Free Online Piano Lesson 5: Hop, Skip, and a Jump
Source:Internet Posted by:Learntopianoonline.com Date:2010-01-03 Click:
This lesson will cover intervals, major and minor scales, scale degrees, and solfeggio. First we need to look at Intervals . These are the distances between keys on the piano. Intervals can be as small as a half step, what is called a minor 2nd, or as large as an octave, an 8th. Basically all you need to know is that a 2nd covers two keys, a 3rd covers three, and so on. The intervals that occur naturally within a scale starting on the first pitch are major. From "C" to "D" is a major 2nd. When you decrease it by a half-step, however, it becomes a minor 2nd. From "C" to "E" is a major 3rd. From "C" to "E-flat" is a minor 3rd. When you get to 4ths and 5ths, the term major is replaced with perfect. So, from "C" to "G" is a perfect fifth. The term minor for these intervals is replaced with the word Diminished , which can also refer to other intervals a half-step smaller than minor intervals. For all intervals there is also one more term, Augmented. This term refers to intervals that are one half-step larger than major, or perfect. For example, "D" to "G" is a perfect 4th. When "G" is raised to "G-sharp," the intervals becomes an augmented 4th. Be careful not to label the "G-sharp" as an "A-Flat". Although these pitches are Enharmonic (having the same pitch but different names) "D" to "A-flat" would be labeled as a diminished 5th. Intervals that are played so that both pitches sound simultaneously are called Harmonic. Intervals in which one note is played and then the next are called Melodic.
A certain set of whole steps and half steps make up what's known as the Major scale . The pattern for the major scale is whole-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-step, whole-step, half-step. You can also see the steps by starting on "C" and playing all the white keys up to the next "C." The key signature gives the accidentals present in any given key's major or minor scale. The pattern for a Minor scale is whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-step. The "A" minor scale begins on "A" and includes all white keys. This form of the minor scale is called the Natural minor . There are two other forms of the minor scale besides the natural minor. The Harmonic minor scale has a raised 7th scale degree. This is often called the Leading tone . The Melodic minor scale has raised 6th and 7th pitches when ascending, but follows the natural minor scale form when descending.
For each pitch of a scale there are named scale degrees. The chart below lists the names for each pitch in a scale. The chart also lists the Solfeggio syllables for each pitch in major and minor scales. These are commonly used when singing or referring to intervals.
| Scale Number | Scale Degree | Solfeggio/Major | Solfeggio/Natural Minor |
| 1 | Tonic |
Do |
Do |
| 2 | Supertonic | Re | Re |
| 3 | Mediant | Mi | Me |
| 4 | Subdominant | Sol | Sol |
| 5 | Dominant | Fa | Fa |
| 6 | Submediant | La | Le |
| 7 | Leading Tone/Subtonic-(natural minor scale) | Ti | Te |
| 8 | Tonic | Do | Do |
Prev:Free Online Piano Lesson 4: Breaking Musics Secret Code Next:Free Online Piano Lesson 6: The Layer Cake of Sound
