Constructing major and minor piano scales

Piano scales are the building blocks so to speak on which piano chords are formed.
For our studies we will concentrate on diatonic scales for the piano. A diatonic scale
is composed of a series of five whole steps and two half-steps. A half-step
consists of immediately adjacent keys on a keyboard. A half-step is a semi-tone. A
whole-step consists of 2 half-steps (2 semi-tones in the same direction. A whole-
step is a full-step. !oth major scales and minor scales are diatonic. !elow you
will find a picture of a piano keyboard with the notes identified.
!efore you begin learning how to form piano scales" it is important that you
understand whole steps and half steps. #f you start with the note $ and progress up
the keyboard to the piano key immediately adjacent to $ you will be at $%&'b. (his
is a half step. )ad you progressed up the keyboard and played the white tone (note
ne*t to $" which would have been a ' you would have taken a whole step.
#f you were to begin on $%&'b and want to move a half step up the keyboard you
would move to the ' tone (note. #f you wanted to move a whole step up from
$%&'b you would play the '%&+b tone (note. ,ow" you probably have noticed that
there is no black tone (note between + and F or ! and $.-o" from + to the adjacent
F is a half step and from ! to the adjacent $ is a half step. A whole step up from +
would be a F%&.b. A whole step up from ! would be $%&'b.
(he % (sharp symbol following a tone (note means you raise that tone (note one
half step. -o a $ followed by a % ($% means you have raised the $ note one half
step to the !lack tone (note $%. #f a b (flat symbol follows a tone (note this
means the note is lowered one half step. -o a ' followed by a b ('b means you
have lowered the ' note one half step to the black tone (note'b. /hich as you see
can also be correctly spelled $%.
0n our piano graphic you will notice that all the black tones (notes have two types
of spelling $%&'b" F%&.b" A%&!b" etc. /hile it is important when forming scales that
you know both spellings are correct" it is beyond the scope of these beginner piano
lessons to get into theory. 1ight now" # want you to know the location of these tones
(notes so that if you see either spelling" you will know where they are on the piano
keyboard.
,ow that you are familiar with whole steps and half steps its time to start using them
to form our scales. -o lets get started2 $lick on the links below to see how to form
3ajor" ,atural 3inor" 3elodic 3inor" and )armonic 3inor piano scales.
Piano -cales-3ajor and ,atural 3inor
Piano -cales-3elodic and )armonic 3inor