The name of a scale is its starting and ending place. This note is called the tonic or home tone. It is the note to which all other notes in the scale are compared. Sing the C major scale using solfege syllables. Use the Tone Ladder as a visual reference as you sing. As you sing, notice where the whole and half steps are in the scale.
Now sing the exercise again while you follow the notes on the staff. You no longer have the reference for the whole and half steps. All of the steps look evenly spaced on the staff. This is why it is important to have the sound of the scale in your mind.
