The major scale is arguably the most important scale in music. It is the most frequently used scale in music history and has even influenced other scales. Major scales can be used to write happy, joyful, and bright songs, but are also commonly used in the ever-popular ballad and love songs. There are 12 total major scales not counting those with enharmonic spellings.
The major scale is a joyful scale of 8 notes that have the following pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H) between the notes…
The numbers 1 – 8 will eventually represent the letters of the notes that belong in the scale. For example, in the C major scale, C will replace the number “1” because it’s the beginning note.
All major scales:
C D E F G A B C
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
D E F# G A B C# D
Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
E F# G# A B C# D# E
F G A Bb C D E F
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
G A B C D E F# G
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
A B C# D E F# G# A
Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
Building and memorizing every major scale is absolutely essential for every musician and songwriter. If you are new to building scales, or simply wish you further your education on the subject, then pick up a copy of Music Theory For The Modern Rockin' Metalhead in the online store.
You can get a head start by downloading sample chapters here.
