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The D Major Scale is a simple scale that contains two sharps.

Notes In the Scale

The notes in the Scale are D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D

All major scales has five whole tones and two half tones. It follows the formula of W, W, H, W, W, W, H.

You can start on any D natural and count up this formula and you will have a D Scale.

Fingering

Right Hand

The fingering for the right hand this scale is to start with the thumb on the D. Then move up the scale with the index finger on E, and middle finger on F#. You then cross under with your thumb and play a G. Then play the rest of the scale, A with index, B with the middle finger, C# with the ring finger, and end on D with you small finger.

To play a descending D scale you start with the small finger on D, ring finger on C#, middle finger on B, index on A, and thumb on G. You then cross over with your middle finger and play the F#. And finish off the scale using the index on E and thumb on D

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Video Tutorial

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Left Hand

Playing an ascending D scale with the left hand you start on the D with the pinkey finger. Play all the notes in the scale until you reach the thumb on the A. Then cross over with you middle finger and play the B. then finish off the C# and D with the inex finger and thumb.

Descending you start with the D with the thumb, index on C#, and middle finger on B. Then cross under with your thumb and play an A. Now you can use the rest of your fingers to finish off the scale

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An Octave Scale is simply a scale that is played to one octave.

What Is An Octave

An octave is the same note just played higher or lower.

If you look at the piano you will notice that there are multiple C’s. If you play one of these C notes and then play the next C up you have played a C octave.

This goes for going down also. If you play an the next C down that is an octave.

More Octaves

You can play even more then just one octave. If you play a C then go up or down two C’s then you are playing 2 octaves. This can go on all the way up and down the piano.

One Octave

Remember this scale is playing a scale up to the next octave. So if you start on a C and play the major scale up to the next C note then you have played an octave scale.

The notes for this scale would be:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

You have played all the notes in the C major scale and then ended on a C which makes this an octave.

Two and Three Octaves

You can play more than just one octave. If you really want to help your fingers move when playing the piano you need to practice two and three octaves.

To play two major scales you start on the C then play up the second C that you find

These note would be:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Fingering

The fingering for these scales change however. If you are playing one scale then you simply use the normal fingering: Right – 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Left – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1

If you are playing more than once octave then you need to change the fingering. For more than one octave your fingering will look like this.

Right – 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Left – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1

Conclusion

Use these scales in your practicing. I like to practice the one and two octave scale everyday to help keep my fingers worked out.

It will help you with your fingering and also help you to play longer and faster pieces.

Make sure you add these scales into your practice routine.

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A Pentatonic Scale is a scale that is made up of five different notes. (Penta = five tonic = tones)

This scale is great for piano players, guitar players, and pretty much any musical instrument. Why? Because this scale is used for improvisation.

Improvisation is making up the music as you go. So how can this scale help you make up music on the fly?

Structure

This scale is made up of the root, second, third, fifth, and sixth of the major scale. Go here if don’t know how to build a major scale.

So if we are in the key of C the Scale would beC – D – E – G – A

So in any key you can find the Scale with the Root. Second, Third, Fifth, and Sixth note in the major scale.

Uses of This Scale

Remember I said that this scale is great for anyone who wants to play an instrumet and can help with improvisation?

This is because whenever you play a major chord, you can play any note in the pentatonic scale and it will sound good.

Lets stay in the key of C. The major chords in the key of C would be C, F, and G. Try it!! Play any of these chords in the left hand and then play any note from the Pentatonic Scale and it will sound right.

Watch this video of Bobby McFerrin using the Scale.

He is having the audience sing a note in the scale while he uses the rest of the notes from the scale.

This is just one example of how you can use this scale to help you improvise on the piano and keyboard.

Conclusion

Like any scale on the piano, make sure you learn this scale in all twelve keys. When you learn this scale in all of the keys it will help you to add flare to you music and help you with soloing.

When soloing with this scale just make sure you are playing them over a major chord and it will sound great.

Now go and show off to your friends using this scale to run up and down the piano.

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The piano chord chart is one of the most useful tools that you can use while learning to play the piano.

The thing I used to hate when I was first learning to play was running back and forth through the house looking on the computer for a certain chord, then running back to the piano. I did this for a long time when I was first learning to play. It is really annoying.

Chord Charts

The term chord chart has different meanings. Some people consider a chord chart to be the chords to a song. For example, when I played in church, the pastor would pass around what we called the chord chart for a song. This piece of paper with the chords to the song on it was considered the chord chart.

Other people consider a chord chart to be a chart that contains all chords as a guide to help a person learn the notes of a chord.

Since this website is an informational site to help people learn the piano we are going to have a free piano chord chart available for you to download.

Click here to download the Free 25-page Chord Chart

If you want to save it to your computer, right click to download it.

Why This Chart Is Helpful

So you can use this chart as a tool to help you memorize all of the main chords without all the hassle. You can print this chord chart and leave it with you next to the piano so you can look at it when you get to a chord that you don’t know

Use this free chord chart whenever you get stuck. It’s easy to get lost when learning chords. There are so many of them to remember, so when you are first learning you are going to need some kind of guide to help keep you sharp with all the chords.

Using this chart for some of the more uncommon chords is helpful too. There are a lot of chords that you won’t use that often. Keeping this close is a good idea to help you with those chords that you rarely use, but still need to know from time to time.

Need more help learning chords? Download our Free 25-page piano chord chart Now…

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Here are music theory flash cards that can help you to remember all of the different signs and symbols. The biggest problem I had when learning to play piano was trying to memorize all of the notes and music signs that went along with written music.

There are tons of different signs, like note names, key signatures, and note duration that make it hard to remember all of them.

Flash cards are a great tool for children and adults to use to remember note names and signs. I used to use flash cards not long ago just to help my speed of reading notes. Anyone at any skill level can use piano flash cards to help them.

According to studies, flash cards are one of the best ways to help memorize. You must however, continue to use the flash cards or it will only store the information in the short term memory.

Remember when you were in school and you used flash cards to remember things for the test. Well, it worked. But you forgot everything right after. This is one thing about flash cards is that if not used properly then you will set the information in the long term memory where you can easily access it for future use.

Here is a list of all of the flash cards that you will need to help you quickly memorize all the notes and musical symbols.

White Piano Keys
Treble Clef
Bass Clef
Black Piano Keys
Note and Rest Duration
Key Signature

Circle Of Fifths Chart

Use these flash cards to help you read music, learn musical symbols, and get a better understanding of music theory. Music theory can be one of the hardest parts of learning music. Take your time and practice these flash cards daily to get a better grip on your musical knowledge.

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