Want to know what the ultimate base of all western music is? Well, in my humble opinion, it is the major scale.
Here’s the problem…. Practising scales is generally considered by most people to be as boring as hell. So how do we get around this problem?
- Try to relate scales to actual music, and vice versa
- Look for patterns in your scales and how they can be extended
- Try treat the scales as just one shape, that is started from different points to achieve different sounds
- Use the circle of fifths to figure out how to achieve different modes from a given major scale
- Try to understand that the major scale is absolutely relevant to almost all music that you hear
- Read some of the posts on major scales, modes and the circle of fifths on this site, by clicking on the tags on the right
The major scale really does hold a lot of the answers behind music, if not all of them. Another problem is that there is no point in learning how music works, if there is no creative thought behind writing a song, it will not sound interesting. In fact it’s completely possible to stick to the “rules” of music and write something that is absolutely boring and or just sounds terrible.
But I’m assuming that as you’ve come here, you have some creative flair and know in your own head what sounds good to you. That is sometimes enough to start creating great music. But imagine how many more possibilities there are if you are simply aware of more of those possibilities?
The major scale and the circle of fifths are two things that can help you improve your own song writing and general musical ability. It also makes it much easier for you to figure out how to play songs by ear.
Tags: circle of fifths, major, modes, scale
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