Major scale
The major scale: seven notes in a whole-whole-half pattern, the bright, stable reference that every other diatonic scale is measured against. Notes in all twelve keys, with piano and guitar diagrams.
On C
- Formula
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
- Steps
- W W H W W W H
- Notes
- 7
- Also called
- Ionian
What it sounds like
The major scale follows the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Its half steps sit between degrees 3 and 4 and between 7 and 8, so the seventh degree leans a half step up into the octave. The major third above the tonic, together with the perfect fifth, forms an open and consonant tonic triad. That third is the interval that most clearly separates the scale from minor. On C, the scale uses only white keys, which makes it the reference against which every other diatonic collection is described.
Where you hear it
Major keys were the default of Western tonal music from the Baroque period onward, and they remain common in pop, rock, country, and gospel. Hymns and folk songs in many European traditions use major for resolved or ceremonial effect. Major scales underlie the fingerings and patterns that beginners learn first on most instruments. Jazz standards often move through major keys using ii, V, and I chords. Composers from many periods have chosen major for brightness and affirmation.
How it is built
Major is the Ionian mode, the first rotation of the major pattern, and each of the other six diatonic modes is a rotation of the same seven notes. Its relative minor, natural minor, uses the same pitches starting from A. The major pentatonic is derived by removing degrees 4 and 7. On C, the diatonic triads are C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, and B diminished. The tonic, subdominant, and dominant triads are all major, and the seventh chord on the fifth degree, G7, is the standard dominant in cadences.
How to practise it
Play C major hands together, one octave up and down, then repeat the same fingering starting on each white key to hear every mode as a rotation. Sing the scale against a drone on C, and stop on the fourth and fifth degrees to hear the open intervals. Play a I, IV, V, I progression in all twelve keys, moving the root by one semitone at a time, so the pattern becomes a shape you can transpose rather than a set of notes to memorize.
Major scale in every key
Each scale below is spelled by letter name, so every letter appears once where the scale has seven notes. Click a name for its full page.
| Key | Notes | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D E F G A B | |
| C♯ | C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯ | |
| D♭ | D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C | |
| D | D E F♯ G A B C♯ | |
| E♭ | E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D | |
| E | E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ | |
| F | F G A B♭ C D E | |
| F♯ | F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯ | |
| G♭ | G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F | |
| G | G A B C D E F♯ | |
| G♯ | G♯ A♯ B♯ C♯ D♯ E♯ F× | |
| A♭ | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G | |
| A | A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ | |
| B♭ | B♭ C D E♭ F G A | |
| B | B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ |
Further reading
- The Major Scale Formula: Whole and Half Steps ExplainedFundamentals · 7 min
- Scale Degrees Explained: Numbers, Names and SolfègeFundamentals · 7 min
- Key Signatures and the Order of Sharps and FlatsFundamentals · 8 min
Questions
What are the notes of the major scale?
The major scale has seven notes and follows the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. On C it is C D E F G A B, using only white keys. Every other major scale is built from its own tonic with the same pattern, so the sharps or flats needed depend on the starting note.
What is the difference between major and natural minor?
Both use seven notes. The major scale has a major third, sixth, and seventh above the tonic, while natural minor has a minor third, sixth, and seventh. On C, major is C D E F G A B and natural minor is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭. It is the sixth mode of the major scale.
Why does the major scale sound happy?
The major third above the tonic is the feature listeners hear most clearly. A major triad stacks a major third and a perfect fifth on the root, and the major scale places that triad on degree one. Associations of major with happiness are cultural rather than fixed. Slow tempos and minor-key harmony can make major sound somber.