G Major
Mastered C Major? Now we will move on to the G Major Scale! The first note of the scale, which is the tonic degree, is G. As we write the notes in sequence until we reach the next G an octave higher, we form intervals of whole tones and semitones, making this scale sound major (creating a major scale!). The interval between the 6th and the 7th degrees is E-F. This interval is a natural semitone. We need it to be a whole tone for the scale to sound major. Therefore, we raise F (the 7th degree) by adding a sharp (F#), which forms the whole tone. After that, F# – G created a semitone.
But what is a F#? F# is a part of the key signature in the G Major scale. The sharp sign indicates that F is raised to F# throughout the entire scale, not just at a particular point. This sharp is necessary for the scale to maintain its major sound.
Key Signature
What is a Key Signature? (A small intro)
Key signature is a collection of sharps & flats. This collection is in a specific arrangement. It is placed at the beginning of a piece of music right after the clef sign. If a note has a sharp or flat in the key signature, the musician must play it throughout the piece. This applies unless there is a natural sign that cancels it. The key signature shows us the tonality in which the piece is written.
We will refer to the order of sharps and flats as key signatures. More detail will be provided later for major and minor scales!
As you can see every scale has 8 degrees-8 notes!
Can you write it on bass clef?!
We must pay attention to the 7th interval, as it contains F# as the top note.
In G Major, the tonic triad consists of:
- Root: G
- Third: B
- Fifth: D
The Arpeggios of G Major, D Major, F Major:
This is the G major scale! You can copy what we learned in today’s lesson/post onto the staff for better understanding. In the next post, you’ll find the next scale: D major.
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