QUICK NOTES FOR

MAKENI DISTRICT
SENDA MUSIC CAMP
THEORY CLASS

These notes are to be used

for guidance purposes and
not as the sole source
material. Teachers are
encouraged to do further
research on suggested
topics.
 Each line or space on
the staff is for its
NOTES
own note.

Some free-standing notes

The most basic elements in music is the note.

In written music, it might look like this:

Or this (if there are more than one):

or
a staff with no notes on it
THE STAFF

The five horizontal lines on which the notes sit are called a staff.

Notes represent sounds called pitches. Because music employs a set of pitches (ranging from low to high),
the staff acts like a map for the notes--allowing us to hear, read or write them as:

Higher
(Higher on the staff)

Lower
(Lower on the staff)

We read the sequence of notes from left to right.

Another way to understand the idea of pitches being lower or higher is to compare it to bears and birds.
A bear's voice is low-pitched, while the voice of a bird's is high (this explanation works well for children!).
A less musically specific term for pitch is frequency, which is also referred to as low or high.

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 CLEFS

The clef, a symbol that sits at the leftmost side of the staff, specifies which lines and spaces belong to which
notes. In a sense, the clef calibrates or orients the staff to specific notes.

The three most common clefs are:

The Treble clef for high range notes

The Bass clef for low range notes

The Alto clef for middle range notes

The Treble clef (also called the G Clef because it looks like a calligraphic "G") works as follows:

Notice that the curl of

the clef circles the line
that will be the note G
(the 2nd line from the bottom).
The G note on the G line

The Bass clef (also called the F Clef because it looks like an "F") works as follows:

The F note on the F line

The two dots surround the
line that will be the note F
(the 4th line).

The Alto clef (also called the C Clef):

Although it is important to
know about the Alto Clef,
we will spend more time
talking about and
The two curls pinch the The C note on the C line working with the Treble
C line (the 3rd line). and Bass Clefs.
LEDGER LINES

For situations where we need to go beyond the outer limits of either staff, we use short lines called
Ledger Lines which are placed above or below that staff. In effect, ledger lines extend the range of the
staff(s).

In the diagram below, we see upper and lower ledger lines in both the bass and treble staffs. Note that
the first ledger line above the bass staff and the first ledger line below the treble staff represent the same
C in the same register: Middle C.

The upper ledger lines of the bass staff and the lower ledger lines of the treble staff share the same notes.
They overlap.

This A is on the This C is on the

first ledger line second ledger line

Middle C
Notice that the ledger lines follow
the same spacing as the staff lines

This C is on the
second lower ledger
line
THE GRAND STAFF Pianists read from the Grand Staff!

Often it is necessary to use notes that are far above the bass clef or far below the treble clef, such as
when we use a wide range instrument like the piano. Rather than use many, many ledger lines on one
staff (which can be hard to count), we can combine two staffs at once to cover this wider range.

When we combine the bass and treble staffs into one larger staff, we connect them with a line and a brace
on the left-hand side. This new concoction is appropriately called the Grand Staff.

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 These are the
exact same notes
on each staff!

The Grand Staff, which combines Here we see how the middle notes overlap so that
the bass and treble staffs. in certain cases, there would be two ways to
write the same exact note on a grand staff.

ACCIDENTALS
C# D# F# G# A#
Db Eb Gb Ab Bb
Accidentals are symbols that lower or raise a note, usually by a half step(semi tone)

If we raise a note, we use a sharp sign: #. if we lower a note, we use a flat sign: b.

To cancel or deactivate a previous sharp or flat, we use a natural sign: n

In music notation, the accidental sign is placed to the left of the note head. When we speak or write about
such notes, the words "flat", "sharp", or "natural" go after the note name.

A flat (Ab)

A flat = Ab ==
The three accidentals

# Sharp #

b Flat
 D sharp = D# =

= n Natural

To cancel an accidental with the natural sign:

Notice that each accidental is

centered on the lines or
spaces of the staff exactly as
is its corresponding note.

To put it another way, the natural sign changes the note in the opposite direction to that of the previous
accidental. A natural raises a note that had been previously flat, or lowers a note that had been previously
sharp.

ENHARMONIC EQUIVALENCE

Combining our knowledge of half and whole steps with our knowledge of accidentals, we encounter a
new idea: Enharmonic Notes:

These notes are

enharmonically C D F G A C D
equivalent D E G A B D E

F E C B

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 The note a half step above G is G#. But that note is also a half step below A, so it is also Ab. So Ab
and G# are Therefore,
enharmonic notes. We can also say that they are enharmonically equivalent: Ab is harmonically

equivalent to G#. To put it simply: THEY SOUND THE SAME.

is enharmonicallyk equivalent to

Ab G#
(they sound the same)

Strange as it seems, the note above E (normally called F) could also be E sharp (E#). And the note
below F (normally E) could also be called F flat (F ). Similarly, this applies to the notes B and C, where
C can be enharmonically named B sharp (#B ), and B can be enharmonically named C flat (bC ).

sounds same asthe and sounsame ds asthe

C B# Cb B

At first glance, it seems more complicated to have more than one note name for the same sounding
pitch, but there will be situations where it will seem more logical to have a B sharp rather than a C
natural.

DOUBLE ACCIDENTALS
Accidentals raises or lowers a pitch by half steps. To make matters even more complicated, it is
also possible to have double accidentals. These raise or lower a note by two half steps (two semi
tones or a full tone)

D double sharp B double flat

In terms of enharmonic equivalency, D double sharp is played and sounds like E.

B double flat is played and sounds like A.
 D double sharp B double flat

sounds
same as

D double sharp E natural B double flat A natural

NOTE VALUES

Since not all notes sound for the same length of time (some notes sound short or fast while others sound
long and slow), we use note values to indicate the duration of a note.

Note values are expressed as relative lengths to one and other by a factor of two:

A whole note or a semi A half note or a minim is

breve is written as an an open oval with a stem
open oval attached to one side of it

A quarter note or a An eighth note or a quaver is

crotchet is a a closed oval with a stem and
closed oval with a flag
a stem

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MEASURE, BAR LINE
Music, and the music staff is usually divided into equal parts by vertical lines called Bar Lines. By
equal, we mean equal in length of time. The space created by two bar lines is called either a Measure or
a Bar. In jazz, classical, or rock music, either term is acceptable and interchangeable.

Bar lines go all the way through the staff. On the grand staff, the bar lines go through the entire staff.

Measure or Bar

Notice that the bar line runs all

the way through on the grand staff

Bar Lines
Bar Line

The distance between bar lines may vary depending on the number of notes:

Notice that the sums of the note values are the

same in each measure. This reinforces the notion
that each bar "measures" the same amount of time
equally, regardless of how wide it is. Within each
measure is an equal number of beats.
a w ider me asure to accommoda te
more notes

There is never a bar line at the beginning of a single

staff (unlike the grand staff, which has the line).

When a piece of music ends (or when a movement ends), the final bar line is a Double Bar:
a thin line followed by a thicker line.

Double Bar
 TIME SIGNATURE

Like a clef, a Time Signature goes at the left side of the staff, but to the right of the clef. It consists of
two numbers arranged vertically.

A clef calibrates the notes onUnlike this clef, the time signature a staff. The time
signaturedoes not extend beyond the top calibrates the beats in eachand bottom lines of

the staff 4 measure.

The upper number indicates how many beats (or counts, or pulses) are in each measure.

The lower number indicates which type of note value counts for one beat.

Four "beats" in each measure

In 4/4 time, the quarter note (as in 1/4th) counts for one beat (we say "gets" the beat)
and there are four beats per measure.

The attack of each "Ta" is perfectly even, ...or we could use numbers (EVENLY!): like the even

ticking of a clock.
Notice that we start counting over when we cross the bar line.

TIME SIGNATURES Continued

The same time signature concept applies to other situations:

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If we have a 3/4 time signature, it means that there are three quarter notes per measure and that the quarter
note gets the beat.

Three bars of 3/4 . The note values add up to three quarter notes in each bar.

(a whole note w is too big to fit into a 3/4 measure!)

If we have a 2/4 time signature, there are two quarter notes per measure and the quarter note gets the beat.

A mixture of notes values in 2/4 time. Again, notice that the note values in each measure always add
up to two quarter notes, even the 8 sixteenths at the far right.

While we will limit our discussion for the moment to the 4/4, 3/4 & 2/4 time signatures, many time
signatures are possible. Just remember that the bottom number symbolizes a note value, which is either 1, or
a multiple of two (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64). We rarely get to 64th notes, but they are theoretically possible. As
far as the top number is concerned, it could be any odd or even number.

BEAT EMPHASIS

In classical music, the first beat of the measure in any time signature usually receives more emphasis than the
other beats in the measure. We often use the word Accented to refer to something being emphasized.

The first beat of each measure is slightly accented

Hence the reason for different time signatures! Each time signature has its own rhythmic characteristic
and feel. The relationship between the more and less emphasized beats (often called strong and weak)
will vary depending on the time signature. Above, the strong (or accented) 1 is separated by a different
number of weak beats according to the time signature.
 PUTTING NOTES INTO PRACTICE

As we begin to apply notes and time signatures to performance practice, there are a few standard labels and
methods with which to familiarize ourselves.
We can sing rhythms by either the "Ta" methods or the counting method. Both approaches are useful, so it is
recommended that all rhythm exercises be practiced both ways.

When we Ta, we reiterate the Ta for each new note value and we hold the Ta for the duration of the value:

Ta Ta Taaaaaaaa Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta

The Ta is held for the full count of a half note (two beats)

When we count, we only pronounce the number that corresponds to the note we attack:

(4) (2) (2) (3) (4)

1 2 3----------- 1----------- 3 4 1---------------------

The "threeee" holds for the

full length of two quarter notes

COUNTING EIGHTH NOTES

When an eighth note falls on the second half of a quarter beat (since there are two eighths per quarter), we say
"and" ("&"):

1 & 2 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 (4)

We say that the second eighth (the "&") is the "upbeat" or the "off beat" because it sounds opposite the
actual beat (or pulse) of the measure. To that end, the first eighth could be called the "downbeat" because
it coincides with the pulse of the quarter note (which is also on the downbeat).

If we liken this to what happens at the start of a race, "ready and set and go!", ready, set, and go are the pulses
(downbeats) of the phrase and the ands are the upbeats.

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 Ready & set & GO!
In fact, that phrase is purposely said in a steady and even rhythm so that the GO will predictably land on the
third beat; allowing for everyone to start at the same time.

COUNTING SIXTEENTH NOTES

Sixteenth note counting follows the same principle as eighth note counting.
Because there are four sixteenth notes for every quarter note, (and two per every eighth), we need some more
sounds to make the counting work: "e" and "a".

1 e & a 2 e & a

In relation to the quarter and eighth pulses, we can chart out a comparison:

Now that we have all the necessary components to perform basic note values in our three time signatures,
here are some examples illustrating the counting method:
 RESTS

Music is not music without silence. Spaces of silence in music are as important as pauses in speech and
periods after sentences. And if not for any aesthetic reason, one of the most basic and ancient instruments
(the voice) needs silences and rests to allow for the fundamental act of breathing. We rest from playing or
singing but we do not rest from counting. In other words, rests help us count the silent beats.

Here they are:

Note the
placement of each rest as it
Whole Rest relates to the third space of
the staff
Half Rest Quarter Rest Eighth Rest Sixteenth Rest

There is an exception regarding the whole rest. In 4/4 time, it represents a whole measure of rest (four

beats). But the whole rest also represents a whole measure of rest in 3/4 time (three beats) and 2/4 time

(two beats). The whole rest can be used to indicate a silent bar or measure.

This exception is not exactly logical since it does correspond with its note values counterparts, but it is
convenient and economical in that one symbol can accommodate more than one time signature.

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 This rule means that we do ¾ not use a two-beat half rest in 2/4 time, nor do we use a three-beat

combination of a half and a quarter rest in time to represent a whole measures of rest.

With the exception of the space

that the time signature takes up,
a whole rest is placed in the
middle of the measure.
The whole rest represents a full measure of rest in any
time signature, so the number of beats it represents
changes according to the time signature

Here are some examples of

rests and notes in action.

Do not try to sing or tap out these

rhythms, they are too complicated. But take a moment to observe that the combination of rests and
notes in each measure always adds up to a
whole measure's worth of beats.

Also, notice that the largest possible rest

value is always used (a quarter instead of two eighths, or a half instead of two quarters).

THE DOT .
The Augmentation Dot

Once we have obtained a grasp of rests and note values, it will be easier to understand that some
very basic 4/4 durations are not notatable (yet!). For example, how would we notate a pitch for
three beats? The factor-of-two relationships between note values leaves out odd numbers (except,
of course, 1) and many even numbers of note values.
But when an Augmentation dot is placed after a note (of any note value), it increases (augments) the note's
duration by half of the original value.

Examples:
The dot functions the same for rests, increasing a rest's value by one half of the original value.

You can't have

six beats in 4/4
measure

Take the time to count the total values of notes and rests in each measure

TIES

There is still one missing element in our note value scheme. Remember in the dot section there was
example of a dotted whole note in 4/4 time? Since such a value (six beats) is not possible in a measure,
how could we write a note that we wanted to sound for the duration of six beats?

A good answer would be to change the time signature to 6/4 but what we can also do is tie a note across the
bar line.

= a six beat duration: four in the first

measure plus two in the second
measure
Ta------------------------------------------------

Ta Ta Ta Ta-------------------- Ta
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A tie only goes from note head to note head of the same note. The arc of the tie is always opposite the
direction of the stem. Like above, if the stem points up (or if the stem would point up if the note were to
have a tie), the arc of the tie is down, etc.

You will also encounter ties within a single measure. With single notes in the measure, it is less likely to
occur, but it can happen when the "&" part of the beat begins the tie.

or which could
also be
written with
dots instead

SLURS

A symbol that looks almost exactly like a tie is the slur. A slur tells us to connect two or more different
notes as smoothly as possible. There should be no break or gap between any pitches under a slur. Of
course, we can imagine what it sounds like when someone is slurring his or her words as opposed to
when each - word - is - pronounced - separately.

Notice that these notes are NOT tied since they are not the same notes

The term for slurred playing is Legato, which is Italian for "smooth"

Logically, the slur symbol has a particular instructive meaning for different instruments. For wind and
brass instruments that get their sound from blown air, the symbol means to play the notes under the slur
with a single breath. At the point where the slur ends, the flow of air will be broken and time permitting,
the player might inhale. Such would be the case during the quarter beat rest in the above example, while
the other slur breaks would probably be played with just a slight break in the air flow.

For string instruments that are bowed, the notes under the slur would all be played by one bow stroke. A
new slur indicates that the bow stroke starts over and/or changes direction.
 A pianist would allow for a contrast of connectedness and disconnectedness at the points where the slurs
start over. A singer would probably approach the passage much like a wind or brass player for obvious
reasons.

While not all the symbols are known to you in the excerpt below, the voice and flute ("Mez." and "Fl.") have
notes that are both slurred and tied. The words "love" and "makes" are both initially slurred, then tied. The
word "of" is just slurred. The flute also has a combination of ties and slurrs.

OTHER TIME SIGNATURES

Aside from the numbered system we use for indicating time signatures, there are two other symbols we
encounter that represent time signatures:

In place of a 4/4 time signature, we sometimes use a large c , which stands for Common Time.

is the same as

To indicate 2/2 t, the Cut Time symbol would be used. Cut time, also called Alla Breve means that in a
piece, the speed double to two beats per measure where the half note gets the beat.

is the same as

As confusing as it is, let's work through the example below:

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Even though this example switches to cut time, the half notes are just as fast (and not twice as long) as the
measures of common time. In other words, the tas all happen at the exact same speed–as if the two sounds the
same.

in this example, the quarter notes in cut time are twice as fast as the quarter notes in common time. They

would sound like eighth notes common time.

COMPOUND TIME SIGNATURES

In this type of time signature, the dotted quarter note carries the beat.

In this time signature, we can see beats 1 and 4 emphasized. Notice that the eighth notes are beamed to show the
simultaneous macro beats.

Another compound time signature would be 9/8 .

Here, three beats and nine beats are compounded into a measure.

This could also be a compound time signature.

And since the micro beats are sixteenth notes, we would expect the speed of the beats to be on the faster side.
Generally speaking, compound times use eighth or sixteenth notes for the micro beats. The number of beats will be
divisible by three: 3, 6 ,9, 12, etc.

THE TRIPLET

The Triplet figure is a way of indicating that three notes should be played in the amount of time that two
notes of the same note value would usually cover. Like a compound time, the triplet is a momentary way of
compounding three notes into the space of two (making those notes faster).

These all take up the same

amount of time

In context:

We beam the notes together that are to be part of the triplet. And we always put a "3" by the beam!

SYNCOPATION

When an attack falls on an up beat , rather than on a down beat ("1", "2", etc.), we call it Syncopation.

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 Syncopation can be within a measure
or across the
bar line

TEMPO I

In our time signature discussions, there has already been some mention of Tempo. Tempo ("time" in
Italian) simply refers to the speed of the music or the speed of the pulse. Therefore the tempo can be slow,
fast, or anywhere in between.

All written music should have some sort of tempo indication in as much as it has a clef and a time signature.
The Tempo Marking goes above the staff and specifically above the time signature. Like time signatures
and clefs, the tempo may change once or many times in a piece of music–it is not fixed.

There are two methods for indicating a tempo.

The 44 more modern method Ú translates the pulse into Beats Per Minute (BPM). If the time signature
were in for example and the BPM were 60, the tempo indication at the beginning (above the staff and time

signature) would be 60; meaning that the tempo or speed of the quarter note should be 60 beats per

minute. Often a range will be given, allowing the tempo to be approximated.

The tempo is between 60 and 70

The tempo is 60 BPM BPM, which would be determined
by the performer or conductor

The BPM is still 60 in Three eighth notes move at 60

this time signature BPM, so one eighth note moves at
180 BPM (three times the speed
of the dotted quarter since there are
three eighths within the dotted quarter)
 THE METRONOME

A Metronome is a mechanical or electronic device that clicks or beeps at the BPM you select. The tempos

A tempo may be indicated with "M.M.=" rather than Ú . "M.M." stands for Maelzel Metronome.
usually range from 40 to 220 BPM.

TEMPO II

The second, more traditional method of indicating a tempo simply uses Italian words to approximate the speed.
More or less, the tempo marks correspond with a BPM range as follows:

Italian English BPM

Largo Very, Very Slow 40-60

Larghetto Very Slow 60-66

Adagio Slow 66-76

Andante Moving Along 76-108

Moderato Moderately 108-120

Allegro Quickly, Cheerfully 120-169

Presto Fast 169-200

Prestissimo Very Fast 200 +

Like the BPM marking, the Italian tempo mark goes above the time signature. To aid in precision, the Moderato
term can be combined with another word such as Allegro Moderato: a bit slower than Allegro, but faster than
Moderato. These terms pre-date the metronome, so there was not necessarily a fixed BPM range like the one
provided above, just a universally understood approximation. We can liken it to how colors are explained. We all
know what purple is, in that it is different from red or blue, but within the context of "purple," there are many
inflections and possibilities for what may constitute "purple."

TEMPO CHANGES

Often a tempo will change gradually. Gradual accelerations or decelerations in tempo are indicated by:
Italian English Abbreviation

Accelerando Gradually Accelerate Accel.

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Ritardando Gradually Slow Down Rit.

After an accelerando or ritardando, a new tempo mark is indicated (a target tempo) or the original tempo mark
is re-stated to instruct the player to return to the starting tempo.

Another useful term is Tempo Rubato (literally "robbed tempo" in Italian) meaning that the pulse should be
expressed unevenly, or not in a strict tempo. This looseness of tempo is often employed to enhance either a
feeling of sentimentality and/or improvisation. Often solo music, like jazz piano for example, emphasizes a
rubato style that can feel pensive, impulsive and introspective
THE MAJOR SCALE

A major scale is a selection of eight notes arranged in a particular order of half and whole steps. It is
usually heard and recognized in ascending order. The Major Scale is one of the most fundamental
musical entities and most music we know utilizes this scale (or the minor scale...stay tuned).

There is, as we should have come to expect, more than one way to understand how a major scale is
put together.
Before we look at the science of the scale, let's return to the keyboard. It is no coincidence that if we
play from C up to the next C (i.e. the white keys) we will have played a C major scale. So the scale
gets its particular name from its first note (called the Tonic–which is also the last note in the scale).

This is probably not the first time y ou

have heard this sequence of notes

Once you familiarize yourself with this sound (ascending and descending), notice some important
facts:
•With the exception of the tonic note, each note name is used once and only once.

•There is a particular arrangement of half (H) and whole (W) steps from one to the next:
WWHWWWH

WW HWW W H
•Each note in the scale represents a different scale degree (1-8). The half steps are
between degrees 3-4 and 7-8.

Here is how the ascending C Major scale looks in notated form:

C D E F G A B C
SCALES USING FLATS

You may have noticed that the C Major scale does not use any accidental notes. Since the scale
actually existed first (chronologically), we might appreciate that the natural notes were patterned
after that scale. But a major scale can start from any other note (and have any note as the tonic).
Since the major scale is based on a pattern of half and whole steps (and NOT simply a sequence
of natural notes), a major scale that has a different tonic than C Major will require the use of
accidentals.

If we start a major scale from F and adhere to the WWHWWWH pattern, we get the following
sequence:
F G A Bb C D E (F)

OR

WW HWW W

SCALES USING SHARPS

A major scale never mixes accidentals. Either there will be no accidentals (C Major only) or
there will be only flats or only sharps.

The scale with one sharp is GM:

Like the "flat" scales, it follows the same WWHWWWH pattern.

The scale with two sharps is DM:

Three sharps, AM:

Notice that like the flat scales, each successive sharp scale incorporates the previous scales'
accidentals.

KEY SIGNATURES

There is a more convenient way to write scales that takes into account the patterns we have
noticed.
A Key Signature is like a time signature or a clef–it calibrates a scale and staff so that the half
and whole steps (and therefore, the sharps or flats) go in the correct place. A key signature has
the same name as the scale and sets the staff for the specific accidentals.

The F Major key signature looks like this:

The accidental sits at the beginning of the staff on the
note(s)
OR(line or space) that are to be accidentals in the scale. A key
signature accidental applies to all occurences of that note on any line or
space.

The BbM key signature

GM
DM
The EbM key signature

AM
Now we can write a scale like so:
 THE KEY

Beyond the designation of scales, the key signature establishes the music in a particular key. All
the notes to be played will belong to a specific key. Here Comes the Sun (the Beatles again) is in
the key of A Major, so the notation would contain an AM key signature (three sharps)–all Fs, Cs
and Gs would be sharp.

And since real music is more complicated than a textbook explanation, there might be the
occasional use of notes that are not in the AM key signature. In that case, an accidental will be
added: a sharp, flat or natural (if it is one of the key signature notes that needs to be changed–
like if we needed a Bb in the key of CM for example).
ACCIDENTALS IN A KEY SIGNATURE

Accidentals can be added to, or taken away from a key signature:

CM GM DM AM EM BM F#M C#M
 CM FM BbM EbM AbM DbM GbM

NOTE NAMES

The other equally valid labeling system assigns a name to each scale degree which relates to
functional aspects of the notes that we have yet to study. We have already learned the name of
the first (and eighth) note: the Tonic. Here are all of them:

While all these notes deserve a lengthy discussion, we can assess that the tonic is significant
because it carries the name of the scale. Another very important note is the seventh scale
degree–the Leading Tone. It "leads" the scale back to the tonic–back home. If you play an
ascending major scale and pause on the leading tone without going up to the tonic, the sound will
feel very unfulfilled or incomplete. It is this feeling that prescribes the seventh scale degree as a
"leading" or "directing" mechanism that pushes the music back to the tonic.

The leading tone is also important as we start to explore Minor Scales.....

THE MINOR SCALE

Without getting into a study of intervals, it is enough to say that the major scale has a "happy"
or "bright" quality. In contrast to that is another, related scale that, put simply, sounds
"darker" and "sad": this is the Minor Scale. We can initially approach the minor scale much
in the same way that we first did with the major scale via the keyboard: if we play from A to A
(i.e. only the white notes). As expected, the minor scale has a different pattern of half and
whole steps: WHWWHWW. In fact, this pattern is a displacement of the major scale pattern:
Major Major

WWHWWWH | WWHWWWH In a minor scale, the half

steps are between scale degrees 2-3 and 5-6 Minor
Because of this relationship, we often, if not always, conceive of a minor scale as a derivation of
a major scale. A minor scale starts and ends on the sixth scale degree of a major scale (the
submediant note).

C Major C Major

A Minor

Play this A minor scale. Notice the different mood it projects. Also notice that the A minor scale
uses the same notes as the C major scale (white notes only), but that the tonic is now A.

RELATIVE MINOR

Remember that what is the case for one scale is the case for all–which is the whole point of
key signatures. If we can observe that the A minor scale is a derivation of the C major scale
because both scales use the same notes, then we can predict that there is a minor scale within
every major scale. This minor scale is called the Relative Minor. A minor is the relative
minor of C major. The relative minor starts on the sixth degree (the submediant) of its relative
major.

KEY SIGNATURES AND KEYS

Now we can expand the applicability of the key signature. A key signature can represent a major
or minor scale and:

The G major/E minor key signature

THE THREE MINOR SCA

The Natural Minor scale is the one derived from the major scale–the Relative Minor.

The Harmonic Minor scale takes the natural minor scale and raises the
seventh degree up a half step so that it is a half step below the tonic. It is a
minor scale with a leading tone.

The Melodic Minor is similar to the harmonic minor in that it raises both the
seventh and sixth scale degrees by a half step. You will notice that the second
half of this scale sounds very much like the major scale. Because convention
dictates it, the alterations in the melodic minor are only in effect when the scale
ascends. When it descends, the scale returns to the natural minor.