Bb C D Eb F G A Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

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Last night I had a rap session with a student on the subject of his favorite scale. And it quickly dawned on me that this whole area of discussion, while definitely out of the mainstream and not a life or death issue, might be worth a survey.

Did I hear myself right?

If, for example, I asked myself what scale was the most difficult to teach, it would be a no brainer: Bb Major, resoundingly!!

In talking with myriads of pupils that have come through my studio over the years, the overwhelming consensus was that Bb Major had been a finger tripper, if not a confidence crusher.

But why? It only contains TWO FLats, Bb and Eb!

One student called it the “daddy long legs” scale because of its many strands, ins and outs…