Basic Chord Theory

The Major Scale
The Diving Board

I like to think of the major scale as the ‘diving board into the pool of chord theory’.  So much information can be drawn from a major scale:

What is a Major Scale?

A major scale is made up of 8 notes.  The notes when played in sequence sound like “DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DO”.  The key of C is built off the C major scale, the key of G is built from the G major scale, etc.  The notes of the C major scale are: C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C (notice there are no sharps or flats in the key of C).

We can number each of these notes 1 through 8.

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8
C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C

An important observation to make here is the interval (or spacing) between each numbered note. I’ll use “w” to represent a whole step, and “h” to represent a half step. So the interval between the numbered notes in the major scale could be represented like this:

1 w 2 w 3 h 4 w 5 w 6 w 7 h 8

Or you could say there are whole steps between all of the notes except between 3 & 4, and 7 & 8.  If we follow this pattern, we can “build” the major scale in any key.  Look at the following chart:

A Major Scale Chart
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8
G   A   B   C   D   E   F#  G
D   E   F#  G   A   B   C#  D
A   B   C#  D   E   F#  G#  A
E   F#  G#  A   B   C#  D#  E
F   G   A   Bb  C   D   E   F

There are a couple of important things to note in the chart above. In each key, between notes 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 there are half steps. Between all the other numbered notes, there are whole steps. Also, note that each letter A through G are represented in each scale. In the key of G we don’t go from E to Gb because we would skip “F”. Likewise, in the key of F, we don’t go from A to A# because we would not be notating B anywhere in the scale. Also, notes 1 and 8 are always the same, only an “octave” apart in pitch.

For a complete list of the major scales in PDF format, click here: Major Scale Sheet.

Click for PDF

For a complete list of the 12 major scales click the button below.

11 Comments

  1. Hi David,

    Why it seems that “1 w 2 w 3 h 4 w 5 w 6 w 7 h 8” rule does not make any sense in the key of F? If I apply this rule in the key of F, it goes like this: F-G-A-A#-Bb-C#-D#-Eb?

    Reply
    • Actually it does work: F w G w A h Bb w C w D w E h F. A# and Bb are the same note/tone, it is called Bb in the key of F. Also the interval between Bb and C is a whole step (B is a half up from Bb, and C is a half up from B. Two halves make a whole.) Does this help?

      Reply
  2. Many people find it helpful to think of a piano when they learn there is no such thing as E#/Fb or B#/Cb, the only white keys without a black key between them, so just a half step.

    Reply
    • Excellent point! That’s what I’ve done a lot of times.

      Reply
  3. Hello David, thank you for posting this information. As a beginner, there is something I don’t understand, hopefully you can clarify… You state “An important observation to make here is the interval (or spacing) between each numbered note…. 1 w 2 w 3 h 4 w 5 w 6 w 7 h 8.” But when I look at the key of C, I see C D E F G A B C. This looks to me like whole steps between each note. I apparently don’t understand the concept of the whole step vs. the half step. Please explain.

    Reply
    • Hi Larry, Don’t be confused by B & C and E & F notes. There is only one half step between B and C, and one half step between E and F. There are no sharps/flats between B & C, and between E & F, so they are half steps apart. A half step is an interval from one note to the next on the chromatic scale: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A… The interval between each pair of those side-by-side notes is a half step. From A to A# is a half step, A# to B is a half, B to C is a half, and so on.

      Thanks for your comments and question.
      David

      Reply
      • actually theres flats on B and E

        Reply
        • What exactly do you mean?

          Reply
    • I think this is best visualized by looking at the piano keyboard.
      There are no keys (i.e. black keys) between B and C and E and F. All twelve keys (white and black) in an octave are a half step apart from the previous and next key.

      Reply
  4. Hello there, I wonder why isn’t there a key of B major?

    Reply
    • There is a B major scale. I just put down some of the common ones on this page. B major scale: B C# D# E F# G# A# B.

      Reply

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