Basic Music Theory #1
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207-592-8801
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Raceway.
The main word you have to memorize is BEAD. Forwards and Backwards: B E A D / D A E B .
Now when you spell BEAD forwards that's the middle of Your flat scales. Spell it backwards and it's the Sharps. Now to start off the Flats we do this with the only Flat scale without a Flat in It's name: F major. It has one flat in it's name it is Bb ( small b signifies the word flat) major. ( How I used the whole step half step pattern will be discussed latter.) So Since is the first and only flat in F major. Now C Major has no sharps and no flats F major has one flat it's Bb. You put in the word B E A D, and you know the rest of the order of flats. Since C major has no Sharps and no Flats or no Accidentals, We can Deduct that Cb ( C flat major ) has all flats. There are 7 notes to a scale ( 8 for an Octave.) So after D will come G. The Order of Flat scales is F major, B b , E b , A b, D b, G b, and C b majors.
Now I'm going to write them with the number of accidentals below them.
F major B b
1 flat
F major has one flat it is B b.
Now watch what happens when I draw this out in a line:
F major B b ] E b A b D b G b C b
_______]
1 flat [
[
B b major has 2 flats they are B b and E b.
F Major B b E b ] A b D b G b C b
____]
1 flat 2 flats [
So You draw a line to the Proceeding flat scale to know what the next flat is going to be.
F major B b major E b major A b major D b major G b major C b major
1 flat 2 flats 3 flats 4 flats 5 flats 6 flats 7 flats
So A b has 4 flats they are ( name off the scales with a small b after them signifying a flat scale and end on the flat major scale proceeding the one being named off.)
B flat E flat A flat and D flat.
That's why you draw a Line to the proceeding flat scale and move it over to the left and drop it down to the number of flats under the scale being named.
F B E A D | G C
__|
1 2 3 4 | 5 6 7
Just remember the word BEAD and B is two flats and you will remember it easier.
So if I said C flat major I would see the 7 under C and say C flat Major has 7 flats they are B flat E flat A flat D flat G flat C flat and F flat.
Just as F major is the only major scale without a flat in it's name F # sharp major is the only major scale with a sharp in it's name that joins C # sharp major.
The Sharp scales are the Flat's mirror image.
C G D A E B F# C#. (notice BEAD spelled backwards. It's a mirror image so it A b major had 4 flats the mirror image of that is A major (In the sharp keys) has 3 sharps.)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Now this one doesn't have any lines to know what the sharps are in order. It's what is officially called the half step before. For now just say the letter name that proceeds this in the Regular alphabet.
F sharp C sharp G sharp D sharp A sharp E sharp and B sharp. ( Notice how bead is still spelled out backwards in the order of sharp accidentals?)
G Major D Major A Major E Major B Major F # Major C# Major
1 sharp 2 sharps 3 sharps 4 sharps 5 sharps 6 sharps 7 sharps.
Reading this translates into:
G Major has 1 sharp it is F sharp
D Major has 2 sharps they are F sharp and C Sharp
A Major has 3 sharps they are F Sharp C sharp and ( the letter before A would go to the last letter in the sequence) G sharp.
E major has 4 sharps they are F sharp C sharp G sharp and D sharp.
B major has 5 sharps they are F sharp C sharp G sharp D sharp and A sharp
F # (sharp) Major has 6 sharps in it's major scale. They are F sharp C sharp, G sharp, D sharp, A sharp and E Sharp.
C # Major has 7 sharps they are F Sharp and...( read the top line in order in the immediate above diagram with the three tiers to it.)
This way when your at an Open Mike Night at the Wharf Tavern in Hallowell and they say " Hey this tune... it start in the Key of E Major... " Then you know every time you hit the keys
F C G and D on your guitar your going to " go a half step up to a sharp ( In example: in between a Natural D and a natural E note ( natural without an accidental ) is a D sharp.)
" The Sharps going up are the flats going Down" will be apart of the more elementary whole step half step pattern. Until Next Time. Doug Papa