THE 15 MAJOR SCALES
Good for you! Step by step, everyone has now learned how Major Scales are constructed. W-W-1/2-W-W-W-1/2
For practice, you can choose any of the first seven letters of the alphabet to act as the tonic and then build a major scale, adding accidentals as needed in order to form the proper step pattern.
As STEPS’ Music Theory professor, I fondly remember the time when she asked this insightful question:
Maestro, please excuse me, but don’t you mean Twelve Scales?
We learned there are only 12 half-steps within the range of an octave, how can there be 15 different Major scales?
Inquisitive STEPS is known for always thinking one step ahead. The very next topic I was going to teach the class was the reason why there are 15 major scales, 3 more than expected.
Here is the answer to STEPS question above: When accidentals are added to different letter names, notes that share the same pitch can be spelled differently.
For example: Bb = A# E#= F Cb = B D#= Eb
Pitches that share the same frequency, but are spelled differently are called ENHARMONIC EQUIVALENTS.
3 of the 15 Major Scales sound exactly the same, but are labeled with different pitch names.
Scale Key Codes help you to learn how to construct and remember all of the 15 major scales.
STEPS is waiting for us on the next page, and will teach key scale coding.
