Music Dance and Drama

Key unit competence:

Be able to sol-fa musical scales.

Introductory activity

1. In groups of three, look at the key board from C to B and answer the following

questions:

a. How many white keys are there?

b. How many black keys are there?

2. The distance between the nearest keys is called half-step.

Consider now the white keys:

a. How many half-steps are there in C scale?

b. How many whole steps are there in C scale?

c. Locate the steps and half steps on the key board.

1.1 Diatonic and chromatic scales

1.1.1. Diatonic scale

Learning Activity 1.1.1

Consider the following stave:

a. Identify the tones and semitones.

b. In the pattern from C to C, how many tones and semitones are there?

What is a diatonic scale?

A diatonic scale consists of a pattern of whole tones (whole steps) and half tones

(half steps)—it has five whole steps and two half steps. The notes of the diatonic

scale are referred to as scale degree. The successive scale degrees are numbered

1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8. For instance if the first note of an octave is C, then the pattern of

notes will be as follows:

Whole tone-Whole tone-Half tone- Whole tone - Whole tone - Whole tone -Half

tone

= (W-W-H-W-W-W-H)

Remember that a whole tone consists of an interval of two half tones (two half steps);

for example, the intervals from C to D or from E to F# are whole tones. That is, there

is one and only one other note between those two tones (notes).`

A half tone consists of an interval between two directly adjacent notes; for example,

the intervals from C to D♭ or from E to F are half tones. That is, there can be no notes

in between two notes which are separated by a half step.

On the keyboard these tones look as follows:

A diatonic scale on the musical staff

From C to D there is a whole tone.

From D to E there is a whole tone.

From E to F there is a ½ tone.

From F to G there a whole tone.

From G to A there is a whole tone.

From A to B there is a whole tone.

From B to C there is a ½ tone.

On a keyboard diatonic scale is as follow.

1.1.2 Chromatic scale

Learning Activity 1.1.2

1. How many half steps are there in a series of C scale?

2. On a staff, use sharps to show all the succession of half steps in ascending order.

3. Downwards in C scale, use flats to show all the succession of half steps

What Is a Chromatic Scale?

A chromatic scale consists of all the 8 tones in the do-re-mi scale plus all the additional

half-tones that are left out when you sing do-re-mi.

In other words, the 12 tones in a chromatic scale are a half-step or semi-tone apart.

C Chromatic Scale as you go up: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C

C Chromatic Scale as you go down: C B B♭ A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C

On the keyboard, every key is played consecutively; you don’t jump any key.

On a keyboard, ascending chromatic scale uses sharps

(C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B-C)

On a keyboard descending chromatic scale uses flats

(C-D♭-D-E♭-E-F-G♭-G-A♭-A-B♭-B-C)

1.2 Major and minor scales

Learning Activities 1.2.

Individually write notes on a musical scale from C to another C above.

Play these notes on the keyboard (use the white keys only).

By brainstorming answer the following questions:

(i) How many half tones do you notice?

(ii) How many whole tones do you notice?

Use a sharp to complete the series of tones and semitones in

G scale and in (ii) E scale. W W H W W W H (W=Whole tone H=Half

tone).

1.2.1 Major scale

A major scale consists of eight notes organized in a diatonic fashion. It has two half

tones (half steps) and five whole tones (whole steps). So the pattern of major scale

is organized as follows:

W W H W W W H

W=Whole tone

H=Half tone

C major scale

The first scale degree (first note of the scale) is designated by the symbol 1 and is

known as the tonic. The first note (or tonic) of C major scale is C. So scale degree

names in any Major key are:

1st scale degree=Tonic

2nd scale degree =Supertonic

3rd scale degree =Mediant

4th scale degree =Subdominant

5th scale degree =Dominant

6th scale degree =Submediant

7th scale degree =Leading tone

8th scale degree =Tonic

You have noticed that always between 3rd and 4th degree as well as between 7th and

8th degree (on the staff and on the keyboard) there are half tones/steps; and the note

on the 8th degree is the same as the note on the 1st degree but an octave high.

See below how the major scale is organized on the keyboard

Like on the staff above, there are half tones (steps) between E and F and between B

and C.

To find the rest of the notes in all major scales (keys) starts with the tonic (the firsts

note of the scale) and go up respecting the following pattern: Whole tone, Whole

tone, Halftone, Whole tone, Whole tone, Whole tone, Half tone (W-W-H-W-W-W-H)

Rule: All major scales have the following pattern of whole tones (steps) and half

(tone) steps: half tones occur always and only between 3-4 and between 7-8. All

other tones are whole tones.

It is worth to know that starting a major scale on note names other than C requires

accidentals. Remember that accidentals are musical symbols which are used to raise

or lower pitches.

Remember the importance of these accidentals

A Sharp (#) raises a half tone (half step)

A Flat (♭) lowers a half tone (half step)

Consider the examples below:

G major (the tonic is G)

D Major Scale (the tonic is D)

You have noticed that to respect the same patterns of half tones and semi tones in

major scales accidentals sharp (#) and flat (♭) are used.

You can start a major scale from any note provided that you respect the pattern

above indicated. When the key signature is used the accidentals in the middle of the

staff are replaced by the key signature.

See examples below:

• Major scales spelling

The following guidelines will help you to spell correctly the major scales

Individually, write the eighth notes letter name on the staff, starting with the note

that has the same name as the scale you are going to build.

If the scale starts on an accidental, place the sharp or flat immediately in front of

both1 and 8. When this is done, do not change the spelling of 1 and 8.

Add accidentals to form the correct whole steps-half step pattern. Scales with sharps

do not use flats, and scales with flats do not use sharps.

Example: How to construct scale starting with a flat. (E♭ major scale)

Step 1: Write scale degree starting with and ending with E an octave high.

As you can see there is:

A Whole tone between degree 1 and 2 (between E♭ and F)

A Whole tone between degree 2 and 3 (between F and G)

A Half tone between degree 3 and 4 (between G and A♭)

A Whole tone between degree 4 and 5 (between A♭ and B♭)

A Whole tone between degree 5 and 6 (between B♭ and C)

A Whole tone between degree 6 and 7 (between C and D)

A Half tone between degree 7 and 8 (between D and E♭)

Note that some of the scales we have seen above are enharmonic. It means they

have notes which are identical but spelt differently. Thus, C# major and D flat

major are just different ways of describing the same notes. The same F# major is

the same as G flat major; B major is the same as C flat Major.

Remember that scales are named after their tonics, thus the tonic of the scale of C

is the note C, and the scale of G is the note G etc.

Application Activity 1.2 (a)

1. Write the major scale pattern starting from the note indicated in the staves

below. Don’t use the key signature and remember to respect the scale pattern

(W-W-H-W-W-W-H). Insert the accidentals as needed.

Now, on the keyboard, play the ascending and descending scales you have done

Sol-fa syllables

Sol-fa (solfege or solfegio) is a system for sight singing music that applies standard

syllables to the notes. Singing with solfege syllables make it easier to here and

remember the sound of intervals. The following syllables are common.

Application activity 1.2. (b)

Sol-fa and sing the melodies

1.2.2 Minor scales

Learning Activity 1.2. (c)

1. In groups construct C scale and illustrate the series of tones and semi tones.

2. Play it on the keyboard and sing it.

3. Start from the sixth degree of C scale (it is A) and illustrate the series of tones

and semitones.

4. Play up to A above using the white keys only.

5. What is the difference between both scales according to the series of tones

and semitones?

6. Discuss the sounds you get when you start from C and when you start from

A.

7. Do you know how to call the new scale from A to A above?

8. Do the same for G major, D major and for the scales starting with their

respective sixth notes. What about the key signatures of these both kinds of scales?

The minor scales get its notes from the major scale. The minor scale begins on

the 6th scale degree of the major scale and then follows those same notes in the

same order. For instance, the sixth note of C major is A. If we start from A and end

C major scale: W-W-H-W-W-W-H

A minor scale: W-H-W-W-H-W-W

The first scale degree (first note) of A minor scale is designated by the symbol 1 and

is known as the tonic. The first note (or tonic) of A minor scale is A. So scale degree

names in a natural minor are:

1st scale degree=Tonic

2nd scale degree =Supertonic

3rd scale degree =Mediant

4th scale degree =Subdominant

5th scale degree =Dominant

6th scale degree =Submediant

7th scale degree =Subtonic

8th scale degree =Tonic

be the same as in the examples above.

• Relative major and minor

Major and minor keys with the same key signature (like in the examples above) are

known as relative Major and Minor keys. To know how to determine the minor

relative of a major key, you have to go down three half steps. Hence C major has A

minor as relative. G major has E Minor as relative.

If you take C major scale and compare it to A minor scale, you will see that they have

exactly the same notes. G major notes are the same as E minor notes etc.

Compare:

• C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B

• A minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G

• G major scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#

• E minor scale: E, F#, G, A, B, C, D

Note that C major and its relative A minor scale don’t have sharp or flat.

In groups sol-fa and sing the melodies

Major and minor Parallel relationship

When a major and a minor scale begin on the same tonic note we say that they are in

parallel relationship. The three examples below show major scales and their parallel

minors.

Application activity 1.2.(e)

Sol-fa and sing the melodies

1. Construct the ascending parallel minor scales of the following major scales.

Remember that the key signature should change.

• Types of Minor Scale

Although there is only one kind of major scale, there are three kinds of minor

scale – natural, harmonic and melodic.

A. Natural minor scale

A natural minor scale is the one we have been studying above. It consists of 8

notes organized in the pattern of Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole

(or WHWWHWW). All natural minor scales should follow this patter. On the staff, if

we start with A minor, this pattern is as follows:

B. Harmonic minor scales

Learning Activity 1.2. (c)

1) Construct the scale of A minor and E minor rising the seventh degree by a

half step.

2) Play them on the keyboard.

3) What is the difference between the scales in 1 and the others you know?

The harmonic minor scale differs from the natural minor scale by only one half

step—the seventh degree is raised a half step. Note that this scale creates the

interval of an augmented 2nd between the 6th and 7th scale degree. So the pattern

of harmonic minor scale is as follows:

Whole- Half-Whole-Whole-Half-1½-Half (W-H-W-W-H-1½-H). It means you take

the pattern of natural minor (W-H-W-W-H-W-W) and raise the note on the seventh

degree a half step. Then you get (W-H-W-W-H-1½-H).

Note that 1½ means a whole tone and a half tones (W&H).

C. Melodic minor scales

Another variation on the minor scale is the melodic minor scale that has a different

pattern depending on whether you are going up the scale or coming down. The

sixth and seventh degrees of the scale are raised a half step when ascending and are

lowered a half step when descending. It’s clear that the descending scale is the same

as the natural minor scale. A melodic minor ascending and descending patters are

as follows:

The ascending patterns is: W-H-W-W-W-W-H

The descending pattern is the Natural Minor Scale: W-W-H-W-W-H-W

Application activity 1.2. (f)

1. Without using a key signature write the specific type of minor scale below.

Remember that the minor scale key signature comes from its relative major

key signature.

E Melodic minor (ascending and descending).

1.3 Transposition

Learning Activity 1.3.

(i) Sing a song of your choice.

(ii) Sing the same song in another tone higher than the first.

(iii) Now sing it in a lower tone than the first.

(iv) Discuss the relationship between the three activities you have done above.

Transposition is changing the key of a piece of music, which affects notes or chords

positions.

For example, let’s say you play the note C in the key of C which is the key tonic note.

When you transpose that note to the key of D you now play D which is the tonic

note for the key of D. In this method, you count the half steps between the first key

and the second, and then you move each note up or down the necessary numbers

of steps.

Consider the following melody in the key of C. If we transpose it to D, we will have to

move two half steps high.

Things to remember before transposing any piece of music:

-- Use the correct key signature.

-- Move all the notes to the correct interval.

-- Take care with the accidentals.

Note that when you are transposing, the intervals never change. never transpose

from minor to major or vice versa.

In the examples below, see how some accidentals have been affected after

transposition of a melody from C major, with some accidental, to D major.