About The Alternate Major Scales
Although the C Major Scale that runs between the notes 4e and 7e is the easiest one to play on the harmonica, it is not the only one. There are two other C Major Scales available.
However, each one is missing notes that must be supplied by either the advanced technique known as "bending" or buy the somewhat easier technique called "octave note substitution".
Octave notes are notes that have the same letter name. They sound very much alike, even though there is a difference in pitch (the highness or lowness of a note).
In the following chart of the notes available without bending on the C harmonica, you will see four C notes, four G notes, three D and E notes, and two F, A and B notes. Any note with the same letter name may be substituted for any other note with the same letter name.
A moment’s practice playing the various C notes will be well worthwhile.
What the Alternate Major Scales Are Missing
As the above chart shows, only the middle holes 4 through 7 can produce an entire C Major Scale: C D E F G A B C. In the holes 1 through 4, the F and A notes have been omitted, and the G note doubled. This makes certain chords easier to play, and the low C Major Scale very difficult to play without extensive bending.
In the holes 7 through 10, an almost complete C Major Scale can be played, with the . exception of the missing note B. Since only one note is missing, and that note near the end of the scale, octave substitution can be used to complete this high Major Scale.
If you are daring, you may choose to play the songs in Lesson Eleven without practicing the following scales. The scales are somewhat less entertaining than the songs, but will make the songs easier to play, and explain why the alternate versions of certain songs work.
The High Major Scale
Try playing the high C Major Scales, by simply skipping the missing B note. Perhaps you will be able to "hear it in your mind" while passing it over. If not, the substitution exercises below will allow you to complete these useful scales.
Playing Major Scales With the Simplest Octave Substitutions
By substituting octave notes, the high C Major Scale can be completed. But before attempting to do so, first practice the C Major Scale as learned in Lesson Eight, and some simpler substitutions.
Then play it with the simplest octave note substitutions, which involve replacing the 7e with a 10e or a 1e.
Playing Reverse Major Scales With the Simplest Octave Substitutions
These scales do not have to be mastered in order to play most of the songs in this book, but attempting to do so will provide good practice for locating notes that are not near each other.
The High Major Scales With Octave Substitutions
Playing these scales will make the high portions of the songs in Lesson Eleven easy to play. A moment of practice going from the 7 to the 10 hole will help a great deal before playing the scales. The reverse high Major Scale is easier than the other, since jumping from hole 7 to hole 10 is easier than vice versa.
