| Most students of a musical instrument hate | | | | of Hz but at half the volume of the fundamental. |
| playing scales, but too many of them only think | | | | This means that another note is also produced |
| they learn scales as some sort of finger exercise. | | | | that is an octave above the first (in this case the |
| How wrong! Instead, all music students should be | | | | A at 440Hz), but only half as loud. This explains |
| informed that scales are the Building Blocks from | | | | the close relationship between notes an octave |
| which all music is created and that they can use | | | | apart. Basically, double the frequency (Hz) and you |
| these vital Blocks to create music for themselves. | | | | will get a note that is one octave above. |
| To do this we first have to understand what | | | | There are, of course, instruments in the west |
| scales are and how they came about. | | | | that can produce note pitches between |
| Musical instruments played a large part in the | | | | semitones, such as a stringed instrument like the |
| development of scales. The earliest musical | | | | violin or violoncello, but as they most often have |
| instruments were devised having a limited number | | | | to perform with other instruments of the 12 |
| of playable notes. Maybe a pipe instrument was | | | | semitones variety, any note that they produce |
| fashioned using a hollow tube and holes were | | | | between these pitches is usually considered as |
| made in it which couldbe covered or uncovered | | | | just "out of tune!" In the East, scales are still used |
| when blowing through it to produce a certain | | | | which make use of the instruments that can |
| number of pitch variations. If music was to be | | | | achieve the pitches that are less than a semitone |
| written down for this instrument it follows that | | | | apart, and vocalists are also more adept in singing |
| only the exact notes playable should be written. | | | | pitch variations of so-called "quarter-tones." |
| Thus, the scale of notes would be only these, say | | | | In the West the limitation of most of our scales |
| 5, notes rising or falling in order of pitch. | | | | to seven different pitches within the octave came |
| As instruments developed further more notes | | | | about mainly as a result of singers needing an |
| could be achieved and in the Western world we | | | | easy chain of notes to pitch. So it was with our |
| gradually created instruments that could all play a | | | | Major scale. |
| minimum of 12 different pitches between notes | | | | So that's how we got our scales. Now, at least, |
| an octave apart. | | | | the make-up of our most common modern-day |
| Hang on! I hear you say, "What is an octave?" An | | | | scales should not seem so much of a mystery. |
| octave is the gap between two note pitches that | | | | We know that they are an easy-to-sing chain of |
| are 12 semitones apart. If you listen to these two | | | | 8 note-pitches over an octave, the 1st and 8th |
| notes it almost seems as though they are the | | | | being two notes of the same letter-name. The |
| same note pitch. These notes are named with the | | | | distance between each of these note-pitches can |
| same letter name such as C and C. If you pluck a | | | | be one, two or sometimes even three semitones. |
| string of a given length, it will vibrate at so many | | | | In future articles I will discuss why we have Major |
| cycles per second (or Hertz) producing a sound at | | | | and Minor Scales and how you can use these |
| a given pitch, say 220Hz (an A). This note is called | | | | Building Blocks of Music to form melodies and |
| the fundamental. The string does funny things | | | | chords. |
| however, and it also vibrates at twice the number | | | | |