GRADE 3 THEORY COURSE

LESSON 1
New major scales

If we look back on the keys and scales we have learnt so far, we have this list:

C major
G major
F major
D major
A major
A minor
E minor
D minor

Before we proceed with the new keys and scales for Grade 3 Theory, it’s useful to understand how they
are developed from C major.

C major has no sharps and no flats. If you play it on the piano, it is all the white keys from one C to the
next. The next key we learnt was G major, which contains an F#, necessary to make the pattern of tones
and semitones correct within the scale. If we stick with sharp keys for the moment, the next scale to
consider is D major, which has two sharps: F# and C#. Already there is a pattern developing as to the
name of the next scale in the sequence. Can you perhaps see it?

If we start with C, what is the distance from C to G (the next sharp scale)?

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

C, D, E, F, G…..it’s a perfect fifth.

Now let’s start at G and go up to D.

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

G, A, B, C, D…..again it’s a perfect fifth.

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We know that A major has three sharps: F#, C# and G#. What is the distance from D to A?

Let’s count it up again:

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

D, E, F#, G, A.

Again, it’s a perfect fifth.

What we’re beginning to uncover here is that if we go up sharpwise from C major, the keys seem to go up
in perfect fifths.

Let’s test this further by introducing the next sharp scale, the first new scale for Grade 3, which is E major.
E major has four sharps: F#, C#, G# and D#.

œ #œ #œ œ
& œ #œ #œ œ

The key signature for E major looks like this:

####
&

? ####

What is the distance from A to E?

Let’s count up from A:

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

A, B, C#, D, E.

Again, it’s a perfect fifth.

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Let’s arrange all of this into a diagram:
C

C-G-D-A-E (C at the top working around to the left)

Let’s now have a look at the flat scales we have learnt.

The first flat scale we learnt was F major. It has a Bb, necessary to make the sequence of tones and
semitones in the scale correct.

If we work backwards, counting up from F to C, what interval do we get?

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

F, G, A, Bb, C….it’s a perfect fifth.

Let’s place F major into the diagram, on the other side of C.

G F

So far, we’ve only looked at major scales but how are minor scales organised?

The first minor scale we learnt was A minor.

A minor is the relative minor of C major, that is, it is related to C major by key signature. You may
remember that each key signature has a major and minor scale that are associated with it.

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Here is the scale of A minor.

œ œ #œ œ
& œ œ œ œ

Can you remember the positions of all the tones and semitones?

In a minor scale, the semitones fall between the 2nd and 3rd, 5th and 6th, and the 7th and 8th degrees of
the scale. Major scales contain only two semitones; between the 3rd and 4th, and 7th and 8th degrees of
the scale. How else does a minor scale differ from a major scale? Remember that we raise the 7th degree
of a minor scale up a semitone to ensure that there is a semitone between the 7th and 8th degrees.
Because of this, the interval between the 6th and 7th degrees is a tone-and-a-half. All harmonic minor
scales contain this interval.

Let’s now look at the key signature of one sharp, F#. This indicates either G major, or E minor (remember
that E minor contains D# as the raised 7th). What about the key signature of one flat, Bb? This indicates
either F major, or D minor (remember that D minor contains C# as the raised 7th). If we start to arrange
these as we did the major scales, is there a pattern that emerges?

E D

What is the interval between A and E? It’s a perfect fifth. And the interval between D and A? Again, it’s a
perfect fifth. So, it would seem that minor scales are just like their major counterparts in that if we think
sharpwise then they go up in perfect fifths.

Let’s now look at the other new scales for Grade 3.

Here is the scale of F major.

bœ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ

If we divide the scale into two tetrachords (in a major or minor scale, tetrachords are formed from the
upper or lower four notes), here is the result:

œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ bœ

The next flat scale is built down from the lower tetrachord of F major. This is Bb major.

& bœ œ œ œ bœ
bœ œ œ

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Bb major contains two flats; Bb and Eb. Note that there are three flats in the scale above because Bb is
required twice, at the beginning and at the end of the scale. The Eb is required to make the pattern of
tones and semitones correct for a major scale. The key signature for Bb major looks like this:

b
&b

? bb

Let’s now divide this scale into two tetrachords.

& bœ œ œ œ bœ
bœ œ œ

The next flat scale in built down from the lower tetrachord of Bb major. This will be Eb major.

bœ bœ œ œ bœ
& bœ œ œ

Another flat is required, this time Ab, to make the pattern of tones and semitones correct. The key
signature for Eb major looks like this:

b
&b b

?b
bb
For the last new scale in Grade 3 we repeat this process again, dividing the scale of Eb major into two
tetrachords.

bœ bœ œ œ bœ
& bœ œ œ

Taking the lower tetrachord as the starting point we can construct Ab major, which is the next flat scale.
The new flat required is Db, needed to make the sequence of tones and semitones correct.

& bœ œ œ bœ
bœ bœ œ bœ

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The key signature for Ab major looks like this:

bbbb
&

? bb
bb
Now that we have learnt all the new scales for Grade 3, let’s return to the diagram we were working on
earlier.

F major was the last flat key that we considered. It contains one flat, Bb. The scale with two flats was Bb
major. Following the pattern that was established before, what is the interval from Bb to F? If we refer to
the scale above, we can see that Bb to F is a perfect fifth.

Bb, C, D, Eb, F

Let’s place Bb major into the diagram.

G F

D Bb

The scale with three flats was Eb major. What is the distance from Eb to Bb? Using the scale above, we can
see that it is a perfect fifth.

Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb.

Let’s place Eb major into the diagram.

G F

D Bb

A Eb

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Lastly, let’s consider Ab major. What is the interval from Ab to Eb? If we look at the scale above we can see
that it’s a perfect fifth.

So, let’s complete the table above with all the major scales we now know.

G F

D Bb

A Eb

E Ab

It’s clear that if we think in a sharpwise direction, the letter name of each new scale will be a perfect fifth
above the one we start on. So, if we start at Ab, for example, we can work all the way around to E major
simply by counting up in perfect fifths as we go.

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