piano-scales

Hosted at https://mikecullimore.github.io/piano-scales/

Purpose: help you to memorise piano scales, by learning some music theory and a few tricks.

TODO

• Add more scales!
• Option to select from list rather than randomise.

Scales in Trinity book

Focus on the scales in this book in grade order.

• Piano Scales & Arpeggios
• For Trinity College London exams from 2015
• Initial - Grade 5
• Trinity College London Press

I find it easier to approach the minor scales in the order natural, harmonic, melodic.

• Natural: as the key signature.
• Harmonic: raised seventh.
• Melodic: raised sixth and seventh ascending, as key signature descending.

Initial

All hands apart i.e. right then left, scales all one octave.

1. C major
2. C major broken triad to 5th
3. A harmonic minor
4. A melodic minor
5. A natural minor
6. A minor broken triad to 5th

Grade 1

1. F major
2. F major broken chord
3. G major
4. G major broken chord
5. D harmonic minor
6. D melodic minor
7. D natural minor
8. D minor broken chord
9. E harmonic minor
10. E melodic minor
11. E natural minor
12. E minor broken chord
13. C major contrary motion scale
14. Chromatic scale in contrary motion hands together starting on D

Grade 2

All two octaves.

1. Bb major
2. Bb major arpeggio
3. D major
4. D major arpeggio
5. G minors (x3)
6. G minor arpeggio
7. B minors (not natural: why?)
8. B minor arpeggio
9. C major contrary motion
10. Chromatic scale in similar motion starting on Bb

Deploy to GitHub Pages

(This applies to any React app.)

Install the GitHub Pages package as a dev dependency:

npm install gh-pages --save-dev

Add the following to package.json:

"homepage": "https://<username>.github.io/<repository-name>",
"scripts": {
  "predeploy": "npm run build",
  "deploy": "gh-pages -d build"
}

Build:

npm run build

Deploy:

npm run deploy

Navigate to the home page!

Worked examples

• Order in which sharps are added: Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket (F C G D A E B).
• Order in which flats are added: reverse it i.e. Blanket Exploded And Dad Got Cold Feet (B E A D G C F).
• For a minor key, work out the relative major.
  • 4 semitones above.
  • Starting note counts as 1.
  • E.g. A minor: 1 = A, 2 = A#/Bb, 3 = B, 4 = C, relative major is C.

C major

• Does it work for C?! So obvious it doesn't need to?
• Leading note is B
• Count to B: Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket: 7...

G major

• Leading note is F.
• Father: first.
• So one sharp: F.

F major

• An exception?
• One flat: Bb.

How to add a new scale.

1. Write Lilypond markup, compile to SVG.
2. Optimise SVG with e.g. https://svgomg.net/