Part 2: The Major Scale

Play your first major scale

Sit down at a piano or use the piano below.

Start on C and play all the white keys upward until you reach the next C:

The notes of the C major scale are marked in green. Press the keys to play them.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

You just played the C major scale!

A scale is a sequence of related notes. C is the root note of this scale, which is why it is called C major.

Discover the pattern

In the previous part you learned about whole steps and half steps. Now let's look at the distances between the notes in the C major scale.

C → D → E → F → G → A → B → C

• C → D = whole step
• D → E = whole step
• E → F = half step
• F → G = whole step
• G → A = whole step
• A → B = whole step
• B → C = half step

So the major scale pattern is:

This pattern is the same in every major scale!

No matter which root note you start from, the major scale follows the same pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

C major is especially easy to see on the piano because the scale consists only of white keys. The major scale's half steps should fall between the scale's third and fourth notes and between the seventh and eighth - and in C major they land exactly between E-F and B-C.

That is why the white keys fit perfectly:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

But what happens if we choose a different root note?

Try starting on G and playing only the white keys.

G - A - B - C - D - E - F - G

Does it sound like the same kind of scale?

Let's look at the distances between the notes:

• G → A = whole step
• A → B = whole step
• B → C = half step
• C → D = whole step
• D → E = whole step
• E → F = half step
• F → G = whole step

Compare with the major scale pattern:

Whole - Whole - Half - Whole - Whole - Whole - Half

The first five distances match. But the last two do not follow the major scale pattern.

• E → F = half step - this should be a whole step.
• F → G = whole step - this should be a half step.

To get the correct pattern, we therefore raise F by a half step to F sharp (F♯):

G - A - B - C - D - E - F♯ - G

Now all the distances match - and there we have the G major scale!

How to build a major scale

1. Choose which root note you want to build the scale from.
2. Write the note names in order until you get back to the root note.
3. Check the distances between the notes.
4. Raise or lower notes where needed so you get the pattern:

Try it yourself

Now it's your turn to build a major scale.

Start from F and begin with the notes:

F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F

Do they follow the major scale pattern?

Count the whole steps and half steps and try to find where the pattern breaks.

Practice

Try building major scales from different root notes in an interactive exercise.

Remember

• A major scale consists of seven different notes.
• Every major scale follows the same pattern of whole steps and half steps.
• The scale gets its name from its root note.
• C major consists only of white keys.
• Major scales may need sharps or flats to follow the correct pattern.