An octave is every one set of 7 pitches the pianist decides to play, ending with the starting pitch in this case, E flat. It would be as follows:Īfter the 7 pitches are identified, the scale will repeat until the desired amount of octaves is reached.

Starting from E flat, you follow the musical alphabet chronologically, while applying the key signatures we already discussed. Now that we have our key signature, let’s build our scale! Scales consist of 7 different pitches on the piano keyboard. That being said, the official last flat would be A flat (And), and the one before it would be B flat (Battle). The trick then, is to assume that the E flat (of E flat major) is the second last flat of the set of flats within the E flat major scale. Within this sentence, you will find that the word for “E flat” (Ends), is the 2nd word of the sentence. While this order is not necessarily the order of how the flats will be played on the actual E flat major scale, it is important to note because all keyboard scale and technique books will write the key signature in this order.Īnother question that a student might have when learning the E flat major scale is how do I know that there are 3 flats? Once again, let’s refer to our acronym trick: *Fun fact, if you say this acronym backwards, you get the order of sharps!Īs stated previously, the E flat major scale has 3 flats, so you would take the first 3 words: Battle Ends And, which would give you the three flats: B flat, E flat, and A flat. If you are unfamiliar with how the order of flats work or if you are wondering why E flat is the second flat named after B flat, simply remember this acronym: For E flat, there are 3 flats: B flat, E flat, and A flat. Every scale is built from its key signature-i.e., the set of sharps or flats associated with that particular key, or “scale” name.

Now that we understand where the scale actually starts, we will begin to understand what the E flat major scale consists of.

The E flat is the black key on the left side of the set of 2 black keys. As the name suggests the E flat major scale starts on its tonic (its namesake, first note), the E flat. The E flat major scale, that being said, provides wonderful didactic and pleasurable aspects that any piano player can benefit from. This could vary, of course, depending on how quickly a student progresses and the type of curriculum the piano instructor chooses to follow. The E flat major scale is a scale typically introduced within the first or second year of learning piano.

E flat major 7 scale