So the C scale is sort of the “first” scale because it has no sharps or flats. Middle C is an important note on pianos. So why didn’t it get the first letter of the alphabet? While we are at it, where did these letter names even come from?
In: 4532
When the 7 notes of the western scale were named, the “standard” scale was A B C D E F G. What we now call the natural minor scale, or the *Aeolian Mode*
Composers in this period, medieval Europe, didn’t have the sharps and flats. So to gain access to different harmonies they used used *modes*. Modes are the same 7 notes, but you start on a different note. The third mode of this scale is called the *Ionian Mode* and starts on C and goes through all the notes C D E F G A B.
During the classical music period, this became the mainstream scale for music. Music notation was invented and based around this mode. So now we think of the Natural minor as starting on the ~~5th~~ 6th note of the major scale. When really the Ionian Mode is the third mode of the Aeolian Mode.
In reality they are all just frequencies and there is no more or less *correct* notes. The music notation system is made up by us, and we could change it.
Latest Answers