PPP182: Playing Major Scales with One Hand

02Mar 2020 by Shelly Davis

Identifying and playing major scales is a “major” part of playing the piano (pun intended). I tend to teach my students about Major Scales when I introduce the Linear Circle of Fifths. I call it a Magic Wand because of all the information it provides students in one easy to remember tool. You can listen to my teaching method of the Magic Wand in a three-part series starting with episode 013

Listen to the full episode here

Another tool teachers use to teach Major scales is a formula using whole steps and half steps. A half step is moving from one piano key to the very next key. Starting on C and moving to the black key, C# is a half step. Moving from C# to the white key, D is also a half step. If you’re not familiar with the names of the piano keys, check out PPP003.

Most half steps include a black key and a white key but there are two sets of white keys that do not have a black key between them. B-C and E-F Since there is not a key in the middle, these white keys are half steps.

Like any good mathematical equation, if you put two halves together, you create a whole. If C-C# is a half step, and C# to D is a half step, you can correctly conclude that C-D is a whole step. If the two white keys, E-F are a half step, then you will need to move from E-F# to create a whole step.

Playing a major scale follows a formula or a pattern of whole and half steps. If you follow this pattern, you will create a major scale no matter which piano key you start with. The pattern is W-W-H-W-W-W-H. A different way to think of this is moving 1 piano key up or down is a half step, moving 2 piano keys up or down is a whole step. So the pattern is 2-2-1-2-2-2-1

Everyone seems to love the C Major scale because the pattern lands on all white keys. If you know the pattern, you can start a scale on F# and find all the notes you need.

The problem with playing Major scales is there are eight notes to play with your five fingers. Because there are more notes than fingers, we have to have a finger strategy.

When I was learning to play scales my teacher gave me a paper with all the scales written on it. I thought it was great because it showed which keys were sharp or flat and it had the finger pattern written for every single scale.

The problem for me is that I thought each scale was different and unique. It wasn’t enough to have to remember which black keys to play but I also had to remember which fingers to cross over or to play my thumb after.

I’ve only recently learned that there are three basic patterns for playing all the major scales.

White Key Scales

The typical scale finger pattern for the right hand is 1 2 3 – 1 2 3 4 5.

The pattern is reversed for the left hand 5 4 3 2 1 – 3 2 1.

This pattern works for almost every scale beginning on a white key. The only exceptions are F for the right hand and B for the left hand. The way the black keys land on these two scales require you to use a different finger pattern. You can see the solution in the sheet my teacher gave me, pictured above.

Black Key Scales for Right Hand

When playing scales that include black keys, the aim it to avoid placing your short thumb on a high and hard to reach black key. Use your longer fingers to play the black keys. If you place right hand finger 2 and 3 on a set of two black keys and fingers 2 3 4 on a set of three black keys, these are the same fingers that will begin those scales.

Finger 4 will begin the B♭ scale. Finger 3 will begin the E♭ and A♭ scales. Finger 2 will begin the D♭ and G♭ scales.

Black Key Scales for Left Hand

The left hand is even easier than the right hand because every black key scale begins with finger 3 except G♭.

More Music Theory Episodes

If you’d like to learn more about using scales to build chords and make music, you might enjoy these previous episodes.

PPP013: Magic Wand, part 1

PPP023: Magic Wand, part 2

PPP033: Magic Wand, part 3

PPP067 Three forms of minor scale

PPP116: Changing Major to minor

PPP132: Chords and Inversions

PPP142: Intervals

Final Thoughts

Be sure to jump in the March Pianogram Challenge! Follow the daily prompt and share a photo or video of your interpretation of that prompt. Follow the hashtap PPPpianogram to see what other people are sharing. Remember March 28 is the 88th day of 2020 when we will be celebrating Piano Day!

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