You need to know how to play many chords, and play some piano, or guitar, as well as understand some music.
This is NOT a beginners class.
When you listen to a song, you are listening to a key. Every single song is in the key of C, or the key of G, or in the key of F, or any other key.
There are some songs that change key, they start in one key and then they go to another key
And some songs, specially classical music, they don't even have a key, but this kind of songs will not be here, is in another class
Most of the popular music, or songs they always have a key.
To learn how to play a song by ear, and understand the keys, you need to study some intervals, progressions, the notes of the music, and train your ear.
The first thing that you need to know is, that in music you have 12 sounds.
In the piano you can see 5 black keys and 7 white keys
5 Black Keys and 7 White Keys are 12 keys, or 12 sounds
Each key is a different sound
The 12 sounds are:
| C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B |
|---|
You can also learn it with the notes, like this...
| Do | Do# | Re | Re# | Mi | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fa | Fa# | Sol | Sol# | La | La# | Si |
Look at the piano with the notes,and the letter names
Notice a few things...
From C to D there is one note in the middle...C#
From D to E there is one note in the middle...D#
From E to F there is nothing...
From F to G there is one note in the middle...F#
From G to A there is one note in the middle...G#
From A to B there is one note in the middle...A#
If we keep going and start all over again from C, we have a new set of notes.
exactly the same...
Notice that there is no black key from E to F
And there is no black key from B to C
Learn all the notes really well
The Octave is like this...
| C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B |
|---|
We can put another octave after the first one like this
If we do this, then notice that from B to C there is no SHARP notes
We can continue adding more octaves, until we have a lot
In music you have SHARPS and also you have the FLATS...
Look at the piano with the same notes but going backwards
| B | Bb | A | Ab | G | Gb | F | E | Eb | D | Db | C |
|---|
You can also see the flats going up
| C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | B |
|---|
Or you can have the SHARPS going down
| B | A# | A | G# | G | F# | F | E | D# | D | C# | C |
|---|
You can have any order you like...but the notes always have the same order
Like the numbers, or the days of the week, or the months
The order will always be the same
You need to know the order of the notes very good
Memorize it, repeat the order of the notes a lot of times
You have Sharps and Flats, but these are two names for the same notes
C# and Db is the same note, and it has the same sound
They just have a different name
The 5 black keys on the piano are enharmonic
| C# is the same as Db |
|---|
| D# is the same as Eb |
| F# is the same as Gb |
| G# is the same as Ab |
| A# is the same as Bb |
So the 12 sounds are:
| 1 | C |
|---|---|
| 2 | C# or Db |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | D# or Eb |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F |
| 7 | F# or Gb |
| 8 | G |
| 9 | G# or Ab |
| 10 | A |
| 11 | A# or Bb |
| 12 | B |
And this way is easier to learn and memorize.
| 1 | The Key Of C Major |
|---|---|
| 2 | The Key Of C# Major or Db Major |
| 3 | The Key Of D Major |
| 4 | The Key Of D# Major or Eb Major |
| 5 | The Key Of E Major |
| 6 | The Key Of F Major |
| 7 | The Key Of F# Major or Gb Major |
| 8 | The Key Of G Major |
| 9 | The Key Of G# Major or Ab Major |
| 10 | The Key Of A Major |
| 11 | The Key Of A# Major or Bb Major |
| 12 | The Key Of B Major |
Because we know all the keys are major, we don't have to write the "Major" word all the time
If we see a letter by itself we know is in the Major key.
Like in the key of Ab.
Or like in the key of E.
| 1 | C |
|---|---|
| 2 | G |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | Bb |
| 7 | E |
| 8 | Eb |
| 9 | Ab |
| 10 | B |
| 11 | Db |
| 12 | F# or Gb |
Remember, just write the letter, like C, and we know is C Major
Some keys are more popular than others
Maybe because they are easier to play, or they sound better or because they have been used a lot more
For any reason. Here you can see the most popular keys. Remember they are all Major Keys
Very popular, easy to play. It has no sharps and no flats
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Db is more popular than C#, maybe because it has less accidentals
C# has 7 sharps, is more difficult to read so many sharps
And Db has only 5 flats, a little bit easier
So Db is more popular
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This Key is very popular, I like this key a lot.
The Key Of D has 2 sharps
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The Key of Eb is a lot more popular than D#
Same reason, less accidentals
Eb only has 3 flats, and D# has 6 sharps
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Also very popular
The Key Of E has 3 sharps
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Easy to play
Only has 1 flat
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From F# or Gb, I think F# wins
Some people may say is Gb others like F# better
It also has to do with what instrument you play
If you play Sax, or Trumpet or Bb Clarinet, you may like Gb better
But both are about the same, but less popular than all the others in this list
F# has 6 sharps
And Gb has 6 flats
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Of course, after the Key of C, This key is the most popular
Only has 1 sharp
The chords on the guitar, for this key are very easy to play
Sounds great and many people have written music for this key
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Ab is also popular
It has 4 flats
People prefer this key over the G# key
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Very popular, specially in country or folk music
A has 3 sharp
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From A# or Bb, of course, Bb wins by far
It has 2 flats
For Bb instruments is a great key
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And finally we have the key of B
Even when it has 5 sharps it's also very popular
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You need to learn the key signatures really well.
| In the key of C |
|---|
| 1 sharp | In the key of G |
|---|---|
| 2 sharps | In the key of D |
| 3 sharps | In the key of A |
| 4 sharps | In the key of E |
| 5 sharps | In the key of B |
| 6 sharps | In the key of F# |
| 7 sharps | In the key of C# |
-----------------------------
| 1 flat | In the key of F |
|---|---|
| 2 flats | In the key of Bb |
| 3 flats | In the key of Eb |
| 4 flats | In the key of Ab |
| 5 flats | In the key of Db |
| 6 flats | In the key of Gb |
| 7 flats | In the key of Cb |
The order of the sharps are like this:
| Fa# |
|---|
| Do# |
| Sol# |
| Re# |
| La# |
| Mi# |
| Si# |
Or the same order using the letters instead of the notes
| F# |
|---|
| C# |
| G# |
| D# |
| A# |
| E# |
| B# |
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If we don't say the sharp all the time, because we know they are sharp anyway
Just like we don't have to write Major all the time
We just learn the notes in order, it's easier... with the notes:
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The order of the flats are like this:
| Sib |
|---|
| Mib |
| Lab |
| Reb |
| Solb |
| Dob |
| Fab |
Or the same order using the letters instead of the notes
| Bb |
|---|
| Eb |
| Ab |
| Db |
| Gb |
| Cb |
| Fb |
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Notice that the order is backwards from the sharps
You need to memorize both, sharps and flats
Normally a song will be in a key
And you have the "Melody" what they are singing
And the harmony or the accompaniment.
The melody is the SCALE
The harmony is the CHORDS
Unless you have a song with just the melody by itself
So all the songs have CHORDS and SCALES, that's it!
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Let's try this melody
First listen to the song
You have to know in which key is the song
Listen to the melody, first
Try to sing the melody, and listen to the melody many times
Now play the melody in your instrument
As you play the melody, you will notice if it has sharps or flats
Lets say the melody is like this...
You can see that you have a Bb in the melody
Because it has some flats then is not in the key of C
Is not in the key of G, because the key of G has NO flats
Is not in the key of D, because the key of D has NO flats
Is not in the key of A, because the key of A has NO flats
So it will not be in any of the SHARPS keys.
So it has to be in some FLAT key.
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So let's see the flat keys
The Key of F has 1 flat, the Bb. So this maybe the key...
The Key of Bb has 2 flats, Bb and Eb, but the melody has no Eb at all...
And all of the other keys has a lot more flats, so is not in those keys either.
So then the song must be in the key of F
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As you can see, just with a few notes you can find out the key
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Is not as easy as it looks...
You need a lot of practice
You need to know all the scales
And you need to train your ear to listen to the melody
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Some people listen to the bass notes.
That is also a melody
The idea is to find some notes, and from there, you can find out which key is the correct key.
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Let's try another melody
Always listen to the melody many times
As soon as you see that the melody has SHARPS, then is not in any of the flats keys
And is not in the key of G, because the key of G has only Fa#, and the melody has a Do#.
With two sharps must be in the key of D
The next key is the A, and the A has: F#-C#-G#
Notice that the note Sol, or G, is not Sharp, so it can not be in A
So this melody is in the key of D
As you know now, you have to know how to play all the scales.
Instead of trying to learn one scale at a time, one by one
Is better to learn how you can play any scale.
So let's learn how.
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For each note there is one Major scale.
There are a lot of scales, let's learn the Major first.
So there is the C scale
The C# scale
The Db scale
The D scale
The D# scale
The Eb scale
The E scale
Ans so on... one scale for each note.
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So how do you make the Ab scale?
First you need to start with the Ab and finish with the Ab
you know that the scale has 8 notes, so write 8 numbers
Then you write the name of the notes in order, make sure is always in order
Now, all you have to do, is add the flats to each note, according to the key signature
The key signature for Ab has 4 flats. (I hope you know that)
So the 4 flats are: Bb - Eb - Ab - Db. Always in that order
So if the note is Bb, then put a flat to B
The next note is a C, and the C has no flat in the key signature, so leave the key natural.
And add the flats to the notes, the Eb and the Db...
And that's it! you have the Ab scale, ... simple!
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See how easy? it doesn't matter, which scale you choose, there all the same, easy to make.
Now let's make the Eb scale.
Do the same steps...
Now let's make the Eb scale.
There is no difficult scale, all scales are easy
Let's try a "difficult" scale, the F# scale
If you know the key signatures, is easy
The F# has 6 sharps...
The order of the sharps is: F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#, right?
The idea is that you know how to play all the scales, And that you can play the scales more or less well, up and down. You have to know at least the most popular major scales
| The C Scale |
|---|
| The D Scale |
| The E Scale |
| The F Scale |
| The G Scale |
| The A Scale |
| The B Scale |
All these scales are major scales. You need to know how to play all these scales, Up and down and at least two octaves, and you need to know the notes for each scale by heart
| The C# Scale |
|---|
| The D# Scale |
| The E# Scale |
| The F# Scale |
| The G# Scale |
| The A# Scale |
| The B# Scale |
From this group, you need to know at least the C#, the F# and the D#, The E# is not very important, is not popular at all, and it has double sharps. Difficult to learn and play, and besides, it sounds the same as the F scale. So if you want the E#, play the F scale instead, is easier and better. The same thing goes for the B#, the B# is the C scale. As for the G# and the A#, is better to play the enharmonic scale, The G# is the Ab scale. And the A# is the Bb scale
| The Cb Scale |
|---|
| The Db Scale |
| The Eb Scale |
| The Fb Scale |
| The Gb Scale |
| The Ab Scale |
| The Bb Scale |
The Cb is not popular, is the same as the B scale, Also for the Fb scale, is the same as the E scale. As far as all the other five scales, they are all very important
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So you have 21 major scales. You know how to make each scale, but practice and learn the most important ones
| 1 | The C Scale |
|---|---|
| 2 | The Db Scale |
| 3 | The D Scale |
| 4 | The Eb Scale |
| 5 | The E Scale |
| 6 | The F Scale |
| 7 | The Gb Scale |
| 8 | The G Scale |
| 9 | The Ab Scale |
| 10 | The A Scale |
| 11 | The Bb Scale |
| 12 | The B Scale |
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There are many more scales, as you keep learning you will know more, For now you can not continue, unless you can play these popular major scales
Let's study this table, before keep learning more intervals We said before that you have only 12 notes, correct? So the distance from one note to another must be either from 1 to 1 or from 1 to 12. From 1 to 6, or from 1 to 3 or from 1 to 9, Any number from 1 to 12, nothing else...
Notice that there is one distance from 1 to 13, right? The note number 13 is the same note as 1, it it just higher.
It's called, An Octave. Any distance from 1 to 13 is an Octave, From Fa# to the next higher Fa# is an Octave. From B to the next higher B is an Octave... like that An Octave will always be 8 notes higher...If you count ALL the notes, then you have 13 notes distance.
Now, notice the YELLOW color. You have a PERFECT FOURTH and a PERFECT FIFTH. When the distance is 6 notes (counting all the notes) is a Perfect 4th, When the distance is 8 notes, then is a Perfect 5th. Let's say you have a note: Ab
You go higher and higher and count 6 notes: 1-Ab ... 2-A ... 3-Bb ... 4-B ... 5-C ... 6-Db. So a perfect fourth is from Ab to Db, always and the same goes for the perfect 5th, From B to F# is a perfect 5th, why?
You need to count 8 notes, correct? Count all the notes in a chromatic scale, 1-B, 2-C, 3-C#, 4-D, 5-D#, 6-E, 7-F, 8-F#. And you have the note F# or Fa#, so that is why. From B to F# is a perfect 5th (Or from Si to Fa#)
Now, notice the PINK and the BLUE
The blue are minor, the pink are Major
The Major and minor intervals are:
The 2nd, the 3rd, the 6th and the 7th
All those intervals will always have Major and minor
minor 2nd, Major second
minor 3rd, Major 3rd
minor 6th, Major 6th
minor 7th, Major 7th
And you just have to learn and memorize the numbers
2 notes - minor 2nd
3 notes - Major 2nd
4 notes - minor 3rd
5 notes - Major 3rd
We said that the 6 is a Perfect 4th
the 7 , we'll see that next
the 8 is a Perfect Fifth
9 notes - minor 6th
10 notes - Major 6
11 notes - minor 7th
12 notes - Major 7th
Now you do some exercises to understand this much better
And finally we have an interval that is the same interval
Sounds the same, and it has the same distance
But it has a different name
So how do you know, when is Augmented or when is diminished?
Augmented means making it LARGER, or BIGGER
Diminished means making something SMALLER, or REDUCED something
So when the interval is from Do to Fa#
You know that from Do to Fa is a PERFECT 4th
You know is a 4th, because is Do to Fa
So you have 4 notes: Do-Re-Mi-Fa
By making the note Fa, Fa#, you are making the distance Bigger,
So it is an AUGMEMTED 4th
But if the interval is from Do to Solb
Then from Do to Sol, is a 5th
You have 5 notes: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol
But you are Reducing the distance by making the Sol, Solb
So the interval is a diminished 5th
I know it can get confusing
Specially the first time you start to learn all this.
Keep learning, keep reading, ask questions, and you will understand better, in time.
If you don't get it, please ask me any thing you want
Send an e-mail to songnesrequest@gmail.com
I am here to help
Now, go on and do many intervals on your own and practice a lot
And keep learning!
Every scale has a certain order of notes.
The order of the C Scale is: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si-Do.
This order is the same for all Major Scales
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Let's analize the Major Scale
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The distance from Do to Re is a Major Second. a) Because you have two notes (Do-Re) is a 2nd, b) And because there is another note in the middle of the two notes is Major. THe distance is larger. c) In the middle of Do and Re there is a Do# or Reb note, so the total number of notes in this distance or interval, is 3. d) You can also call it "STEP" you have 1 step.
The distance from Re to Mi is a Major Second. a) Because you have two notes (Re-Mi) is a 2nd, b) And because there is another note in the middle of the two notes is Major. THe distance is larger. c) In the middle of Re and Mi there is a Re# or Mib note, so the total number of notes in this distance or interval, is 3. d) You can also call it "STEP" you have 1 step.
The distance from Mi to Fa is a minor Second. a) Because you have two notes (Fa-Mi) is still a 2nd, b) But there is no extra note in the middle of the two notes that's why is a minor. THe distance is smaller. c) In the middle of Mi and Fa there is no note in between, so the total number of notes in this interval, is 2. d) You can also call it "STEP" so from Mi to Fa there is only a Half Step Distance.
The distance from Fa to Sol is a Major Second. a) Because you have two notes (Fa-Sol) is a 2nd, b) And because there is another note in the middle of the two notes is Major. THe distance is larger. c) In the middle of Fa and Sol there is a Fa# or Solb note, so the total number of notes in this distance or interval, is 3. d) You can also call it "STEP" you have 1 step.
The distance from Sol to La is a Major Second. a) Because you have two notes (Sol-La) is a 2nd, b) And because there is another note in the middle of the two notes is Major. THe distance is larger. c) In the middle of Sol and La there is a Sol# or Lab note, so the total number of notes in this distance or interval, is 3. d) You can also call it "STEP" you have 1 step.
The distance from La to Si is a Major Second. a) Because you have two notes (La-Si) is a 2nd, b) And because there is another note in the middle of the two notes is Major. THe distance is larger. c) In the middle of La and Si there is a La# or Sib note, so the total number of notes in this distance or interval, is 3. d) You can also call it "STEP" you have 1 step.
An finally, The distance from Si to Do is a minor Second. a) Because you have two notes (Si-Do) is still a 2nd, b) But there is no extra note in the middle of the two notes that's why is a minor. THe distance is smaller. c) In the middle of Si and Do there is no note in between, so the total number of notes in this interval, is 2. d) You can also call it "STEP" so from Mi to Fa there is only a Half Step Distance.
