Name _________________________________

Tutor Group _____________

Year 8
Scales & Stepwise
Movement Project

Important and Relevant Words

_________________________ Major
_________________________ Tonic
__________________________ Tone
____________________________ Key
______________________ Chromatic
_________________________________
Minor ___________________________
Dominant ________________________
Semitone ________________________
Scale ____________________________
Pentatonic _______________________
_________________________________

_________________________ Interval Flattened 3rd & 6th _________________

1
 Key to symbols:
= playing or writing activity instructions
= information you need
= extension task
 Introduction to Scales
1. A scale is a collection of minimum 8 notes that you use to make up a piece of music

2. Scales have notes that are next to each other so theyre easy to learn

3. A scale starts and ends on the same note - C major starts and ends on C

4. Each note in a scale (1-8) has a special name.

The ones we use most are : 1st note = Tonic. 5th note = Dominant
We often use these notes to create an Ostinato: (In C this is C+G) (In G this is ___ + ___)

5. If you make up a piece of music using the scale C major, it is in C major

6. Major scales have gaps between the notes which usually result in happy sounding music

7. Gaps between notes in Minor scales allow you to create sadder and more exotic music

Learn to play C major and C minor scales up and down noting the differences
Use your fingers in this order: thumb, index, middle, then thumb underneath

Once youve played the scales of C major and C minor, play the scales below. Notice
how you need to use a mixture of white / black notes but they still sound similar.
Once youve gone up the scale, go down again using the same notes

Work out which notes of the 8 notes are different in a major / minor scale.
Which number notes (1-8) have changed? ____ _____
Here are a couple of other major and minor scales to try:
 ** ** ** **

Ostinato: *D* *A*

** ** ** **

Ostinato: *F* *C*

Extension

Have a go at making up a melody that uses the highest 4

notes of a minor scale adding a tonic + dominant ostinato
using the notes marked **

Take a simple tune (e.g. Twinkle Twinkle) and make it minor swap E for Eb (note
3) and A for Ab (note 6) CCGGAAG FFEEDDC

How would you make chords C & F major into C minor and F minor? Swap in
the notes that would make them minor.

Other examples of tunes you might change to minor from major: Jingle Bells;
Titanic; Mary had a little lamb; Joy to the World (3rd & 6th notes)

Or from minor to major: The Funeral March; We 3 Kings;

By knowing the gaps between notes in a major or minor scale, you can work out
any major or minor scale. Can you work out the notes for E major and E minor? A
major and A minor? Just follow the guidelines for where the tones and semitones
are. What about working out some scales that start on black notes too.?

In all minor scales, the gap between notes 6 and 7 sounds Arabian. The interval
here is called an Augmented 2nd which is the same as a tone + semitone. In a
scale like D minor, this gap is between 2 black notes, so is easy to remember.

A Groovy Kind of Love

 Here is a simple tune, in the scale of C major, which has these notes in it:

C __ __ __ __ __ __ __

The gap between one C and the next C (8 notes away) is called an
__________________

A Groovy Kind of Love was originally played and sung by ___________

________________ in the decade of the _____________.

What do you notice about the notes in each line? _______________________

____________________________________________________________________

We are going to sing this tune, and then learn to play it and add the chords, which

are the capital letters above the tune. The notes of the chords are below:

Chords : C = ceg Dm = dfa Em = egb F = fac G = gbd

When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do

Is take a look at you, then I'm not so blue
When you're close to me I can feel your heart beat
I can hear you breathing, in my ear
Wouldn't you agree? Baby, you and me got a groovy kind of love

This is a love song. Change the voice on your keyboard so it sounds more
romantic
Play the chords in different ways broken chords = flowing and romantic; blues
chords = melancholic; funky chords = more upbeat
Replace the Es and As with Eb and Ab in the melody to make it minor.
Make the chords minor to fit the new notes try some broken chords, or jazzy
chords
 Tones and Semitones
The intervals (or gaps) between notes in scales are usually semitones or tones.
A semitone is the smallest gap on a keyboard between a neighbouring black
and a white note or, on a guitar, between 2 neighbouring frets. e.g. C-C#

Semitones are great for creating different moods in music sinister and comedy!
A tone is made up of two semitones C-D (missing out C#) or E-F# (missing out F)

Fill in whether the intervals between

these notes are tones (T) or semitones (S):

E-Eb _____ F-G _____ Bb-C _____

F-E _____ E-F# _____ Bb-G# _____

Here are some simple, famous tunes that contain

lots of semitones and tones.
Play the tunes and listen out for the effects that the semitones create
Draw a line between some of the notes where there is a semitone


The Other Scales: Part I

We have met 2 scales so far M __ __ __ __ and M __ __ __ __

Major music generally has a mood which is ___________

Minor music sounds _________ and can also sound ______________________

Today we meet the Chromatic scale which can sound comical and SCARY

It is easy to remember as it uses ALL 12 of the black & white notes

Fill in the notes of the Chromatic Scale:

Chrom
atic
scale
notes

We are going to:

1. learn to play the Chromatic scale
2. try out some tunes that use lots of Chromatic notes
3. compose some Chromatic musical ideas

Because there are 12 notes, you need to use your fingers with skill

You will only use your thumb, index and middle fingers and will crawl about
the keyboard a bit like Incy Wincy Spider! Have a go!
 Have a go at playing some of these short, Chromatic tunes
Watch which fingers you play them with though

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Extension: Try adding a repeated Bb ostinato in the bass going down to F# and up again

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Chromatic Practical
Using the skills that you have gained through playing these Chromatic tunes, we
are going to make up our own chromatic tunes and ideas.

Dont forget that the voice or instrument that you use can make a big
difference in making it sound scary or dramatic.

Try using some long and some short notes for contrast.

Make sure that you write down what you have done as you will need this for the
assessment at the end of the project this may be the sound on the keyboard
that you have selected as well as a set of notes.

o Turn the page for ideas

Chilling notesslow, echoing sounds
Unusual rhythms unpredictable
effect
Slow, ghostly soundsusing dissonant, clashing notes

Ostinatos repeating again and again

Creepy noises
Mixture of black and white notes
Circus echoes with honky-tonk piano

My Chromatic notes and composing ideas go hereany voices combinations of

sounds that are really effectivetry making up a spooky story to help you get
started with the mood

Extension

Have you tried adding a creepy, Chromatic Ostinato to your idea a repeating
pattern of a few notes?

What about some rests in your piece do you recognise this piece here that
has lots of gaps in and only uses two notes? The double bass is even lower than
you think.

F F Gb F Gb F F Gb F Gb ..

Think of your piece of music as a soundtrack to go with a scary story the

possibilities are endless
 The Other Scales: Part II

Today we meet the Pentatonic Scale.

It is easy to remember as it only has ___ notes in it and you can play these
as all white or all black notes. Fill in the names of the notes:

Pentatonic scale
with black notes
only
Pentatonic scale
with white notes
only

Using only these notes, try them out all black notes or all white notes

Try 1 note at a time, then try 2 notes at a time

Try making patterns with the black notes symmetrical and asymmetrical

Try to be original with the sounds you create dont just play things
that you already know using these notes.

Where in the world might you be now? ________________________

Write down some of the ideas, voices and combinations of notes below.
 Final Assessed Scales Practical

We have met 4 types of scale:

Major Minor Chromatic Pentatonic

This means we can make up music in all types of mood and character.

Our end-of-project task is going to make use of all 4 of these.

Create a piece that is in at least 4 sections one section demonstrating

each scale with a different mood

You can use tunes that are already made up by somebody if you like

You will get a higher level if you make up your own ideas, develop them and
manage to capture the mood you intend to achieve

Name of Scale Details of my work notes and settings

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

What level am I?
 Read through and tick the statements that apply to you and your work.

Level 3
I can create different moods with major, minor, pentatonic or chromatic scales
I can explain what notes I have to use to create the different moods
I have used different tempos (speeds) in my piece
I can make improvements to my own work and explain this
I have made a piece containing 2 / 3 / 4 sections (circle the right number)

Level 4
I can create at least 3 different moods with major/minor/pentatonic/chromatic scales
I can play at the same time as other people and fit in with their music
I have used different dynamics and tempos (speeds) in my piece
I have made up at least 1 of my own sections using different scales
I have created my own musical ideas and have developed them in my piece
I have used chords to good effect at some point in my piece
I can suggest improvements to my own work and to others work
I can describe and explain how I have created different moods
I can explain what I would have to do differently to change my piece

Level 5
I have created at least 4 different moods with scales and know the effect this has
I have written down lots of my ideas using notation or note names
I have used chords and have varied them to change the effect of my piece
I can describe the notes that each of the different scales uses
I have created music for different occasions and purposes through the scales
I have made up at least 2 of my own sections of music
I have improved my work through: dynamics, tempo, sounds, atmosphere
I have taken a leading role in my group when we perform and plan

Level 6
I have created different moods and different styles through scales and chords
I know how to achieve different musical effects through developing musical ideas
I can describe my work using technical terms
I made up some of my sections or have adapted pieces to make them my own
I can suggest improvements to my own and others work
I can fit my line of music with others even if they make mistakes
I have developed some composition ideas in my piece
I have improved my work through: dynamics, tempo, phrasing, sounds, atmosphere
I know what I would have to do to make my music suit different times /places /venues
Extension-issimo - Are there any other scales in addition to Major, Minor,
Pentatonic or Chromatic? Yes read on

We already know about the Blues Scale. The combination of intervals here
makes it sound jazzy. Here it is in C:

Modes, for further research

o These are what music before the 1600s was built on. A lot of folk tunes, like
Greensleeves, are written using modes.
o Modes you might hear of, particularly in guitar playing are:
Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Ionian, Locrian

The Whole Tone scale.

o This is a distinctive sound, associated with the French composer called Claude
Debussy (1862-1918)
o It contains no semitones, only 6 whole tones.
o As a result of this, it is hard to make it sound finished at the end of a piece you
cant have a proper perfect cadence (chords V-I)
o Debussys music was described as Impressionistic which can mean open to
interpretation or floaty or unclear. Try it out to see if you can understand
what this means. If you are using a real piano, you can use the sustain pedal to
enhance this effect.
o Here are the notes in the 2 different combinations of notes you can start on any
note as the intervals are all the same

You could find out the names of some of the music by Debussy that is whole-
tone and listen to it, learn to play it (he wrote a lot of piano music) or create some
yourself

The Octatonic or Diminished Scale

o This is far more advanced and is made up of 8 notes which are alternate whole
tone and semitones.
o It can be used in jazz and also by composers who love playing with symmetry

Further research. There really are endless other scales hexatonic, heptatonic, jazz,
microtonal The ones that we have covered in this project are the ones that appear
the most often in the music that we will encounter.