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 memorising 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 11) as these are the two possible distances notes are usually bent on the harmonica.
There are literally thousands of melodies which can be played using only the notes of the C major scale. It is extremely important to know all of the notes of this scale well and to be able to change between the notes easily. The following examples are designed to help you develop this skill.
The notes of this traditional Australian song all come from the C major scale. If you listen to the recording, you will hear the guitar playing chords as an accompaniment. These chords are all built on notes from the C major scale also.
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.
