This page tests you on just the five easiest major scales; I think
that's enough to learn at one time.
This first game gives you a piano keyboard to click:
Click notes 1-8 of the
major scale:
1:
(should be )
2:
(should be )
3:
(should be )
4:
(should be )
5:
(should be )
6:
(should be )
7:
(should be )
8:
(should be )
In the next game, you have just the pitch names, no keyboard. This
can be a lot harder:
Click notes 1-8 of the
major scale:
1:
(should be )
2:
(should be )
3:
(should be )
4:
(should be )
5:
(should be )
6:
(should be )
7:
(should be )
8:
(should be )
C♭
C
C♯
B♭
B
B♯
A♭
A
A♯
G♭
G
G♯
F♭
F
F♯
E♭
E
E♯
D♭
D
D♯
C♭
C
C♯
B♭
B
B♯
A♭
A
A♯
G♭
G
G♯
F♭
F
F♯
E♭
E
E♯
D♭
D
D♯
C♭
C
C♯
Why black pitches?
Finally, we can answer why there are black pitches grouped in 2's
and 3's between the white pitches. When you practiced the major scales
above, perhaps you noticed that there's exactly one major scale
that you can play with only white pitches: the C major scale
(C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C). It's the pattern of black pitches in 2's and 3's which
makes this one all-white-pitch major scale possible.
That's actually explaining it kind of backward, because in actual history,
early keyboards had only the "white" keys, no "black"
(♯/♭) keys. Thus, they could only play that one
major scale; the black keys were added later so the keyboard could
play other major scales (and other kinds of scales, and other
chords).
Next:
If you now know major scales and major and minor triads
(Lesson 16: Minor Triad Games), then
you're ready to study one of these:
Creating chord progressions, starting with
Lesson 19: Keys; or
