MusicLesson 1 of 3 in the course Scales and harmony

Musical Scales: Structure, Notation, and Cultural Uses

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

A musical scale organizes pitches into a sequence that spans an octave. Learning how scales are built gives you a foundation for understanding melodies, harmony, and musical keys.

A scale is a consecutive series of notes that forms a progression from one note to its octave, usually ordered from low to high pitch. The word comes from the Latin scala, meaning “ladder”—a useful image for notes arranged as steps.

All flashcards

Scale step
The interval between two successive notes in a scale.
Octave equivalence
The convention of treating pitches an octave apart as versions of the same pitch class.
Tonic
The chosen first degree of a scale and reference point for its other degrees.
Scale degree
A note’s numbered position relative to a chosen tonic.
Modulation
A change from one key or scale to another during a piece.

Quiz questions

  1. How many pairs of notes can be formed from the seven notes of a scale?Answer: 21 pairs.
  2. What distinguishes modulation from transposition?Answer: Modulation changes the key or scale used during a piece.
  3. In movable-do solfège for a major scale, which syllable represents the tonic?Answer: Do.
  4. A piece in C major modulates to its dominant key. Which key does it move to?Answer: G major.
  5. In twelve-tone equal temperament, by what factor does frequency increase for each semitone?Answer: 21/122^{1/12}.

Based on the Wikipedia article Scale (music), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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