Playing progressively through the tonics on the circle of fourths and fifths is a good way to learn the fourth and fifth note in each scale.Īlso, playing the scale for each tonic as you progress around the circle is a great way to begin learning chord progressions. So, whenever you transpose music to be played on the trumpet that is written in concert pitch, you need to raise every note by a whole note (by a major second) using the key. But if you transpose that up a whole step, you would be playing a D major scale with two sharps.

And Eb > Bb > F > C progress to the next higher pitch in fifths. A C major scale on piano, for instance, would have no sharps or flats. For example, C > F > Bb > Eb and so on progress to the next higher pitch in fourths. This circle is called the circle of fourths and fifths because each pitch in the sequence is a fourth step up from the previous note, or a fifth step up from the previous note. Gb is the same pitch as F#, so then F# > B > E > A > D > G > C

In addition, you can arrange these scales by their tonic notes so that they repeat themselves like going around in a circle. C# is the same pitch as Db, Cb the same as B, and Gb the same as F#.Īlso, notice that you can arrange the scales by the number of flats and sharps in each scale.

Notice there are 15 scales above, but three of these share the same pitch. Major scales (The tonic note is the first note and name of the major scale) Just remember, whole whole half, whole whole whole half ( 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1, 1/2). You can start on any note, and play the sequence of pitch intervals for a major scale. This sequence of pitch intervals defines the sound of a major scale. (whole whole half, whole whole whole half). The pitch steps in a major scale from the tonic is whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, then half step. There are other heptonic scales that are not major scales.

G flat major scale trumpet