For this class, you need to be able to spell all major and minor scales and chords.

If you don't already know these things automatically (that is: by heart, from memory — however you want to call it), then you can use the information on this page to help you catch up. This is a very simplified version; if you are in music fundamentals (1.4), then you should learn the whole story in that class.

To start, you must know the difference between a half step and a whole step:

• if you are looking at a piano, any two adjacent keys, regardless of color, forms a half step. if there is a key inbetween, again regardless of color, then it's a whole step.
• you can also use a fingering chart to figure out half and whole steps. Adjacent measures form half steps (make sure you use different letter names); skip a measure, and it's a whole step.

The pitfalls are B-C and E-F which are half steps.

Scales

Scales (or modes) are a collection of notes arranged by the smallest intervals, usually steps. For this class, you are responsible for major and minor scales.

The step pattern for a major scale is WWHWWWH. W = whole step, H = half step. If you start on any pitch and follow this pattern, you will get a major scale. Make that each note has a different letter name.

wrong: CDEE#GABC
right: CDEFGABC

There are three types of minor scales. I won't go into why here. For now, just blindly accept it. (I hate to say these things, but I'm trying to be brief.) Each scale has a different pattern.

natural minor: WHWWHWW
harmonic minor: WHWWH+2W*
melodic minor: WHWWWWH

* +2 is an augmented second. If this is totally confusing, here is an alternative to figuring out the harmonic minor: figure out the natural minor, then raise the seventh scale degree up a half step.

When spelling scales, ignore the scales that cause double sharps or double flats.

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You must be able to spell all scales from memory at a fairly rapid pace. If you have to think about it, that's too slow. It has to be automatic. I can't stress this enough! You should also be able to sing them and play them on your main instrument (singers should be able to play them on piano), with the same sense of ease.
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Chords

You can build all the chords you need for this class by stacking notes of the scale. We can assign each note in the scale a number (1-7) in order to figure out the spelling of chords. These numbers are called scale degree.

For example, in a C major scale:

CDEFGABC

C=1, D = 2, E = 3, F = 4, G = 5, A = 6, B = 7, C = 8 or 1

Any major chord is built from scale degrees 1-3-5 of any major scale.
Any minor chord is built from scale degrees 1-3-5 of any minor scale.

You can also use solfege (moveable do, as we use in class):
Any major chord is built from do-mi-sol.
Any minor chord is built from la-do-mi.

In the same way you need to know all of your scales by heart, you should know all of your chords by heart, too.

more about chords:

for this class and just about any other music class you take in this country, we identify chords by their scale degree and roman numerals.

chords using only the major scale pitches (diatonic):

minor scales are more complicated. here are the most common chords in minor:

other chords are possible, using a combination of all of the three minor scales.

You should know these charts by heart, so that if I ask "what's the vi chord in F# major?" you'll know right away.