Theory Project 8: Writing the Major Scales with Flats

David Raleigh Arnold

Time to complete: ?

Writing the Major Scales with Flats

Starting with C

Write the notes from c to c’ in whole notes, filling 85pct of each staff. It is just as before, except for being whole notes. Whole notes are a bit larger than the heads of half notes because their long axis is parallel

The Next Scale

Count backwards from c’ five notes to the subdominant, IV. Label the subdominant with a “IV” above the note. It is an f. That will be the first note of the next scale. Proceed as before, always writing the w or h before you determine what the present size of the scale step is. If you don’t have wwhwwwh, you have to make it wwhwwwh.

Draw the notes as as before, but this time it’s from f to f’. Write a w between f and g. Is f to g a whole step? Yes.

Start each scale in the range from c to b

The scale after F is not B, it is B♭. That should be enough to keep you out of trouble, especially after your experience with the F♯ Major scale. Keep going until you run out of notes to flat. The seventh one, not counting the C you started with, should be no surprise.

Write the key signatures

As before, they are always in their same order, according to this finished example.

Write the name of each key near its key signature.

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