- Level Professional
- Duration 13 hours
- Course by Berklee
-
Offered by
About
Scales are an essential part of musical study and are a vital part of an effective practice routine. But as you develop your musicianship, scales can also lead to better improvisation and understanding of melodic structure. This course will provide you with a new look at practicing and using scales to guide your musical creativity. You will start by learning standard and non-standard fingering for scales commonly used in popular music, before using these scales to create new melodies. In addition to the examples covered in the course, you will also be given extra exercises and backing tracks to help you improve your playing and improvising. At the end of this course, you will have improvised using scales such as major and natural minor, major and minor pentatonic, the Blues scale, as well as several modes. You will be able to develop a practice routine to continue memorizing these scales, and be able to identify which scales would work best for a specific genre and chord progression.Modules
Getting Started
1
Assignment
- What are Your Goals?
1
Videos
- Course Overview
3
Readings
- Welcome to Piano Scales for Modern Music!
- Connect with Your Classmates
- Earn A Course Certificate
Course Playlist
1
Readings
- Course Playlist
Lesson 1 Playlist and Downloadable Notation
2
Readings
- Lesson 1 Playlist
- Lesson 1 Notation
Lesson 1: The Major and Natural Minor Scales
1
Assignment
- Lesson 1 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Popular Examples of Major and Natural Minor
7
Videos
- What You'll Learn in Lesson 1
- Building the Major Scale
- Non-standard Fingering
- Building the Natural Minor Scale
- Essential Practice Tips
- Lesson 1 Melodic Application
- Improvising with Major and Minor Scales
Scale Practice
1
Readings
- Homework 1: Scales
Lesson 1 Project and Self-Assessment
1
Assignment
- Self-Assessment: Use the Scales to Play a Melody
1
Discussions
- Use the Scales to Play a Melody
1
Readings
- Submitting Your Projects
Lesson 2 Playlist and Downloadable Notation
2
Readings
- Lesson 2 Playlist
- Lesson 2 Notation
Lesson 2: The Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales
1
Assignment
- Lesson 2 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Deciding Between Major Scale and Major Pentatonic
6
Videos
- What You'll Learn in Lesson 2
- Building the Major Pentatonic Scale
- Building the Minor Pentatonic Scale
- Lesson 2 Practice Tips
- Lesson 2 Melodic Application
- Improvisation with the Pentatonic Scale
1
Readings
- Sign up for the full experience!
Scale Practice
1
Readings
- Homework 2: Scales
Lesson 2 Project and Self-Assessment
1
Assignment
- Self-Assessment: Improvise with the Minor Pentatonic Scale
1
Discussions
- Improvise with the Minor Pentatonic Scale
1
Readings
- Submitting Your Projects
Lesson 3 Playlist and Downloadable Notation
2
Readings
- Lesson 3 Playlist
- Lesson 3 Notation
Lesson 3: The Modes of the Major Scale
1
Assignment
- Lesson 3 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Modes
6
Videos
- What You'll Learn in Lesson 3
- Major Modes: Mixolydian
- Minor Modes: Dorian
- Lesson 3 Practice Tips
- Lesson 3 Melodic Application
- Improvisation with Modes
Scale Practice
1
Readings
- Homework 3: Scales
Lesson 3 Project and Self-Assessment
1
Assignment
- Self-Assessment: Improvising Within a Modal Tune
1
Discussions
- Improvising Within a Modal Tune
1
Readings
- Submitting Your Projects
Lesson 4 Playlist and Downloadable Notation
2
Readings
- Lesson 4 Playlist
- Lesson 4 Notation
Lesson 4: Playing the Blues
1
Assignment
- Lesson 4 Quiz
1
Discussions
- Experimenting with the Blues Scale
6
Videos
- What You'll Learn in Lesson 4
- The Minor Blues Scale
- The Major Blues Scale
- Lesson 4 Practice Tips
- Making a Melody with the Blues
- Improvising with the Blues
Scale Practice
1
Readings
- Homework 4: Scales
Lesson 4 Project and Self-Assessment
1
Assignment
- Self-Assessment: Create Your 12-bar Blues
1
Discussions
- Create Your 12-bar Blues
1
Readings
- Submitting Your Projects
Congratulations!
1
Videos
- Congratulations and Next Steps
1
Readings
- Are you looking for more?
Auto Summary
Unlock your musical potential with "Piano Scales for Modern Music," a professional-level course designed for aspiring musicians and seasoned players alike. Delve into the world of scales, an essential component of musical mastery, and discover how they can enhance your improvisation skills and understanding of melodic structures. Guided by expert instructors from Coursera, this comprehensive course spans 780 minutes of in-depth content. You'll explore both standard and non-standard fingerings for a variety of scales commonly used in popular music, including major and natural minor, major and minor pentatonic, the Blues scale, and various modes. Through practical exercises and backing tracks, you will learn how to apply these scales to create new melodies and improve your improvisational techniques. By the end of the course, you will have developed a solid practice routine, enabling you to memorize scales effectively and identify the best scales for different genres and chord progressions. Available through a Starter subscription, this course is perfect for musicians looking to enhance their practice routines and expand their creative horizons. Join today and start your journey towards becoming a more innovative and skilled pianist.

Suzanna Sifter