I.
Introduction
What is Kapelle Scales?
Kapelle Scales is an application for working with scales and modes of all kinds. Unlike applications which may be limited to a few activities or just very basic scale types, Kapelle Scales is capable of handling an infinite variety of scales and modes.
Currently Kapelle Scales supports not only major and the three forms of minor, but also the medieval church modes, pentatonic, hexatonic, and octatonic scales, both standard and synthetic. Any scale or mode (that does not require microtones) can be supported by the application and easily incorporated.
Kapelle Scales Exercises
Kapelle Scales does not “hard-wire” the exercises into the program. Instead, exercises are small text files. Each line in the file contains an instruction which the application uses to construct an exercise. For example, one line might specify how many individual scales should be created for a particular exercise.
The Varieties of Scale-Related Exercises
The number of activities that can be done to work with scales and modes is surprisingly large. Kapelle Scales identifies no less than 12 separate activities, with some of those activities having a number of options. Instead of listing all of those activities, here is a rundown of the fundamental types of scale-related activities that the application supports.
Writing
Writing scales and modes is obviously fundamental to learning scales. Scales may be written with or without key signatures, ascending or descending, starting on and ending with any particular scale degree. The first note may be given, or the exercise may specify to start on a scale degree.
Hearing
Hearing scales is also fundamental. Scales and modes may be required to be identified by both tonic and mode, or by mode only. Hearing scales is not limited to starting on the tonic pitch—the well-trained ear recognizes scales starting from all degrees.
Identifying
Identifying scales consists of recognizing a scale at sight with or without a key signature, starting from any particular scale degree. This can also include identifying a scale when given a single degree of that scale and its mode.
Key Signatures
Key signatures may be added to a set of pitches to create a particular scale or mode. In addition, key signatures may also be created—that is, the sharps or flats required to create a particular scale or mode can be assembled, rather than the key signature’s being selected from a list.
Correcting
Error-correction is always a good way to learn to write scales or modes. Scales may be presented with one note incorrect, all the way through to every note incorrect.
Playing
Playing scales is excellent practice. Kapelle Scales supports playing scales from a particular scale degree, or starting from a given note.
About the Tutorials
These tutorial exercises do not cover every single activity offered by Kapelle Scales. The tutorials cover just those skills which you will need to use the program.
For example, once you know how to notate a scale, then you also have the skills necessary to add accidentals to scales or error-correct scales. Thus adding accidentals and error correction is skipped in the tutorials.
Also, the tutorial exercises are generally much shorter than “real” exercises you will do.
Finally, don’t worry about the grade you get on a tutorial exercise. The idea here is to learn to use the program.
II.
Tutorial 1: Basics
Tutorial 1 covers the notational system in Kapelle Scales. As such it is the longest of the tutorials.
If you are already familiar with other Kapelle-series programs that use notation (in particular, Kapelle Dictation) then you may skim this tutorial quickly. You will find that the notation system in Kapelle Scales is a subsystem of that used in Kapelle Dictation and will be very easy to understand.
However, you should go through the tutorial briefly, just to note any differences that exist between the two applications.
A Note About Exercise Length
Most exercises consist of a number of scales that are presented to you. The exercise requires that you finish all of the presented scales before your grade is permanently recorded.
However, for the purposes of these tutorials, most exercises will consist of one single scale, or just a few.
Opening the Exercise
All of the exercises available to you are located in a standard tree-type control on the left side of the main window:
Figure 1: The Main Window
This pane contains both folders and exercises.
To expand a folder, click on the plus sign ( + ) to the left of the folder. It will expand to show its contents—which can be more folders as well as exercises.
Open the Tutorials folder by clicking once on the plus sign:
Figure 2: Opening the Tutorials Folder
Then open the first exercise, 01 – Basics, by double-clicking on the exercise icon.
In a moment, the exercise will be presented to you.
Since this is a tutorial exercise, it has been limited to one single ascending A-Major scale to write.
Before starting to work on the scale, take a look at the parts of the screen before you.
Parts of the Screen
Figure 3: Parts of the Screen
Announcements Pane
The Announcements Pane contains the instructions for you to follow for this particular exercise. Always read it carefully: it will tell you what kind of scale to write, whether the scale is ascending or descending, and what to do after you’ve written the scale.
Notation Pane
The Notation Pane is the onscreen area in which you actually notate the exercise. There is a color bar on the bottom of the Notation Pane which might act as a double-clickable button in some cases, or will serve to identify the scale for you in others.
Comment Pane
Every exercise contains a comment of some sort. This comment was written by the author of the exercise and contains extra information about the exercise.
Notating the Scale
Moving the Cursor
The cursor is a rectangular blinking black object:
Figure 4: The Cursor
The cursor may be moved vertically or horizontally. (Horizontal motion is only possible when there are multiple notes within a measure.)
To move the cursor vertically, press the up arrow or the down arrow keys.
To move the cursor horizontally, press the right arrow or left arrow keys. (Note that the cursor will not move horizontally until you have inserted some notes.)
Entering Notes
Since we are going to notate an A-Major scale, move the cursor so that it is positioned directly over the second space of the clef:
Figure 5: The Cursor Positioned Over ‘A’
To enter a note at this location, press the Enter key. The note is entered:
Figure 6: Note Entered
Alternate Techniques to Enter Notes
If you prefer to enter a note with the mouse, you may do any of the following:
· Select Enter Note from the Note Menu:
Figure 7: Enter Note from the Note menu
·
Click the Enter
Note icon 
on the Toolbar.
· Right-click on the cursor, then select Enter Note from the context menu:
Figure 8: Using the Context Menu
Editing Notes
Deleting Notes
To delete a note, make sure that the cursor is positioned directly over the note head, then press Backspace.
Moving Notes
To move a note, make sure that the cursor is positioned directly over the note head, then press Ctrl+Up Arrow to move the note upwards, or Ctrl+Down Arrow to move the note downwards.
Adding Accidentals
To add a sharp or flat to a note, make sure that the cursor is positioned directly over the note head, then press F7 to flat the note or F8 to sharp the note.
Editing Notes Using the Mouse
The techniques outlined above for note editing all use the keyboard, which is the quickest way to handle these actions. However, you may also use the mouse to edit or enter notes. The section on entering notes illustrated alternate techniques. Those same basic techniques exist for all other note-editing commands as well.
Using the Menu Bar
The Notes Menu contains all commands for editing notes. Make sure that the cursor is positioned over the note head you wish to edit, then select a command from the Notes Menu:
Figure 9: The Notes Menu
Using the Toolbar
The left-most portion of the Toolbar contains note-editing commands:
Figure 10: Note-Editing Toolbar Commands
TIP: if you’re not sure what the icon means, hold the mouse over the icon for 1 second and a little window will pop up telling you what it does.
Using Context Menus
You may also right-click at the cursor’s location, and a context menu will pop up containing only those commands which are pertinent to the current situation:
Figure 11: A Context Menu for Note Editing
Undo and Redo (“Taking Back”) Actions
You may undo, or take back, any editing action up to the time you began to work on this scale.
To Undo a single action, select Undo from the Edit Menu. (The name of the Undo command will reflect the action—such as Undo Add Note.)
To Undo multiple actions, select Undo Multiple from the Edit Menu. You may select any actions you wish to undo from the dialog box that comes up.
To Redo actions (that is, to “take back” the Undo), use the Redo and Redo Multiple commands on the Edit Menu.
Making Multiple Selections
You are not limited to editing one note at a time. You may select a group of notes for editing as follows:
· Press down and hold the left mouse button
· Drag the mouse from top-left to bottom-right of the notes you wish to edit: make sure that their noteheads are included in the area.
· Release the mouse button. The are