Learn Major & Minor Scales - Fast & Easy for Any Keyboard Player

Learning marimba, bells, or another keyboard instrument? Getting ready for an audition or assessment? This self-paced course is the perfect place to start!

Major and minor scales are the building blocks of music. They boost your technique, sharpen your reading, elevate your overall musicianship—and help you develop a strong visual map of the keyboard, leading to more confident playing.

In just four concise, easy-to-follow lessons (just under 90 minutes total), I’ll guide you through a fast, effective method for learning all the major and natural minor scales. The approach is simple, clear, and designed to be revisited anytime you need it.

I’ve condensed the first several weeks of lessons I teach my private mallet students into a focused, interactive format that gets results. You’ll learn how to “memorize” scales (without having to memorize each one separately), and pick up practical tips on what to practice, how to practice, and how to truly see the keyboard in a new way.

All for a fraction of the cost of a single private lesson.

$20.00
Section 1
Lesson 1
Chapter 1
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Introduction and why scales are important in music
Chapter 2
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What is a keyboard?
Chapter 3
Mallets and grip
Chapter 4
Up and down, where is "D", and what an octave is
Chapter 5
1/2 steps, whole steps, and the alphabet
Chapter 6
First scale and the C major scale
Chapter 7
How do you add flats?
Chapter 8
What to work on before starting lesson 2
Section 2
Lesson 2
Chapter 9
Review of lesson 1
Chapter 10
The circle of 4ths and 5ths
Chapter 11
What a flat is
Chapter 12
How to combine the circles with how you add flats to play scales, F major scale
Chapter 13
Bb major scale
Chapter 14
Eb major scale
Chapter 15
How to add the other 2 flats
Chapter 16
Name all the flats
Chapter 17
How to play the relative minors
Chapter 18
What to work on before starting lesson 3
Section 3
Lesson 3
Chapter 19
Review lesson 2, play through of all the major and relative minor flat scales 0 through 3 flats
Chapter 20
Review lesson 2 continued, 4 through 7 flats
Chapter 21
How to add sharps
Chapter 22
What a sharp is
Chapter 23
How to combine the circles with how you add sharps to play scales, G major scale and relative minor
Chapter 24
The A major scale and relative minor
Chapter 25
What to work on before starting lesson 4
Section 4
Lesson 4
Chapter 26
Review lesson 3, play through of all the major and relative minor sharp scales (0 through 3 sharps)
Chapter 27
Review lesson 3 continued, 4 through 7 sharps
Chapter 28
An easier way to think of the scales with 5-7 flats/sharps, the Natural sign
Chapter 29
More helful tips, accidentals, and how to memorize/figure out scales easily
Chapter 30
Intervals (positions from the root), Key signatures, and Arpeggios
Chapter 31
Tips for practice and continued improvement
Derrick Raiter

Derrick Raiter

5.0
(12 lesson reviews)

Hi, I’m Derrick Raiter, a professional percussionist with over 30 years of experience. I help drummers and percussionists of all levels build strong technique, confidence, groove, and musical expression through personalized, engaging lessons. My teaching is shaped by a national performance career and seven years of private study with renowned drummer Anika Nilles.

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