7 notes make up the C major scale. It;’s simple, basic, and yet it’s nothing but simple. Why? Well, when played as a ladder of notes up and down, its sounds like a regular music exercise, but when one starts combing notes to be played at the same time, it creates harmony or chords.

Ok, cool, but so what? Well, if you play that same simple C major scale but now in triads (3 notes chords) up and down the scale you are entering another world. So instead of paying: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, (C) up and down, you now can play C-E-G (C Major triad), then D-F-A (D Minor triad), then E-G-B (E Minor triad), etc… up the scale and down. You can play the triads as one block or arpeggiate it.

Btw, once you you can go up the C major scale, then try the other keys. There are only 12 of them. You can either go up or down chromatically or follow the circle of 5ths pattern (C, G, D, A, E, B, F# (G Flat), D Flat, A Flat, E Flat, B Flat, F, C).

Ok, cool, but now what? Well, from these triads or blocks of sound, these can form the building blocks to creating new music, your music! Just experiment with different patterns within the scale until you find a progression that really speaks to you. Just have fun and stay curious.

Here is a really cool video of Paul McCartney (one of the great song writers of our time) getting into it. Enjoy!!

At Rock Camp and Jazz Workshop in New Jersey and the Hamptons, we’ll get into this concept as a way to explore song writing and improvisation.