Crash-Course Piano – LESSON 1…
I have thought about this one many times before
but in having taught piano for 5 years now – I know I am not a professional
piano teacher – but if you are looking for instant lessons… check this out…
Important to know where the notes are:
Find Middle C on this keyboard. Every “C” on
the keyboard is found in the same position… Just to the left of the two black
notes that are together. There are only 7 letters that keep running in alphabetical
order right across the key board. – Try and call them out as you play them… An “octave”
is from one same letter to the same letter 8 notes up or down eg… C to C…
When you are familiar with their positions we
can learn scales…
Scales:
If you know your scales you can learn to form chords…
So let’s start here… There are many different scales but we’re going to start
off with the easiest one…
THE MAJOR SCALE:
The Major Scale has a specific pattern to it,
but before I teach you the pattern take a look at the key board above. We’ll
start off with the C Major Scale, so find Middle C… The very next note on the
piano is a semi-tone/half note up – that note is C#/Db… If you go back to
middle C and then go to “B” from there, you have taken half a tone/step back…
To take a whole tone/step forward from C you’d half to add two halves… which
means a whole tone forward would put you on “D” and if you want to take a whole
step/tone back from “C” you’d end up on A#/Bb. Make sense? Alright, let’s move
on…
Here is the pattern
for the MAJOR SCALES: You try complete the rest…
|
MAJOR SCALE
|
Root / Starting Note
|
Whole Step/
tone
|
Whole Step/
tone
|
Half Step/
semi-tone
|
Whole Step/
tone
|
Whole Step/
tone
|
Whole Step/
tone
|
Half Step/
semi-tone
|
|
C Major
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
|
D Major
|
D
|
E
|
F#
|
G
|
A
|
B
|
C#
|
D
|
|
E Major
|
E
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F Major
|
F
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
G Major
|
G
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Major
|
A
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B Major
|
B
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
These are your basic major scales… Major scales
can start on a Bb for example… The same pattern will be used to calculate the Bb
MAJOR SCALE as the pattern of steps/tones we used above… If you are keen on
mastering those – go for it! J You will need them… Try some starting on G#
and Eb to see the pattern remains the same…
Practise your scales by playing them using 3
fingers first: thumb(1), index finger(2) and middle finger(3) and then tucking
your thumb under the index finger to play the next note… complete the scale
with the rest of your fingers…
eg… C
MAJOR SCALE:
The only MAJOR Scale your fingers
may be placed differently in the F MAJOR
SCALE… There your numbers run to 4:
RH: 1, 2, 3, 4, tuck thumb under 1, 2, 3, 4
Our Next lesson Will Cover working our Major and minor
Chords… J
