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what scale should i learn?

not even sure about how any of this works... but can i learn a scale that will give me insight into how melody works?

there are lots of different scales, so what is the best one to learn? an integral one, and one that is especially used in dance music?

currently i just mash the keyboard and see what fits. it either sounds good or it doesn't, i have found out a good few chords and progressions, but i have no understanding of the theory. i don't think i need to learn everything - just getting the gist of it should point me in useful directions.

I strongly recommend learning the Piscean scales.

i don't like fish... or bad jokes.

Hydraulic

quote:

Originally posted by rubez ... or bad jokes.

I have read tweets better than your thread.

am i in competition with twitter now or something?!

make your own!

Re: what scale should i learn?

quote:

Originally posted by rubez currently i just mash the keyboard and see what fits.

Sounds like you've already learned every scale then.

Just learn A minor and you'll be off to a good start.

quote:

Originally posted by rubez am i in competition with twitter now or something?!

Not even close.

Well that depends... do you like analog or digital scales? Analog is more precise. I usually don't step on it everyday but more often cuz i'm loosing weight.

quote:

Originally posted by Innocence Lost Well that depends... do you like analog or digital scales? Analog is more precise. I usually don't step on it everyday but more often cuz i'm loosing weight.

The problem with analog scales is that they make everything seem phatter than they really are.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik The problem with analog scales is that they make everything seem phatter than they really are.

Well I always wanted that scale from that doctors office, word has it its the most accurate with minimal latency.

quote:

Originally posted by Innocence Lost Well that depends... do you like analog or digital scales? Analog is more precise. I usually don't step on it everyday but more often cuz i'm loosing weight.

now you're cookin'!

Octotomic. It is 3 better than a pentatonic.

Seriously, the first scale you should learn is the chromatic scale. Learn the notes and all the enharmonic equivalents (Google it). Here's a simple and more advanced version to get you started:





Worry about the other scales after you get the note names down.

Okay, some basic music theory. Like, this is 'your first day of music class' kinda thing.

A scale is a series of eight sequential notes played in order, and the specific notes selected are part of a key.

So. Ever seen The Sound of Music? Do re mi fa so la ti do. That is a scale. (Go listen to that--listen to the actual words; it's an educational song).

A key (or key signature) is a specific set of notes that go together in a certain way. The two basic divisions are major, which generally sounds 'happy,' and minor (which is what a lot of trance is written in), which sounds more 'emotional.'

Keys rely on patterns. Look at your keyboard. From any piano key--black or white--to the next key is always a semitone. So from A to A# (# means sharp) is a semitone. From E to F is a semitone. Skipping one key--say from A to B without stopping at A#--is two semitones, or one tone.

Major keys follow this pattern, in terms of the distances between one note to the next. Whatever note you start on, follow this pattern and you will have a major key:

Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone -Tone - Tone - Semitone.

To use the simplest major key--the key of C (keys are defined by the root, or the first note the key starts on), that gives you:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

You'll notice that's played on all white keys.

Minor keys* follow this pattern:

Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone

The simplest minor key is the key of A, which gives you these notes:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

You'll notice that, again, this is on all the white keys. And you'll notice that C Major and A Minor use the same notes--they just start in different places. That makes Amin the relative minor to C Major. The fun thing about relative minors is that you could, for example, write most of your piece in A minor. Then when you want a change--maybe right after the break--you modulate your melody up by three semitones into C, which will suddenly sound happier.

(* there are different kinds of minor keys. The one we are talking about is the natural minor for simplicity's sake)

Learning music is a hell of a lot like learning math, specifically algebra: you learn the formulas, and then plug in the appropriate values.

The formulas for keys are:

Major: TTSTTTS
Minor: TSTTSTT

Knowing those patterns, you can now start anywhere on your keyboard, and build a key out of it. Once you have built a key--that is, once you know the notes you are going to use--you can then start fiddling around to build melodies within that key.

yeeeeeeee

You've got the basic gist of it down, but just remember that, although people tend to use "key" and "scale" interchangeably, they are not exactly the same thing. Many of the places where you've referred to "key" should actually be referring to "scale" (i.e., patterns or sequences of notes).

quote:

Originally posted by deegee A scale is a series of eight sequential notes played in order, and the specific notes selected are part of a key.

Not always, and not always. Most commonly used scales and modes have seven different notes (you're counting the tonic twice), but other scales have fewer or more than that. The specific notes do not have to be part of the key (harmonic or melodic minor scales, for example, are commonly used and have different notes than indicated by the key).

quote:

Originally posted by deegee Keys rely on patterns. Look at your keyboard. From any piano key--black or white--to the next key is always a semitone. So from A to A# (# means sharp) is a semitone. From E to F is a semitone. Skipping one key--say from A to B without stopping at A#--is two semitones, or one tone.

You're talking about intervals and scales, not keys.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee Major keys follow this pattern, in terms of the distances between one note to the next. Whatever note you start on, follow this pattern and you will have a major key: Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone -Tone - Tone - Semitone.

That's a scale, not a key.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee To use the simplest major key--the key of C (keys are defined by the root, or the first note the key starts on), that gives you: C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C You'll notice that's played on all white keys. Minor keys* follow this pattern: Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone The simplest minor key is the key of A, which gives you these notes: A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

That's a scale, not a key.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee (* there are different kinds of minor keys. The one we are talking about is the natural minor for simplicity's sake)

Natural, melodic, and harmonic minor are scales, not keys.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee The formulas for keys are: Major: TTSTTTS Minor: TSTTSTT

Those are formulas for scales, not keys. The formula for keys can be found in your circle of fifths.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee Knowing those patterns, you can now start anywhere on your keyboard, and build a key out of it. Once you have built a key--that is, once you know the notes you are going to use--you can then start fiddling around to build melodies within that key.

Replace all those "keys" with "scales" and you'll start to get it.

i've never seen such a silly waste of energy for something that will not help you in any way unless someone put a gun to your head and you had to write out the notes of a scale without a piano.

This is stuff 4 year olds learn in a week.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik blah blah blah

1) I was aiming for absolutely basic lies-to-children level of knowledge. (And that said I'm not convinced that rubez isn't trolling)

2) TTSTTTS is, actually, a formula for deriving a key, as well as the pattern of a scale.

Re: what scale should i learn?

learn the C major scale....it uses 7 of the white keys on the key board......it has two half-tones in it...and 5 whole tones...

the first halftone interval occurs between E and F, the second one between B and C octave.......

the Cmajor scale starts with C and ends on B

C D E F G A B

https://www.basicmusictheory.com/c-major-scale

quote:

Originally posted by deegee 1) I was aiming for absolutely basic lies-to-children level of knowledge. (And that said I'm not convinced that rubez isn't trolling)

I'm sure he is, too.

quote:

Originally posted by deegee 2) TTSTTTS is, actually, a formula for deriving a key, as well as the pattern of a scale.

[/QUOTE]

Sorry, but, no, you've got it backward. That's a formula for deriving a scale from the intervals. The formula for deriving a key can be found in the circle of fifths. There are many scales that aren't represented by a key. For example:

TS3SS3S

Key is a much broader concept than a scale. A scale is definite (i.e., only the notes and intervals define the scale). A key is much broader and can still make use of notes that aren't defined by the key signature, including different scales and variations of those scales.

See point 1 for why I'm right.

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