We started in on the Progressive Scales book yesterday – a book by Linda Rose that’s all about teaching Music Proper.  I had already started reading it – the book opens with a description of all of the scales, majors, minors, relatives, melodic, harmonic, natural (apparently some are considered enharmonic) – it’s all a bit overwhelming.  There’s a lovely wheel diagram that makes my head spin just thinking about trying to find a place to land on it.

But I am starting to understand that the type of scale determines where the whole and half steps are in an octave system.  The note that names it is the starting point of the scale.  I don’t yet fully understand the relationship between the key signature and the key.  They are not always the same, and it has to do with relative minors and other things I don’t know how to talk about yet.

Wrestling with all of this formal music appreciation makes me remember that I did so in the distant past as well – this stuff was not a piece of cake way back when I played as a child, either.

I’m starting with A Major, the scale and two arpeggios.  (Learning formally about the dominant chords is new too, by the way.)  Teacher says I should sing the names of the notes as I play them, if I don’t feel too silly.  I don’t think Michael and the plants are going to mind.

I set off on this road with an intention of learning to read music; it’s definitely getting real.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan