Chapter 3 | The Major Scale

Seven notes, one repeatable pattern.

In Chapter 2, you learned that a tone moves two frets and a semitone moves one. Now we can put those steps in a particular order and hear them become a scale.

The Pattern

Start on any note and follow that order on one string. You will play seven different notes, then arrive back at the starting note higher up. That eighth sound completes the trip: it is the octave.

Hear It on the High E String

Start at the 3rd fret: G. Move two frets, two frets, one fret, then two, two, two and one. Play slowly. Say each note as you go.

Listen to how the last G feels like home. The first G is the root (also called the tonic).

The final G has the same name at a higher pitch. The F# happens naturally when you follow the fret pattern.

Why Learn This?

The major scale gives us a way to understand melodies, chords and keys. You may use other scales more often in your playing, but this pattern helps explain how much of music is put together.

Try It on One String

Use the same steps from a different starting note.

The shape of the journey stays the same. The starting note changes the name and the notes of the scale.

Exercise 1 — A Major

Find A at the 5th fret of the low E string. Follow the seven steps in order. The diagram lets you check each landing place after you have tried it yourself.

Exercise 2 — C Major

Find C at the 3rd fret of the A string. Follow exactly the same steps. Notice that every note you land on has a natural note name.

Now Try Without the Diagrams

Cover the diagrams. Play G, A and C major again while saying “tone” or “semitone” at every move. If you get lost, return to the root and start the sequence again.

There are 12 possible starting notes in the musical alphabet, so there are 12 major scales by starting pitch. We are learning their structure here; playing them across several strings can come later.

Check Your Understanding

Answer the questions first. Then open the answer key to check your understanding.

1. How many different notes are in a major scale?
2. Write the complete tone and semitone pattern.
3. What do we call the note where a scale begins?
4. Can you change the order of the steps and still have a major scale?
5. How many major scales are there by starting pitch?
6. Other than C major, what kind of note occurs in every major scale?
7. What do we call the return to the starting note at a higher pitch?

On the Guitar

Choose either A major or C major. Without looking back, write its fret numbers and note names. Then play what you wrote and listen for the octave.

Starting note / string: __________________________

Fret numbers: _________________________________

Note names: __________________________________

What to Remember

One pattern of steps. Twelve possible starting notes.

In the next chapter, we can use the major scale to understand how chords are built.