As depicted by A Star is Born films and their like, yearning and flashes of inspiration usually pave the way to melodramas of triumph and discord. Nicole Riegel’s Dandelion takes an unusual approach by subverting this formulaic narrative.
Layne brings both youthful volatility and old-soul watchfulness to her performance, conveying both defeat and ecstasy with equal effectiveness.
1. D Major Scale
The D Major Scale is one of the most frequently employed scales in composition and improvisation, featuring notes D, E, F#, G, A B C# as well as two sharps.
Major scale patterns are easy to recall; each major scale consists of two tetrachords (2-2-1 or whole step, half step and whole step), making memorizing and recalling 4 note patterns much simpler than 7 or 8 note sequences.
All the fretted notes of this scale are based on D, its root note. By memorizing and rote learning until patterns become reflexive, I believe memorization and rote learning is an excellent way to focus limited mental energy on noticing structure within patterns as well as creating higher-level, larger or more complex ones.
2. C Major Scale
All major scales are comprised of 4-note groups known as tetrachords that make them much simpler to remember than longer patterns of notes and chords. C Major has four such tetrachords consisting of notes C – D – E – F.
As part of any new key, it is a good practice to familiarize yourself with its entire scale from root note to the highest octave. Doing this will allow you to better comprehend each chord’s significance within its particular scale.
Familiarizing yourself with the finger positions of this scale will also be important. Doing this will enable you to build up dexterity so you can move between notes without much thought, while learning them numerically may make recalling their correct fingering easier. For ease of remembering them more quickly I suggest memorizing their exact fingerings rather than alphabetically.
3. G Major Scale
G major is often one of the first scales beginners learn. It features only one sharp note – F sharp (F).
All chords in this scale are composed of triads. On a fingerboard diagram, root notes of this scale are highlighted in blue while their pattern of triads appears as red blocks.
G major is one of the more accessible major scales to start learning, featuring an easy pattern for novice players to remember. Practice all positions of this scale (both ascending and descending), so that when playing songs, switching between ascending and descending notes becomes effortless – this will also help develop dexterity when learning more complex pieces later.
4. E Major Scale
The E Major Scale begins and ends on note E and features four sharps in its key signature.
As with other major scales, this one comprises 7 notes with specific scale degree names (tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant and leading note/tone).
All major scales follow a specific interval pattern: whole step – half step – whole step. When playing a major scale, always play your last black key first, as this helps identify it and know which fingerings to use. Make it part of your daily practice routine to practice scales from different positions; this will not only help improve fretboard knowledge and picking hand technique but will also enhance picking hand technique!
5. F Major Scale
F Major is one of the seven diatonic scales and features one flat in its key signature – Bb. It is related to D minor as its relative minor scale.
F Major chord progressions produce a warm and elegant sound that works beautifully for both upbeat and soothing songs alike. Moving from tonic (I) chord to subdominant (IV) and then dominant seventh chord creates a beautiful flow – this can be found in songs by Frank Sinatra like “Fly Me to the Moon”, originally written in C Major but can easily be transposed into F Major.
Gain greater knowledge of the F Major scale and chord progressions by consulting this useful reference that includes notes, finger positions on the fretboard, intervals, scale degrees, chord progressions in treble and bass clef and chord progressions in both forms.