introducing minor scales - gigajamvle€¦ · introducing minor scales lesson eight 101 practise...

8Introducing Minor Scales

Essential Keyboard SkillsLesson 008 IKS IMS

95

• Introducetheminorscale

forA.

• Understandthe

relationshipbetweenminor

triadsandminorscales.

• Performascendingand

descendingminorscales

usingquarternotes.

• Introduceandapplyleft

handandrighthand

fingeringforminorscales.

• Developtheabilitytobe

abletoplayaminorscale

onanynaturalnote.

Minor Scales

Inlesson7youlearnedhowtoplaytheAminortriad.This,asyouknow,is

alsothechordofAminor.

InthislessonyouwilllearnhowtoplayaminorscaleonA-theAminor

scale.Theminorscaleincludesthenotesoftheminortriad.Therearetwo

keyfactstoknowandunderstand.

• Theminortriadhas3notes.

• Theminorscalehas7notes.

Thereisarelationshipbetweentheminortriadandtheminorscaleandyou

shouldlookatthisfirst.

Minor Triad / Minor Scale Relationship

Asstatedintheintroduction,thereisarelationshipbetweentheminortriad

andtheminorscalewhichisbestexplainedtoyouinsteps.

• TheAminorchordisA,CandE.(Representedbybluenotesin

Figure 1).

• BetweenAandCisB.

• BetweenCandEisD.

• Wenowhavethefirst5notesofourscale.

Youwillrecallthatthereare7notesinascalewiththerootnote(Ainthis

case)repeatedatthetopofthescaletogiveusanoctave.

Therefore,ourAminorscaleis:

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A

Lookatourexampleandthenpractiseplayingthescaleupanddownusing

thethumbunderandovertechniqueswelearnedearlierinthecourse.

Lesson eIGHTIntroducing Minor Scales

Lesson Objectives

96 Lesson eIGHT Introducing Minor Scales

B

1

D

T

F

2

G

3

A

4

E

1

A

T

C

2

Figure 1: A minor scale

A minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

Asalwaystherearesupportivemultimediafilesandwehavewrittenthe

musicoutbelow.Tryandlearnthescalebyrememberingthenotesinthe

scale.

Exercise 1 lesson008.iksims.01

A minor scale — an octave lower

Tobecomefluentinthisscaleweshouldpractisewiththelefthandaswell.

Accordinglythenextexerciseiswrittenanoctavelower.Againremember

howtouseyour2ndfingerovertechniqueontheascendingscaleand

thumbundertechniqueonthedescendingscale.

ThebluenotesinourfigurerepresentthenotesthatproduceourAminor

triad.Usethemultimediafileasalways.

97Lesson eIGHTIntroducing Minor Scales

B

3

D

1

F

2

G

1

A

T

E

T

A

4

C

2

Figure 2: A minor scale down an octave

A minor scale

Fingering (left hand)

Exercise 2 lesson008.iksims.02

Transferability

Becauseofthelayoutofthekeyboarditispossibletotransferwhatyou

havelearnedtoothernotes.Forexample,youcantransfertheminorscale

tobeginonDandplayaDminorscale.

ThenotesforDminorare;

D,E,F,G,A,Bb,C,D

Let’splaytheDminorscale,againdevelopingfluency,timingandtryingto

rememberthenotesthatmakeupthescaleofDminor.Onceagaintheblue

notesareourminortriad.

98 Introducing Minor ScalesLesson eIGHT

E

1

G

T 2

C

3

D

4

A

1

D

T

F

2

Figure 3: D minor scale

D minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

Exercise 3 lesson008.iksims.03

Left hand D minor scale

NowplaytheDminorscaleanoctavelowerinthebassclefusing

yourlefthand.Thiswillgiveyoumorelefthandpractisetodevelopthe

fluencyofyourscales.Practisearoundandaroundasusual,usingthe

KeyboardXtractortohelpyoubecomemorecomfortable.

E

3

G

1 2

C

1

D

T

A

T

D

4

F

2

Figure 3: D minor scale down an octave

D minor scale

Fingering (left hand)

Bb

Bb

99Introducing Minor Scales Lesson eIGHT

Exercise 4 lesson008.iksims.04

More about the minor scale/minor triad relationship

Youarealreadyawareoftheexistenceoftherelationshipbetweenachord

andascale.Thisrelationshipexistsforbothmajorandminor.

CurrentlyweareworkingontheDminorscale.Howwouldyoufindthe

notesforDminortriadfromtheDminorscale?

Lookingbackatwhatwehavejustlearnedmighthelp.

ForexampletheAminorscaleis;

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A

whilsttheAminorchordis;

A,C,E

Theminortriadiscreatedbytheselectionof3specificnotesfromit’sminor

scale.

Simplyput,you:

play one –missone –play one –missone –play one

LetstaketheDminorscaleandusethefollowingtabletoseewhichnotes

areselectedfortheDminorTriad.

100 Lesson eIGHT Introducing Minor Scales

Play one Root

MissoneSecond

Play one Flattenedthird

MissoneFourth

Play One Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Octave

D E F G A Bb C D

Figure 5: Relationship between minor scale and minor triad using D minor.

D minor triad from D minor scale

Wecanusethistabletohelpuscreatetheminortriadsfromminorscales.

WehavelearnedtheAminorscaleandtheDminorscale,soletsnow

completethetablewiththeremaining5notesandthenpractiseplaying

theirminorscales.

Onceweknowtheirscales,ourtablewilltelluswhichnotesmakeupthe

minortriadsforeachnote.

Play one Root

MissoneSecond

Play one Flattenedthird

MissoneFourth

Play One Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Octave

A B C D E F G A

B C# D E F# G A B

C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

D E F G A Bb C D

E F# G A B C D E

F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F

G A Bb C D Eb F G

Figure 6: Relationship between minor scale and minor triad for all notes.

.

101Introducing Minor scales Lesson eIGHT

Practise exercises for minor scales

Wehavelearnedthatifyouknowthescaleforeachnoteyoucanworkout

andformthetriad.

Accordingly,wearegoingtofinishthislessonwith5moreexercisessothat

youwillknowandbeabletoplayallofthenaturalminorscales.

Usethetables,yourabilitytoreadandplayintimetohelpyoulearnthese

scales.Asalwaysyouhavethemultimediafilestowatchandplayalong

withtoensureyouaregettingthemright.

A

1

C

T 2

F

3

G

4

D

1

G

T 2

Figure 7: G minor scale

G minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

Bb Eb

Exercise 5 lesson008.iksims.05

102 Introducing Minor scalesLesson eIGHT

D

1

F

T 2 3

C

4

B

1

C

T 2

Figure 8: C minor scale

C minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

Eb Ab

Exercise 6 lesson008.iksims.06

Bb

1

A

T

C

2

D

3

E

4

B

1

E

T

G

2

Figure 9: E minor scale

E minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

F#

Exercise 7 lesson008.iksims.07

103Introducing Minor scales Lesson eIGHT

1

E

T

G

2

A

3

B

41

B

T

D

2

Figure 10: B minor scale

B minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

C# F#

Exercise 8 lesson008.iksims.08

G

1 T 2 3

F

4

C

1

F

T 2

Figure 11: F minor scale

F minor scale

Fingering (right hand)

Ab

Exercise 9 lesson008.iksims.09

Bb Db Eb