[MUSIC] [SOUND] [MUSIC] In the last lecture, I introduced diatonic scale. That is, step-wise, seven note scales that have two half steps and five whole steps, with the half steps located as far apart as possible, either two whole steps or three whole steps. The most common examples are major scales. Using solfege syllables, a major scale would be Do to Do. Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. Using such movable Do syllables In which the first note of the scale is always Do, the half steps are always between Mi and Fa and Ti and Do. In this case, scale degrees 3 and 4 and scale degrees 7 and 8. Where scale degree 8 is the same as sale degree 1, the start of the next octave. Let's create some major scales from different starting notes. Each successive note in a diatonic scale must use a different letter name. We will need to add sharps and flats accordingly. Let's try some using the piano keyboard for reference. Remember that a half step is the smallest interval on the piano keyboard, either between a white key and the neighboring black key or between two white keys, if there is no black key between them. For our major scale the intervals are- [MUSIC] Whole step, whole step, half step, [MUSIC] Whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. C major is easy, it's just the white keys, C to C. [MUSIC] Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. Let's try F major. Do to Re as a whole step. F to G, [MUSIC] Re to Mi is a whole step, G to A. [MUSIC] Mi to Fa is our first half step, which takes us from a white key to a black key or A to B flat. [MUSIC] Fa to So is a whole step, which means we move from B flat to C natural. [MUSIC] So La Ti are all whole steps, all on the white keys. [MUSIC] There's La, [MUSIC] Ti [MUSIC] Now we're on E. Our final half step, Ti to Do is conveniently on two white key with no black keys separating them E to F. [MUSIC] Let's try it on the musical staff using G major. Remember that we must always use each letter name and line and space on the staff only once. Starting on G, Do, Re, Mi are all whole steps, all white keys on the piano so G, A, and B. The half step between Mi and Fa Is B to C, so we stay on the white keys. [MUSIC] Fa to So and So to La are whole steps on white keys. C to D [MUSIC] and D to E [MUSIC] La to T is a whole step, but we see that there's no black key after the E, La, so T must be an F sharp. [MUSIC] The final interval, T to Do, is a half step, F sharp to G, which takes us back to the first scale degree. [MUSIC] Let's try A flat major using the diatonic intervals. Whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. A flat up a whole step is B flat. B flat up a whole step is C. C up a half step is D flat, notice that we can't call it C sharp, every letter once and only once, remember. D flat up a whole step is E flat. E flat up a whole step is F. F up a whole step is G. And finally, G up a half step, Ti to Do, is A flat. Now you do it. For this end video question, I would like you to figure out the third note of E flat major scale. I'll give you a hint, it must be some kind of a G. The answer was G natural. E flat to F is a whole step. F to G natural is Ray to Me, a whole step. Here is another in video question, what is the sixth note of an F sharp major scale? Let's work our way up the scale to find the answer. F sharp G sharp, A sharp those are whole steps. A sharp to B is a half step, B to C Sharp is a whole step. C sharp to D sharp is a whole step. And that's the sixth scale degree, La in F sharp major. We can have major scales, starting on C, C sharp or D flat, D, E flat, E, F, F sharp or G flat, G, A flat, A, B flat, and B or C flat. Why we less likely to have G sharp, A sharp or D sharp major scales? If we spell one of them, we'll see. The G sharp major scale would be G sharp, A sharp, B sharp, C sharp, D sharp, E sharp, which takes us to the sixth scale degree La, and we need another whole step. So F double sharp we can't call it a G because that was already used for the tonic G sharp. So we have to call it F double sharp, and finally G sharp. It's possible, but it's not practical. A much better spelling for this scale would be A flat major which avoids double sharps or flats. We have now built a few major scales using the interval pattern, whole step whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. We did it on the piano keyboard first, which is easy since it clearly shows whole steps and half steps. When we use a musical staff, we need to know where the whole steps and half steps. Steps are on the piano keyboard, particularly the white key half steps E to F and B to C. We used every letter, or line and space, or syllable once, adding accidentals as necessary to create the correct intervals for the major scale. In the next lectures we'll learn that we can avoid accidentals by using a key signature, which shows all the accidentals in a key. [MUSIC]
