User Manual

► To switch on the Scale engine, click the blue check box next to SCALE in the Perform
section so it is filled.
Activating the Scale Engine on the Keyboard
► To switch on the Scale engine, press SCALE in the PERFORM section on the keyboard.
13.1 A Note about Music Theory
KOMPLETE KONTROL has built-in scales and harmonies that you can select to play your In-
struments with chords and arpeggiator sequences. To learn more about what that really means,
continue reading below.
Scales
Traditionally music is built by combining elements of rhythm and harmony. There are many ex-
ceptions to this, but to understand the concepts of scales, chords and arpeggiator sequences
let’s start from there.
All notes and keys correspond to a pitch—or tone frequency. On a keyboard, each key typically
represents a semitone, meaning that it is a “half step” higher or lower in pitch than the next
key (though other tunings exist as well). To play melodies or chords that sound good together,
notes are usually grouped together in scales. In the Western music tradition, a scale typically
covers seven white keys and five black keys on a keyboard or piano: an octave. It is called so
because the eighth key that follows the seventh contiguous white key plays the same note as
the first of the seven. That key is called the root note. A scale then, is a certain combination of
white and black keys (each representing a semitone) within an octave. By playing only the keys
belonging to some scale, you are certain to stay “in key” within that scale. Important to note
Playing and Editing Scales and Chords
A Note about Music Theory
KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series - Manual - 143