LESSON NINE

The G Major Scale

A major scale is a group of eight notes that produces the familiar sound:

You now know all of the notes needed to play the G major scale.

G Major Scale

The number underneath each note indicates its position in the scale. These numbers are called scale degrees. The names of the first and last notes of a major scale are always the same. In the G major scale, the distance from one G to the G note above it (or below it ) is one octave (eight notes). An octave is the range of eight notes of a major scale.

Keys and Key Signatures

When a song consists of notes from a particular scale, it is said to be written in the key which has the same name as that scale. For example, if a song contains notes from the G major scale, it is said to be in the key of G major. Instead of writing a sharp sign before every F# note, it is easier to write just one sharp sign after the treble clef.

This means that all F notes on the staff are played as F#, even though there is no flat sign placed before the note. This is called a key signature. A key signature consists of one or more sharps or flats written after the treble clef, or in the case of the key of C major no sharps or flats. Because the G majorscale contains the note F#, the key signature for the key of G major will consist of an F# note written after the clef.

This is the key signature for the key of G major. It has one sharp sign after the treble clef.

The C major scale contains no sharps or flats, therefore the key of C major contains no sharps or flats.

The followings songs are written in the key of G major.

Lavender’s Blue

Brahms’ Lullaby

This melody was written by famous classical composer Brahms. There are no breath marks in this piece, so work out the best places to take a breath. When there are no rests in a piece, it is usually best to take a breath at the end of a musical phrase.

The F Major Scale

The F major scale starts and ends on the note F, and it contains a Bb note instead of a B note. Play the F major scale below and listen for the Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do sound. The F major scale in the following example uses the key signature of F major which is indicated by the Bb symbol placed after the treble clef.

F Major Scale

The Key of F Major

Songs that use notes from the F major scale are in the key of F major and hence contain the note B b . It is possible to play any melody in more than one key. On the previous page you learned this song in the key of G major. Here is the same song in the key of F major. Changing the key of a piece of music is called transposing.

Lavender’s Blue in the Key of F Major

Transposing

As mentioned on the previous page, transposing means changing the key of a piece of music. This can apply to a scale, a riff, a short melody, or an entire song. The ability to transpose is a very important skill for all musicians to develop.

The easiest way to transpose is to write the scale degrees under the original melody and then work out which notes correspond to those scale degrees in the key you want to transpose to. Here is an example of a melody transposed from the key of F to the key of G. Try this same technique with other tunes from earlier in the book, or any other tunes you know.

Melody in F Major

Same Melody in G Major

Here are two famous melodies to learn. The first one is in the key of G major, while the second is in F major. After you have learned each one, try transposing it to the other key.

Minuet

Morning Has Broken