Week Three

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, some shit went down! Salieri's scene went off without a hitch, but the good mood didn't last. The first motive was a bit of a doozy, and yet it didn't even have anything to do with the eventual accidental death of Mumble Happyfeet! At least Sissi was already pretty much dating Death anyway, right? She's probably fine, wherever she is.

This week, new menus have been posted in the cafeteria. But, more importantly, it seems that other new information has emerged. Everyone wakes on Sunday with some new memories - or are they old ones? - floating around in their heads. Maybe there was something to your discussions of time travel after all. Maybe there was someting to the Wizard's knowledge of the future.

Regardless, you're still stuck in here. At least there's some new places to explore this week. Maybe you'll find something helpful.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regains and your AC for this week! Hester's office hours and the merch booth also remain available! ))

Comments

[violentenvies]

Good. [a nod--he then plays a different note] And if this is E?

[comeandfindme]

[ F, G, A, B, C, D—

Another E rings out throughout the band room. ] Here.

[violentenvies]

Excellent. [simply a statement.] Now, I want you to play, once note at a time, from one C to another, upwards]

[comeandfindme]

Just that? [ But that sounds so easy! Well, alright. She nods and does so. ]

[violentenvies]

There. Now you've played your first scale.

[comeandfindme]

...Oh. Just like that, huh?

[violentenvies]

Just like that. That scale was called C Major.

[comeandfindme]

'Cause it started on C and it was in a major key instead of a minor one? ...I don't know a lot about what those mean, but like, I know they exist.

[violentenvies]

That's correct. There are certain things that make a scale major or minor, but for now it's much easier to simply hear it.

Try playing from A to A now.

[comeandfindme]

[ She counts briefly to find A and does so. ]

Is this an A Major scale?

[violentenvies]

Not quite. Did you hear how it sounded different than the C major? That was A minor.

[comeandfindme]

Huh. But, I didn't do anything weird or different, just...played from A to A. Is...it 'cause of how it sounded?

[violentenvies]

Correct. Major and Minor are based on how they sound. There are different types of minor scales, but for now, we'll stick to natural minor, which is what you played.

You can really hear the difference if I play A natural minor--[he does so, on the all white keys, up and back down]-- and then A major. [again, eight notes up and back down, this time incorporating some black keys]

[comeandfindme]

I hear it... So, it's not just white keys are major and black keys are minor. Huh. Okay.

[violentenvies]

Exactly. Each key on the piano represents a different note. Now, differentiating between the types of scales is determined by how far it is one from one note to the next as you go up and down the scale. This distance is measured in what we call half-tones and whole-tones.

For example, if take a pair of white keys that have a black key in between them--for example, A and B here--and play them: [he moves to indicate on the piano, playing the two notes back and forth a couple of times]--that is a whole tone. However, if I take a pair of white keys that don't have any black keys in between them, for example B and C--[he plays those next, going back and forth]--that is a half tone. Similarly, going from a white key to the black key next to it--[he demonstrates, going from C to the black key just above it]--is also a half tone.

So--[and he pulls over a piece of blank paper and a pencil]--for a major scale--if you would play the keys for me as we go, C-major is, starting with C to D...[and as she plays the scale, he'll say and write: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, along with the letter names on either side.]

[comeandfindme]

[ As Salieri explains, Peregrine's face scrunches up a little, as she takes everything in and processes it. She watches him eagerly, eyes following his hands. The moment he asks her to start playing, she does so, no complaints, mouthing along whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. ]

Whoa... And you just memorize this? For every scale?

[violentenvies]

Sort of. If we're talking the whole-tone, half-tone thing, there's only four combinations total to memorize. There's only one main pattern for major, and 3 different patterns for minor.

So...knowing that pattern for major, and starting on F--[he touches "F" on the piano]--how would you play that scale?

[comeandfindme]

[ Oh no. Uhhh, application phase, already!! Peregrine glances at the paper with the major scale cheat sheet, then at the piano. ]

Um... [ She presses down the F, murmuring the pattern once more, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half as she goes along. The first half-to-whole nearly messes her up, as she starts to press down on the B— but then she pulls her finger back and corrects properly, to the C, and continues. ]

Like that?

[violentenvies]

Precisely. Very good. [he is both impressed and pleased by her picking it up so quickly] What about if you start on a "D"?

[comeandfindme]

[ Brows knitted together in concentration, she repeats the process on a different key, again walking through the pattern. This time she slips up a bit more, pressing the F instead of the F#. ]

Oh- shoot. [ She starts over and corrects herself, deliberately going slower between each note. ]

[violentenvies]

[Salieri almost moves to correct her, but when she corrects herself, he looks even more pleased.]

That's it exactly. So, now you can play any major scale starting from whichever note you want.

[comeandfindme]

[ But, surprisingly, Peregrine shakes her head. ]

No, I gotta play them all again. I don't know how to do something until I can replicate it without a second thought, right?

[violentenvies]

[....hm?]

...true enough. Practice does make perfect, I'll admit.

[comeandfindme]

[ At least she seems dedicated!! ]

Give me scales at random. So I can try recalling them individually.

[violentenvies]

Alright. What about E-flat?