VCE Music (Year 11) · Musicianship Skills · 12m read

Notation, Keys, Scales and Intervals

Theory is the grammar of music. It lets you understand what you are playing, write down your own ideas and explain what you hear.

Learning objective: Read and write basic notation, build major and minor scales, identify key signatures and name common intervals.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can read treble and bass clef and common time signatures.
• I can build major and natural minor scales from tone–semitone patterns.
• I can name intervals by counting semitones.

Key signatures are map legends. A map legend tells you what the symbols mean before you read the map. A key signature tells you which notes are sharp or flat before you read the music.

Scales and keys

MAJOR SCALE pattern: T T S T T T S (T = tone, S = semitone).
C major: C D E F G A B C — no sharps or flats.
G major: one sharp (F♯). F major: one flat (B♭). D major: two sharps (F♯, C♯).

NATURAL MINOR pattern: T S T T S T T.
A minor: A B C D E F G A — the RELATIVE MINOR of C major (same key signature).
Harmonic minor raises the 7th note (A minor → G♯).

CIRCLE OF FIFTHS: each step clockwise adds one sharp (C → G → D → A …); each step anticlockwise adds one flat (C → F → B♭ → E♭ …).

TIME SIGNATURES: top number = beats per bar; bottom number = beat value (4 = crotchet, 8 = quaver). 6/8 is felt as two dotted-crotchet beats.

Interval sizes

• Minor 3rd: 3 \text{ semitones}
• Major 3rd: 4 \text{ semitones}
• Perfect 4th: 5 \text{ semitones}
• Perfect 5th: 7 \text{ semitones}
• Octave: 12 \text{ semitones}

Worked example (Medium)

Build the D major scale and name its key signature.

1. Start on D. Apply T T S T T T S.
2. Notes. D – E (T) – F♯ (T) – G (S) – A (T) – B (T) – C♯ (T) – D (S).
3. Key signature. Sharps used: F♯ and C♯.

Answer: D E F♯ G A B C♯ D — key signature of two sharps (F♯, C♯).

Common mistakes

• Writing G♭ instead of F♯ in D major Each letter name should appear once in a scale. Fix: Use every letter A–G once, then adjust with sharps or flats.
• Counting intervals by letter only C–E (major 3rd) and C–E♭ (minor 3rd) have the same letters. Fix: Count semitones to decide major or minor.

Practice questions

1. The relative minor of C major is:

   1. C minor
   2. E minor
   3. A minor
   4. G minor

   (1 marks)

2. How many semitones are in a perfect 5th?

   1. 5
   2. 6
   3. 7
   4. 8

   (1 marks)

3. Write out the G major scale and state its key signature.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Major: T T S T T T S; natural minor: T S T T S T T.
• Relative major/minor share a key signature.
• Circle of fifths orders keys by sharps and flats.
• Count semitones to name intervals.