Scales are the foundation on which all of music is built. A single scale, based on a particular tonal key, is one of the many building blocks that form this musical foundation. Both melody and harmony are based on these basic musical units. Learning why scales are so important, as well as learning to play them proficiently, will put you on the road to becoming a successful musician.
Sometimes a tune departs briefly from its key, making it necessary to cancel what is required by the key signature. This is done by putting the required sign - sharp, flat, or natural - beside the note in question. These 'road signs' are called 'accidentals.' They raise or lower the note by one half step. A sharp raises the note a half step, while a flat lowers the tone. This enables musicians to keep the same relationships among the notes when they move a song to a higher or lower range of notes. This is called 'transposition,' and is used to accompany singers and other instruments, among other uses.
The accidental called "natural" means “not sharp nor flat,” A-natural, therefore, means just the note A, not raised nor lowered by a sharp or flat. Once an accidental is placed beside a given note, it will affect all instances of that note until the end of the measure. The accidental is then canceled. If, however, a note is tied, which means that it is held over into the next measure, the note retains its pitch alteration.
Feel free to visit LA Guitar Academy's website for guitar lessons in the Los Angeles area, or go to LAGA Online's home page to take online guitar lessons from the LAGA Faculty.
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