The C Major Scale
The Major Scale is a series of eight notes in alphabetical order that has the familiar sound:
The notes of the major scale are easy to find on the harmonica. You have already played many tunes derived from the C major scale. The following example demonstrates the sound of the C major both ascending and descending.
It is worth memorizing the pattern of holes used to produce the major scale. This helps to identify how to play sounds by ear, which is an important part of harmonica playing. The scale starts on hole 4 and continues up to 7. It mostly consists of an exhale breath followed by an inhale breath, except for the notes La (6) and Ti (7) which are both inhale breaths. When you reach the higher Do (7) you have played one octave of the major scale. An octave is the range of 8 notes of the major scale. The lower and higher Do are said to be one octave apart.
The C major scale consists of the following notes.
The distances between the notes are measured in tones (or whole steps) and semitones (or half steps). These are the basic building blocks for scales in all keys. As the terms would suggest, a tone or whole step is made up of two semitones or half steps. An understanding of whole and half steps becomes more important when it comes to note bending (discussed in Lesson 9) as these are the two possible distances notes are usually bent on the harmonica.
Here is an exercise to help you become more familiar with the C major scale. It consists mostly of groups of two exhaled notes followed by two inhaled notes, except for a few notes at the high end.
The notes of this traditional Australian song all come from the C major scale.
The Dotted Quarter Note
A dot written after a quarter note means that you hold the note for one and a half beats. A dotted quarter note is often followed by an eighth note.
This well known folk song makes use of the dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note.
The following example demonstrates a different use of the dotted quarter note. This time an eighth note is followed by the dotted quarter. This creates an effect known as syncopation which means displacing the normal flow of accents from on the beat to off the beat. Syncopation will be dealt with in Lesson 8. Syncopated rhythms can be difficult at first, so count and tap your foot as you play.
This song makes use of both of the dotted quarter note figures presented in this lesson. It is played at the very top end of the harmonica. Take it slowly at first and count as you play.
