The Major Scale

How many major scales do you think there are? Some people would say, "Gee, I know there are a lot of them! I sometimes hear people complaining about all the scales they have to practice!"

Another person might say, "I know there are
12 Major Scales, because there are 12 keys on the piano: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and the five black keys in between them."

Both these answers are wrong.

There is only one major scale!! You don't believe this? Too good to be true? Too easy?

Well, first consider this. Do you know the popular US American seasonal song, "Jingle Bells"? (If you aren't in USA, pick a universally known children's song of your culture for this example.)

There is only one "Jingle Bells" song, and everybody knows it when they hear it. Just about everyone sings it, too!

Now, sing this song once -- in your highest pitch voice, like if you had the soprano voice of a little kid -- or a chipmunk!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maYJHb3PTr0

Here's "Jingle Bells" in a different pitch. Go ahead and sing along....this one is plenty long. To get it, click on the link. To get back to this page, click the Back arrow on your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKhJ9IQdWQ8

Hope that was a real howl! (No pun intended!) If you are not tired of singing like a cat or dog, sing the song on your own now, as if you were a really big dog, maybe the malamute you heard on the Music Basics page.

You may be wondering what this has to do with scales. But bear with me here, and keep up with the antics! You'll see where this is heading, and you may be quite pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, when you are ready, try singing "Jingle Bells" again, like you were a Great Basso Opera Star. (So maybe you better call it "Jungle Bells"?

And now sing it in your own most natural voice. Don't worry if you "can't carry a tune in a bucket" -- we'll get to the issue of who and why people sing -- or think they can't -- in the FAQ section. Just pretend, for now -- go ahead and belt out "Jingle Bells" (or any song of your choice) in your own voice.

All of this is what's called "foolin' around." (Foolin' around is not always so silly, but it really is, a lot of the time! Musicians can be very, very silly and have fun that way, too!)

Performing in public -- now, that's a whole 'nother issue. We'll cover tricks to performing in another section, too. [under construction] But even the greatest performers "fool around" when they are with their families and other musicians. That's where we all start: foolin' around!

So. Have you sung "Jingle Bells" (or your song) three or four times, in three or four different ways (different pitches, called keys)?

Okay. Here is a tricky question: How many songs called "Jingle Bells" are there? Three? Four? Of course not!! There is only ONE "Jingle Bells" but you can sing it in lots and lots of different keys (pitches).

You know that "Jingle Bells" is a tune, right? Right.. Now, think about this: the Major Scale is a tune, too. You can sing the Major Scale Tune in any key, any pitch. "Joy to the World" is the Major Scale sung backwards -- from top to bottom. Are there 12 songs called "Joy to the World"? Of course not! There is only one "Joy to the World."

Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Doe a Deer" song, about the Major Scale, from their musical The Sound of Music, can also be sung in any key. Are there 12 "Doe a Deer" tunes? Of course not. There is only one.

Now, sing "the scale" -- you know, the "thing" you have heard piano students practice so many times? "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do." IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY singing the scale this way, here's an easy way to remember it: Sing the familiar Christmas Carol, but only this much of it:

"Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come!"

That is the Major Scale sung "backwards" -- from high pitch to low.

Now: is there more than one, "Joy to the World" tune? Of course not! You can start on any note, but the TUNE is the same.

So now you have proven that there is only ONE major scale, because there is only ONE "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come" -- and that IS THE MAJOR SCALE!

You can sing "Joy to the world, the Lord Is Come" starting on C: that's commonly called "The C Scale." Or, you can sing "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come" starting on D (the "D scale") or Eb (the "Eb scale") or any other note! But there is only one TUNE, which is the ONE MAJ0R SCALE, sung from high to low.

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