So now that we know about octaves, we know there's 12 notes to work with in Western Music. A scale is a pattern of notes in sequence. Typically, scales start on a note and then end on that same note but in a higher octave. Then you can just repeat the scale again in that higher octave.
There are lots of scales, but the best one to learn first is the major scale. We'll be digging into the major scale a lot and using it as a jumping off point for basically all the other chapters. Since scales are just patterns, let's go over the pattern for the major scale. It's a sequence of whole steps(W) and half steps(H) :
Notice we never said you had to start on any particular note. The scale is just a pattern. You can start on any note, and as long as you apply this pattern you're playing the major scale for that note that you start on. Let's try starting on C:
We just played the C Major Scale. This is because we played the Major Scale Pattern (Whole - Whole - Half - Whole - Whole - Whole - Half), and we started the scale on C. Another way of saying this is that we played the Major Scale with C as our Root Note.
👋 Some people say "Tonic" instead of "Root Note"
We can start on any note we want, and if we play the correct pattern, we will be playing the Major Scale for that Root Note. Here's an example of the D Major Scale.
The thing I'm trying to get across here is that the Major Scale is just a pattern. Once you know the pattern, you can play it for any of the 12 notes as your starting point (Root Note). Let's dig a little deeper into the major scale and drive this home in the next part.