Originally Posted by: JoeNoviceWho gives a crap if C major and A minor start on different notes. When you improvise you don't always want to start on the first note of a scale, do you?

Please consult me before you post in the theory forum. It would be best for your reputation in this section if you didn't say things like that.

I'm not really sure how to respond to this, but let's start by saying "If I were composing in Cmajor, and I decided to write the melody A-B-C-D-E" and end it like that, you would notice something funny about my composition, probably that it sounded like it was in A minor. No, you don't always start on the first note of the scale, but that IS your root note. C major and A minor consist of the same notes, but they are not the same scale. Music theory is confusing enough for beginners without people breeding ignorance on the topic.