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Posted by Alice If you play a C scale, you'll hear that it sounds "right" using just the white keys -- and you see that there are no black keys between E and F or between B and C. The particular pattern of whole tones (like C to D) and semitones (E to F or B to C) is what has come down to us as the major scale. Maybe one of the theory profs can explain how the scale developed. Now what most people ask is, why is there a C-flat or B# at all? What use are they? The answer lies in the same major scale pattern...if you start your major scale on C, then your scale notes will be C D E F G A B C. If you start on C#, everything has to go up a semitone: C# D# E# (looks like F on the piano) F# G# A# B# (looks like C) and C#. Similarly, you find C-flat in the G-flat major scale, for example. Hope that answers your questions, if not, ask again!
on 8/19/2004, 4:57 pm, in reply to "no B sharp, no E sharp etc"
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Well, technically, there are...it doesn't look like it on the piano, but C-flat exists. It masquerades as B on the piano, and B# masquerades as C. Same deal with E# and F-flat.
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