Lesson 3 - Sharps and Flats

In the previous lesson we constructed a Major scale beginning on a C and found we only needed to use white keys to do so. However; what happens if I begin on a D and play a scale just using the white keys:


Observe when you play this sequence of notes it no longer sounds like the Major scale? This is because if D is step I, the location of the half-step intervals has now changed so that there is now a half-step between steps II and III where there should be a whole-step and a whole-step between steps III and IV where there should only be a half-step. In other words, you need to use that (as yet un-named) sound between the notes F and G instead of playing the F at step III.

There is a symbol used in music notation called a "sharp" (#) that means to play the note that is a half-step higher than the note it refers to. Similarly, there is another symbol called a "flat" (b) that means to play the note that is a half-step lower than the note it refers to.

As mentioned above, in order to create a Major scale with D as step I, you'll need to use the black note between F and G. This note could be named either F# or Gb. It sounds exactly the same regardless of what it's called so why is it called F# and not Gb in this case? Step III of a D Major scale is an F# because that is the note that had to be altered and the note name "G" is needed to name step IV:

D E F# G

In other words, it's the "context" in which notes are used that determines whether they're sharps or flats. Furthermore, sharps and flats don't strictly just refer to black keys. If you create a Major scale that starts on the key called F# above but call that sound Gb instead, the first four steps of Gb Major are:

Gb Ab Bb Cb

Of course, "Cb" looks and sounds exactly like the white note B but because the name B has already been used in this context (to name Bb) the Cb simply instructs you to use the note that is a half-step lower than C. All of this is mentioned as trivia and to debunk the myth that many people mistakenly believe - that "Sharps and flats are the black keys". It's sort of true, but not entirely, and you will have difficulty understanding how sharps and flats function unless you familiarise yourself with the correct definitions for them:

Sharp - play the sound a half-step higher

Flat - play the sound a half-step lower

The Major Scale Beginning on D



Activities:

• As with C Major, play and sing the steps of D Major
• Note the pattern of half and whole-step intervals
• Note the two identical 4 note patterns (Steps I to IV and Steps V to VIII)