Basic Scale Help please?

[klp2332]

Should a C Major scale be played diffrently when in C major key or G Major?
Or does the scale only apply to its own key. Like you can only play C Major Scale in C Major key and G Major in G Major key? I have an exam in two days, and I have to know all my scales. Heh. Its a little late, I know.

[JESTER700]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. The simplest method is only play a C maj scale when the song is in C maj and doesn't modulate to another key. You can imply other keys or modes by playing other scales (like G maj). Playing notes OUTSIDE the key (that is, non-diatonic notes) could be considered "playing outside" or they could be considered "wrong", depending on the situation and who you ask. But a C maj scale is a C maj scale; the notes are always the same.

[toneboy]

I'm not sure if I understand your question but I'll try to answer it.

Obviously, you can play any scale you want, regardless of the key the song is in. Whether or not it sounds good is depend's on your ear, the chord(s) you're playing over and the notes you are playing from the scale over a given chord.

In the case of C and G major scales, the only difference between them, note-wise, is the F# is G major. If you played a C major scale over a G major chord, it would sound fine because the 2 keys are so similar. Playing the F in the C Major scale would be the dominant 7th over a G major chord (G B D F).

Simply put, a C major scale is a C major scale and G major scale is a G major scale. You can't play them differently without changing the scale or mode you're playing.

Now if you want to play a scale with a root of C in the key of G major (with all the notes that are in G major), then you'd be playing a mode, specifically the Lydian mode (C D E F# G A B C). The Lydian mode is a major scale with a sharp 4th.

I hope that all makes sense Good luck on your test.

[JVal4]

Do yourself a favor and check the archives. There have been some great posts on this site re: diatonic theory.

As to your question, the key of the song is determined by the scale or notes you are using. You can combine the notes (of a given key) in different ways to get the diatonic chords that also fit in the key.

Starting with the first tone (note) of the Major scale, in diatonic theory, the chords are:

TONE 1) Major (TONIC/ Key of song) chord
TONE 2) minor chord
TONE 3) minor chord
TONE 4) Major chord
TONE 5) Major chord
TONE 6) minor chord
TONE 7) diminished chord

ALL of these chords are made up of the notes in the key only. (Used in different combinations)

You can play these same notes over a different tone to get your Major scale modes. Let me know if you want me to explain that further.

Hope this helps!
JV

[nickcoumbe]

If you play the pentatonic of C major them you will still fit in with g-major. A minor pentatonic is also a great position for soloing over a g-major as A dorian is a minor mode.

If in doubt keep diatonically in key.

[klp2332]

Theres an F in C major scale?
C E G A C

But this is what I really want to ask. Do I have to play the scale diffrently in a diffrent key? For example do I have to sharp the F in D Major(D F A C??) scale when playing in G Major?

[toneboy]

Originally Posted by klp2332

Theres an F in C major scale?
C E G A C

Yes, there is an F as well as a D and a B in the C major scale. The notes you listed are not any scale I know of, not even a pentatonic because the scale you list is only 4 tones.

But this is what I really want to ask. Do I have to play the scale diffrently in a diffrent key? For example do I have to sharp the F in D Major(D F A C??) scale when playing in G Major?

If yoy want to play a major scale in the key of D major, the F and C will be sharp (D E F# G A B C# D). If you want to play a major scale in the key of G major, then only the F is sharped (G A B C D E F# G).

Based upon what you're posting, it seems that you have your theory a bit confused. Please understand that I know you're learning but there's some basic concept that is eluding you.

A diatonic major scale always the same number of notes, eight, and it always follows the same intervallic rule of "whole, whole, half, whole whole, whole half" regardless of the key you are in.

If you play a C major scale over a song in a different key, you're still playing a C major scale. Depending upon the chords and their extensions (7th, 9th, etc.), it may or may not sound good to your ear. For example, if you're playing over a G major chord (G B D), a C Major scale would sound fine even though the F note is sharp in the key of G major. An F note played over a G major chord will give you the dominant/flat 7th of that chord (G B D + F = G 7th).

[klp2332]

thanks tone boy i understand now