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All Students preparing for Grade exams are
recommended to use the Hofnotes on-line
training pages to practise for the aural tests.
At
higher grades you must be able to discuss with the examiner musical
features such as texture,
form,
style, and
period of a piece of music.
My own web pages to help with these parts of the test at Grade 5+ and at
GCSE
are available
here!
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 Scale circle
Once you know two or three
major and
minor scales,
it's time to look
at the scale circles.
This page also includes tips on
practising scales in varied ways,
and a downloadable sheet on scale
fingerings.
 For
a worksheet on writing your own circle of fifths using the bass clef,
click here.
For a
worksheet using the treble clef, click
here
Major # Keys
As well as using the circle of fifths, you may
wish to think about the sharp and flat keys separately, as below.
The sharp keys go up in
fifths: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#
 But don't take my word for
it!
-
At the
piano, play a C major scale. Split it into two halves of four notes each.
The first half starts on C. What does the second half start on?
_________
-
Yes, it starts on G
-
Now, back at the piano, play a C major scale but start and finish on G.
Which note sounds 'wrong'? To our ears, the seventh note should sound
wrong, so sharpen it to get F#.
-
Add F# and congratulations - you have
discovered
the key of G major!
-
Now play a G major scale - with F#
-
Split it into two halves and play it again starting and finishing on D
-
Hopefully it is the seventh note, C natural, which again sounds wrong
to you
-
So add this sharp, C#, and
congratulations - you have discovered the key of D
major!
-
Repeat this pattern for all the keys
So we notice that:
-
the
second half of one scale is the first half of the next (i.e G, A, B, C
are played to 'finish' C major
and to 'start' G major)
-
the seventh note sounds wrong so we
'sharpen' it
-
since a sharp is added to
seventh note of each new scale, the key
signature gets that new sharp every time. So sharps are added in this order:
F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#
Does this pattern have
any similarity with the sharp scale circle
above?
Major
b
Keys
The flat keys go up in
fourths: C, F, B flat, E flat, A flat,
D flat, G flat....
But again, don't take my
word for it!
-
At the
piano, play a C major scale. Split it into two halves of four notes each.
The second half ends on C. What does the first half end on?
_________
-
Yes, it ends on F.
-
Now, back at the piano, play a C major scale but start and finish on F.
Which note sounds 'wrong' this time? To our ears, the fourth note should
sound wrong, so flatten it to get B flat.
-
Add B♭
and congratulations - you have discovered the key
of F major!
-
Now play an F major scale - with B♭
-
Split it into two halves and play it again starting and finishing on the last
note of the first half (b flat)
-
Hopefully it is the fourth note, E natural, which again sounds wrong
to you
-
So add this flat, Eb,
and congratulations - you have discovered the key
of B♭
major!
-
Repeat this pattern for all the keys
So we notice that:
-
the
first half of one scale is the second half of the next
-
C, D E, F are played to 'start' C major
and to 'finish' F major, F, G, A, Bb are used to finish Bflat major
-
the fourth note sounds wrong so we
'flatten' it
-
since a flat is added to
fourth note of each new scale, the key
signature gets that new flat every time.
The flats are added to the key
signature in this order:
B flat, E flat, A flat, D
flat.....
Notice what this pattern has
in common with the flat scale circle
Now add the related minor keys to the inner (grey) circle. The
related minor key has the same key signature as the major key on its
outer circle.
Minor # Keys
Just as the sharp major keys go up in
fifths: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#
... so do the minor sharp
keys: A, E, B, F#,
C#.
In fact they travel in pairs, each major scale having a minor 'partner'
called its relative minor.
But you can discover
this pattern through your playing.
-
At the
piano, play a C major scale. What is the sixth note of this scale?
_________
-
Yes, it is A.
-
Now, back at the piano, play a C major scale but start and finish on A.
Which note sounds 'wrong'? To our ears, the seventh note should sound
wrong, so sharpen it to get G#.
-
Add G# and congratulations - you have discovered
the key of A minor!
-
The G# will always be an accidental in pieces written in A minor - the key
signature will be the same as its partner, C major
-
Now play a G major scale - remembering F#
-
Now play it again starting and finishing on the sixth note, E
-
Hopefully it is the seventh note, D natural, which again sounds wrong
to you
-
So add this sharp, D#, and
congratulations - you have discovered the key of E
minor, and its close relationship to G major!
-
Repeat this pattern for all the keys
So we notice that:
-
the
minor scale starts on the sixth note of its relative major
-
the seventh note sounds wrong so we
'sharpen' it
-
the minor scales produce their own circle of fifths
-
the key
signature of the minor is the same as its relative major, with new
sharps added as accidentals. These new sharps are added in this order:
G#, D#, A#, E#, B#
Does this pattern have
any similarity with the sharp scale circle
above?
Minor b Keys
Just as the flat major keys go up in
fourths: C, F, B flat, E flat, A flat,
D flat, G flat....
... so do the minor flat
keys: Am, Dm, Gm, Cm, Fm, Bbm,
Ebm
Let's see that
working!
-
At the
piano, play an F major scale. What is the sixth note of the scale?
_________
-
Yes, it is D.
-
Now, back at the piano, play an F major scale but start and finish on D.
Which note sounds 'wrong' this time? To our ears, the seventh note note should
sound wrong, so sharpen it to get C#
.
-
Add C#
and congratulations - you have discovered the key
of D minor!
-
Now play a Bb major scale
-
Now play it again starting and finishing on the sixth
note of the scale (G)
-
Hopefully it is the seventh note, F natural, which again sounds wrong
to you
-
So add this sharp, F#,
and congratulations - you have discovered the key
of G minor!
-
Repeat this pattern for all the keys
So we notice that:
-
the
minor scale starts on the sixth note of its relative major
-
the seventh note sounds wrong so we
'sharpen' it
-
the minor scales produce their own circle of fifths
-
the key
signature of the minor is the same as its relative major, with new
sharps added as accidentals. These new sharps are added in this order:
G#, D#, A#, E#, B#
Does this pattern have
any similarity with the sharp scale circle
above?
It sometimes helps to practise scales in fingering groups.
For example the standard C major fingering is
going up
going down
RH 123 12345 54321 321
LH 54321 321 123 12345
It often helps students to identify for themselves the scales that have
the same fingerings in each hand. Write these on separate cards
and practice all the scales on the same cards together.
You may pick a card from the stack, and put to the bottom of the stack
when you have played those scales correctly.
To download a sheet with the scales organised in fingering groups,
click here.
Tips to make learning effective and enjoyable:
- even if only playing an octave, pass the thumb under (RH) or the
correct finger over (LH), for the last note - as if you were
going to continue
- Use backing tracks to enliven practice in each key.
- Practise scales and arpeggios in different rhythms (e.g. the rhythm of one of
your pieces)
- Play black key scales with C major fingering (you'd be surprised
how natural this can be, and very useful for real pieces...)
- Start on the 'wrong' note - not always the top or the bottom
- Play scales and arpeggios staccato, or build in a crescendo and diminuendo
- Devise an effective legato fingering for scales in thirds or
sixths (Hint: this will not be the fingering in your scales
book!)
Resources
- Do It Improvisation Vols I and II, J. Froseth
     
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