitches per octave…).
Apart from some largely academic genres such as serial music, chromatic scales are mainly used as musical effects, such as the rapid chromatic passages used to build tension and drama in film music.
As a key, the chromatic scale has no inherent tonality: there’s no way to tell the root note from any other note. That’s not to say that you can’t nominate a root note, just that it requires a lot of effort to make that root note felt in a piece.
I don’t mean that it has no musical character, either. It does, but it’s a very nebulous one…
Modes
A mode is the pattern of intervals that determines which of the 12 different note pitches within an octave are used to produce a scale/key. Apart from the chromatic scale and the “whole tone scale” (6 notes within an octave, with 2 semitones between each note and the next), modes have an irregular pattern to their interval structure. As long as the root note is highlighted from time to time this irregularity allows a mode’s unique character to permeate the character of the music.
Diatonic Modes
The traditional Western modes, such as ionian (major) and aeolian (minor), are made up of one- and two-semitone intervals. Such modes are called diatonic modes; modes whose scales only have two different size intervals between their notes.
Just to be confusing, they’re also called heptatonic modes, meaning that they have 7 different notes within an octave. The traditional modes are all made up of 7 different notes, where the eighth note is the octave of the first.
A mode doesn’t innately have these limits. For example, the harmonic minor (discussed later in this course) still has 7 notes but one of its intervals is 3 semitones, that between the 6th and 7th notes of the scale. Other modes have a different number of notes per octave, such as pentatonic (5-note) modes and the blues mode. Some modes even use one or more different notes ascending and descending. The melodic minor works like that, as do some Indian modes.
However, the most common modes in most Western genres are the traditional Western modes which evolved out of the Renaissance era.
Although often associated with period music and traditional folk music, some modes, such as the myxolydian mode, are commonly used in a variety of other genres. Jazz goes even further by using relative modes as an approach to improvising around extended chords.
What Are The Traditional Modes?
Let’s have a look at the natural notes for two octaves. Each note can be the root note of a diatonic mode (yeah, I wouldn’t worry about the “heptatonic” bit, it seldom crops up in conversation…).
The traditional Western modes
Look at the notes for an octave, starting on each note in turn. Each root note produces a different pattern: a different mode.
We can compare their interval structure by lining them up underneath each other.
Each different mode has a unique quality that greatly influences the overall character of music played in that mode.
You can hear this, even by just playing a scale.
You can also teach yourself a new mode just by reading and playing the notes of the scale.
If you play by ear, follow its pattern of intervals on your instrument by counting semitones.
Below is a scale of each mode starting on A, so we can compare their character..
A aeolian (natural minor)
A locrian
A ionian (major)
A dorian
A phrygian
A lydian
A myxolydian
The character of each mode is easy to identify in a melody. Have a listen to this short, simple melody played in each of the modes…
Simple melody in A aeolian (natural minor)
Simple melody in A locrian
Simple melody in A ionian (major)
Simple melody in A dorian
Simple melody in A phrygian
Simple melody in A lydian
Simple melody in A myxolydian
Modes And Key Signatures
The way in which key signatures are used for modes other than major or minor depends on genre and school. There are two approaches: like major/like minor or the mode’s actual key signature.
Like Major or Like Minor
Classical musicians are brought up on a strict diet of major and minor (as well as two variations of the minor, melodic minor and harmonic minor). A classically trained player is only going to look for two possible root notes when interpreting a key signature. Music in a less familiar mode would be hard to interpret on first reading; the root note would seem to conflict with the key signature.
The most important notes of a scale are the root note and the note 7 semitones above the root note, called a perfect 5th (don’t worry about the interval name, we’ll look at interval names soon). The perfect 5th helps stabilise the root note.
There is one other important note, the 3rd note. One reason the 3rd is important is because it’s the most significant difference between major and minor. In the major mode the 3rd note is 4 semitones above the root note and in the minor it’s 3 semitones above the root note.
We can categorise the other modes as being “like major” or “like minor”, based on the 3rd note.
Below is a list of the modes staring on A, grouped in “like major” or “like minor”. The note in the other modes that differs from the major or minor is highlighted.
Note that the locrian mode is not in either list! The locrian mode wasn’t used in Western music, or even named, until relatively recently because it lacks the essential ingredient of a perfect 5th. By not having a note 7 semitones above the root note, music written in this mode is elusive. We naturally listen for a root note but we either can’t find it or we’re misled by other possible root notes that do have a perfect 5th but don’t hang around long enough to feel convincing.
It’s VERY hard to make the root note stick in the locrian mode. Modes without a perfect 5th need almost constant reinforcement of the root note in order to be musically stable. One way to achieve this is by having a drone accompaniment, where the root note persists throughout the piece.
Accidentals
For modes which are like major, we use the key signature of the parallel major mode; the major mode on the same root note.
For modes which are like minor, we use the key signature of the parallel minor mode; the minor mode with the same root note.
This requires the use of an accidental. Anyone who’s seen music written in the melodic or harmonic minor will be used to accidentals used in this way.
For example, let’s look at one of the more common modes, the myxolydian mode.
Using only naturals (key signature of 0 sharps/flats), the myxolydian mode starts on G. The actual key signature of G myxolydian is 0 sharps/flats.
The myxolydian mode is like major, so for a ”like major/like minor” key signature we would use the key signature of the major mode on G, G major, which is 1 sharp (F#).
To preserve the intervals of the myxolydian mode we need to flatten the 7th note, the note which differs from the major of the same root note, F# (remember, in the cycle of 5ths, the latest sharp is the 7th note of the scale…).
When we flatten F# we get F natural, so for the first F in every bar that has one, we write a natural sign as an accidental.
*NOTE: An accidental is only written for the first instance of a given note in each bar.
Try These…
Like Major, Like Minor
Write the scale of the following modes for 1 octave ascending using the key signature of its parallel major or minor (the major or minor key with the same root note) and an accidental where required. Base your decision on whether the 3rd note belongs to the parallel major or parallel minor.
NOTE: Accidentals aren’t written as part of the key signature. They must be written beside the first instance of that note in every bar where that note occurs.
A dorian
D lydian
C ionian (trick question… just seeing if you were paying attention)
C myxolydian
B phrygian
F# dorian
Bb myxolydian
Answers at the end of this post.
Actual Key Signature
Players of early music and traditional folk music, as well as a number of other genres, are quite familiar with the traditional modes. Typically, in such genres the actual key signature is used.
In the above example, G myxolydian is written in the key signature of 0 sharps/flats, rather than in the key of G major with F natural as an accidental. It’s cleaner and simpler to read (as long as you interpret the key signature correctly when reading).
When first reading a piece knowing only it’s key signature, you might wonder how to determine the root note of the piece, with so many modes to choose from. The approach is the same as when you’re just looking for major or minor. Look for an obvious note near the start and end of the piece.
Pentatonic modes (5 notes per octave) are quite popular in various genres. Having only 5 notes, we can think of them as a subset of the traditional heptatonic modes that we’ve already looked at.
The most well known of these is the minor pentatonic mode, notes 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the natural minor/aeolian mode. In this instance, we would use the key signature of the “parent” minor key. Other Western pentatonic modes are also subsets of parent modes, so we would use the key signature of the “like major” or “like minor” mode of which it is a subset.
Here are the two most common Western pentatonic modes.
Not all pentatonic modes are related to a parent Western mode. Any combination of 5 notes within an octave can be used as a pentatonic mode.
The Blues Scale
The most common mode in blues is a hexatonic (6-note) mode based on the minor pentatonic, with an extra note added between the 4th and 5th notes. From a notation viewpoint, there is no room in the naming system for the extra note to have its own letter: instead, it is considered an alternative to the 4th or 5th note and should be named according to its use. Either option requires an accidental.
Other Modes
Most musical cultures around the world have a concept of modes, a system of choosing a set of notes within an octave based on a root note and the intervals between its scale notes. Some use different intonation (tuning) systems: such modes can sound unfamiliar to the Western ear. Many are based on the same intonation as Western music, 12-Tone Equal Temperament, yet may have different numbers of notes per octave or notes that differ when ascending or descending. If you wish to experiment, you can create your own mode for a new composition or improvisation.
Freedom From Modes
The Western modes were originally used as a rigid framework for determining which notes were used in a composition. Over time, as music developed towards the journey through various visiting keys that it largely is today, the use of accidentals became more and more common, to accommodate these temporary keys.
Accidentals are also used for embellishment (ornamentation). Ornaments are treated as effects: an ornament may well use notes outside the key, requiring an accidental. This may extend to chromatic passages involving several accidentals.
The contemporary view is that a key is based on the overall use of the notes of a major or minor key, with the option of sharpening/flattening notes or incorporating other notes as desired.
If you found this post helpful, please feel welcome to like, share or leave a comment. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can. To stay up to date wth new posts, please subscribe.
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
The relationship between two keys is simply how many notes they have in common: the more notes in common, the closer their relationship.
Why do we care? Because this is not just true on paper. Theory reflects reality. Closely related keys actually sound close, musically. They sound compatible.
In the preceding lessons we have already seen two types of key relationships; the cycle of fifths and relative major and minor. Here’s a quick review:
The Cycle Of Fifths
The cycle of fifths is a list of the keys in the order of their key signatures, from every note being a flat through to every note being a sharp. In this list, any two adjacent keys have all but one note in common.
The effect of this close relationship is that the music can comfortably and cohesively shift from one key to the other and back.
This is most easily demonstrated with chords. We’ll look at chords in a later post, but for now we can say that a (basic) chord represents a key. Chord names mimic key names, just in a shortened form. A note name by itself implies a major chord/key. If it’s followed by ”m”, it’s a minor chord.
Adjacent keys in the cycle of 5ths can be visited in any order. Here’s a short example in C major with a simple melody and chords. As usual in my posts, the examples are purely for illustration, so they don’t sound as exciting as real compositions…
Here’s an example of a simple melody in C major visiting adjacent keys, as represented here by chords.
A large proportion of music in Western culture in most genres, whether fast or slow, rhythmic or free, accompanied or solo, is based on visiting closely related keys.
To find the next key in the cycle of 5ths, go up to the 5th letter in the key to find the root note, then sharpen the 7th note of the scale (add a sharp or lose a flat).
To find the previous key in the cycle of 5ths, go down to the 5th letter in the key (or up to the 4th letter) to find the root note, then flatten the 4th note of the scale (add a flat or lose a sharp).
You can also use the cycle of 5ths as a list to look up the root note of a key and its latest sharp or flat, or even the complete key signature. An example of this for major scales can be found in 12. Major Keys And The Cycle/Circle Of Fifths. The cycle of 5th for major and minor keys, with key signatures, is shown in The Cycle (circle) of Fifths.
Relative Major And Minor
Next we looked at another close relationship between keys, one where two keys have every note in common: relative major and minor. Having all notes in common, the difference is in which one is the root note. Of course, changing the root note changes the mode, hence the term relative major and minor.
Major and minor have different characters – different tonalities. Moving between one and the other feels a bit like going to an unfamiliar corner of a familiar room; like viewing the scene from a different angle.
Here is a simple melody in C major visiting the relative minor.
To find the relative minor of a major key, go up to the 3rd letter in the key and keep the same key signature (play the same notes starting on the 3rd note).
To find the relative major of a minor key, go down to the 3rd letter in the key and keep the same key signature.
There is a third type of key relationship which we haven’t yet visited; parallel major and minor. This means a major and a minor on the same root note.
The easiest way to see their relationship is by writing one on top of the other, literally parallel.
Here’s an example on C:
In the above graphic we can see that the parallel minor has three notes that are flattened compared to the parallel major, the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes.
Key signature wise, the parallel minor is 3 keys behind the parallel major (anticlockwise).
Parallel major and minor have only four of their seven notes in common so, as far as the cycle of 5ths goes, they’re not that closely related. However, because they share the same root note, their relationship feels closer than that.
Here is a simple melody in C major visiting the parallel minor.
Another Shortcut
Here’s another way to remember a few keys you don’t know…
Major to Parallel Minor
If you know the key signature of a major key then the minor on the same root note, the parallel minor, is 3 keys backward (anticlockwise) in the cycle of 5ths.
If you know the notes in the scale rather than the key signature, such as when playing by ear, flatten the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes. You’ll get the same result.
Minor to Parallel Major
If you know the key signature of a minor key, the major on the same root note is 3 keys forward (clockwise) in the cycle of 5ths.
If you know the notes in the scale, sharpen the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes.
Examples
Major to parallel minor
We know C major has no sharps or flats, so C minor has 3 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab)
Minor to parallel major
We know A minor has no sharps or flats, so A major has 3 sharps (F#, C#, G#)
Nothing In Common Is Still Something
On the far side of the relationship spectrum, two keys can have no notes in common. This is achieved by sharpening or flattening the root note and thus, every note. Musically, it’s a complete reset. Moving between two such unrelated keys can sound anywhere from refreshing to dramatic or mysterious.
In the case of C major, 0 sharps/flats, sharpening everything gives us C# major, 7 sharps.
Similarly, flattening everything gives us Cb major, 7 flats.
To sharpen everything, go forward (clockwise) 7 keys in the cycle of 5ths. All flats become naturals and all naturals become sharps. Every note is played 1 semitone higher than before.
To flatten everything, go backward (anticlockwise) 7 keys in the cycle of 5ths. All sharps become naturals and all naturals become flats. Every note is played 1 semitone lower than before.
Flattening D major (2 sharps) results in Db major (5 flats). All naturals become flats and all sharps become naturals.
Note: there is a practical limit to how many sharps or flats we can have. If there are more than 7, one or more notes in the scale will have a double sharp or double flat. These exist but are only used when necessary, usually as an accidental rather than as part of a key signature. For keys, it’s generally easier to respell (rename) the root note and avoid the issue.
If there are more than 7 sharps or flats, respell the root note. The key signature will go from lots of sharps to a few flats or from lots of flats to a few sharps.
For example, you probably remember by now that G major has 1 sharp, F#.
If we sharpen everything we get G# major, with 8 sharps. All the naturals are sharps and F is a double sharp.
However, G# is the same pitch as Ab. Ab major only has 4 flats so it’s much easier to read and doesn’t require a double anything.
Knowing G major does help you find Gb major though. By flattening everything we go from 1 sharp to 6 flats, no doubles there.
From The Known To The Unknown
Use your knowledge of key relationships to help learn the key signatures of more keys. Start with a couple of common or easy to remember keys and with a little thought, you’ll soon know most of them. At the same time you’ll become more familiar with the idea of keys being related to each other.
For instance, just by knowing C major (0 sharps/flats) you can quickly find its parallel minor, C minor (3 flats), 3 keys back in the cycle of fifths or flatten the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes.
You can also find C# major and Cb major by sharpening or flattening everything, as we’ve seen above.
From C minor you can find C# minor (sharpen everything: 3 flats becomes 4 sharps). Or you can find C# minor from C# major using parallel major to minor.
From C minor you can also find Eb major (still 3 flats), using relative minor to major (count up to the 3rd note in the key).
Similarly, from C# minor, using relative minor to major, you can find E major (4 sharps). Or you can find E major by sharpening everything in Eb Major (3 flats becomes 4 sharps).
We know A minor already, but if you forgot, you could find that from C major using relative major to minor (count down to the 3rd scale note, keeping the same key signature, 0 sharps/flats).
That’s 8 keys and key signatures just from remembering one key!
And I could keep going: From E major you can find E minor and so on… Not to mention using the cycle of 5ths to find the next key (add 1 sharp or lose 1 flat) or previous key (add 1 flat or lose 1 sharp), and then their relative minors or majors, etc.
Try this yourself with another common key like A minor or G major.
Try These…
Test your ability to think in key relationships! Name the following keys and list either their notes as a scale or their key signatures:
A major has 3 sharps; F#, C#, G#. What is the next key in the cycle of fifths after A major?
Bb major has 2 flats; Bb, Eb. What is the previous key in the cycle of fifths before Bb major?
D major has 2 sharps; F#, C#. What is the relative minor of D major?
D minor has 1 flat; Bb. What is the relative major of D minor?
E major has 4 sharps; F#, C#, G#, D#. What is the parallel minor of E major?
F# minor has 3 sharps; F#, C#, G#. What is the parallel major of F# minor?
You worked out the key of D minor. Now sharpen it.
G major gas 1 sharp; F#. What is the key of Gb major?
Answers at the end of this post.
Key Relationships Are Real
Being able to work out key signatures by using the various key relationships not only helps you with the odd unfamiliar key but it also reinforces your understanding of these relationships. As mentioned earlier, key relationships aren’t just musical arithmetic, they are real: when listening, you can hear the connection between related keys.
Try This…
For any key, the next and previous keys in the cycle of 5ths and their relative minors or majors are the most closely related. Choose a key whose key signature (or scale notes) you remember and work out these closely related keys.
If you play chords, try changing between the chords of these keys. If you play melodies, play their scales or triads. Either way, you’ll find that you can mix them up into any order and they will feel like they belong together.
(Sib simple chord sequence as chords, then triads, then as rapid scales)
You can also use closely related keys to work your way progressively to a distant key without really noticing, such as in the classic chord progression of Jimmy Hendrix’s Hey Joe, a cascading sequence of forward steps in the cycle of 5ths. In that song, the surprise comes when the sequence resets at the start of the next line: only then can you hear how far from home you ended up…
(Sib Hey Joe progression in scales and chords with repeat)
Note: we’ll investigate chords and triads later in this course.
If you play by ear, you can use any of the methods above to find how to play the scales of related keys. All you need to remember is the name of the key.
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