C Major Scale
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
View scale12 scales (including enharmonic equivalents)
C# or Db Major Scale
C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C
View scaleD Major Scale
D – E – F# – G – A – B – C#
View scaleD# or Eb Major Scale
D# / Eb – F – G – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – D
View scaleE Major Scale
E – F# – G# – A – B – C# – D#
View scaleF Major Scale
F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E
View scaleF# or Gb Major Scale
F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – B / Cb – C# / Db – D# / Eb – F / E#
View scaleG Major Scale
G – A – B – C – D – E – F#
View scaleG# or Ab Major Scale
G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – G
View scaleA Major Scale
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G#
View scaleA# or Bb Major Scale
A# / Bb – C – D – D# / Eb – F – G – A
View scaleB Major Scale
B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A#
View scaleANATOMY
Major Scale Formula
The 7 scale degrees that build every major scale — in any key.
Step pattern:W – W – H – W – W – W – H
1
Root0 st
2
Major 2nd+2 st
3
Major 3rd+4 st
4
Perfect 4th+5 st
5
Perfect 5th+7 st
6
Major 6th+9 st
7
Major 7th+11 st
The major scale uses the interval pattern Whole – Whole – Half – Whole – Whole – Whole – Half (W = 2 frets, H = 1 fret). Apply that step pattern starting from any root note and you build a major scale. The seven degrees that result give us every other scale and chord in tonal music.
Applied to C: C – D – E – F – G – A – B (no sharps or flats). Applied to G: G – A – B – C – D – E – F# (one sharp). Applied to D: D – E – F# – G – A – B – C# (two sharps).
About this tool
About Major Scales on Guitar
The major scale is the cornerstone of Western music — it's where chords come from, where keys come from, and where almost every melodic and harmonic concept eventually traces back to. Master it and you understand why the I, IV, and V chords sound "right" together, why a major third sounds bright, and how the seven modes (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.) are all just the major scale played from different starting notes. On guitar specifically, the major scale maps onto the fretboard in five overlapping CAGED positions — learning all five gives you a complete mental map of any key.
- 01Built from 7 notes per octave with the step pattern W – W – H – W – W – W – H
- 02Scale degrees: 1 (root), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 — all natural intervals
- 03Bright, resolved "do re mi fa sol la ti" sound
- 04The source of major-key harmony: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii° chords
- 05Maps onto the guitar fretboard in 5 overlapping CAGED positions
- 06Parent scale for all 7 diatonic modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian)
- 0712 unique major scales cover every possible root note