 The objective for this lesson is to introduce the concept of a major scale. Now, to do major scales, we're going to use whole steps and half steps, which we learned all about in last lesson. We're going to use sharps and flats, which we learned about in the last lesson, and we're ready to get going. So, let's begin. A scale is a series of notes, and they fit into a predetermined pattern of whole steps and half steps. The pattern of a set of a major scale involves eight notes. Now, the pattern is whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. Now, you need to memorize this pattern. This is the pattern of a major scale, and we will refer back to this pattern throughout the entire trimester. So, it's really important that you memorize the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Now, every major scale uses all of the adjacent letters from one letter to the next time it occurs. So, how would we do that? Let's do it this way. Let's just use an example of the D major scale. If we start on D, the first and last letter of the D major scale has to be the name of the scale, or what we also call the tonic. Okay? Now, from there, we have to use every letter in the musical alphabet. So, E is second, F, G, A, B, C, and D. So, this gets us about halfway there on the major scale. Now, the next thing we have to do is to take a look at this whole step, whole step, half step pattern. Compare it to the piano keyboard and make sure that it lines up. So, let's do that. We're going to start here with the note D, okay? Now, you can see here that from D to E has to be a whole step. From D to E, half step, half step, it in fact is a whole step from D to E. Now, from E to F is also supposed to be a whole step. Well, here's E, and here's F, that's just a half step. So, we have to go another half step, giving us that whole step, and that would be F sharp. So, we have to change that F to F sharp to accurately fit into the D major scale. From F sharp to G is supposed to be a half step. So, here's our F sharp, there's our G, in fact it is a half step. G to A is a whole step, half step, half step, there's our A, that works. A to B is a whole step, half step, half step, for a whole step, that works. B to C is supposed to be a whole step, B, uh-oh, there's C, that's just a half step. We have to go one more, that C will be C sharp. And now, from C sharp to D is supposed to be a half step, and in fact that works out. And if you do it correctly, the first and the last letters will fit in there perfectly and the pattern will work. This pattern will always work for every single major scale. So again, the first thing you do is remember the pattern, then you write down the letter names, D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D, and then you go back and figure out the sharps and or flats, wherever they may be. And then you're all set. In this lesson, we're going to be constructing major scales from lots of different tonics. So if you take a look at lesson two, assignment one, you will see something that looks like the following. Let's go to number four to use as an example today. If we look at number four, we have an E-flat major scale. So here's the way I want you to do this. Before you write any notes on the staff, I really recommend that you write the letter names, E-flat to E-flat. And now we know we're going to use every letter name, F-G-A-B-C-D and E-flat. Put in your whole step, half step pattern, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half. Refer back to your piano keyboard all the time. From E-flat to F needs to be a whole step. Let's find our E-flat. Here's E-flat, one, two. There's F, so that's fine. F-G needs to be a whole step. F-G, one, two. It is in fact a whole step. G-A needs to be a half step. Here's G. There's a half step. Oh, there it is. That's got to have a flat with it. Here's F-G, one, two. F-G, one, two. And then E-flat, one, two. There's F-F. F-G needs to be a whole step. There it is. That's got to have a flat with it. So let's go ahead and make that A a flat. Now A flat to B has to be a whole step. 1, 2. It's got to be B flat. So we need to make that a B flat. B flat to C whole step. B flat 1, 2 to C. There's your whole step. C to D whole step. 1, 2. Yep, whole step. And then D to E, half step. And in fact, or excuse me, D to E flat, half step. And there's your E flat. In fact, that works out. So this E flat, F, G, A flat, B flat, C, D, E flat is the E flat major scale. Now once you have that, then write it in. Here's your E right here. So I'm going to put a flat sign. And here's a rule that you need to remember. When you're writing the letter names, the flat sign comes after the name of the note. But when you're writing the actual note, the flat sign comes before the note. So there's E flat, F, G, A flat, B flat, C, D, E flat. And then we do the same thing on the lower staff. This is your note E. So let's make it E flat, F, G, A flat, B flat, C, D. There's a ledger line and E flat. This would be number four correctly done. And I'd like you to do that for all of the examples on page nine and page 10 of Linear Pitch, lesson two, assignment one.