The Major Scale

A major scale has seven different note names. Its first note is the tonic, or first scale degree. When you play one octave upwards, you repeat the tonic at the end, so you play eight notes in all.

The major-scale pattern

Starting on the tonic, the steps between successive notes follow this pattern:

T T S T T T S

A tone (T), also called a whole step, spans two semitones. A semitone (S) is a half step. The seven steps therefore span 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2 and 1 semitones, adding up to twelve: one octave. See steps, tones and accidentals for those terms.

The semitone steps fall between degrees 3 and 4, then between degree 7 and the tonic above. This pattern stays the same when you start a major scale on a different note.

C major from C4 to C5 and E major from E4 to E5 have matching degree columns and the step pattern T, T, S, T, T, T, S. T means two semitones; S means one. The complete notes are listed in the table below. — Read each T or S between the notes above it. Both scales put semitones between degrees 3 and 4, then 7 and the upper tonic.

The notes are equally spaced here so you can compare their degrees. The T and S labels give the pitch distances; the spacing itself does not measure semitones.

C major and E major

C major uses the natural notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B. On a piano, these are the white keys from C to the next C. E major uses the same step pattern but needs four sharps.

Scale degree	C major	E major
1, tonic	C	E
2	D	F sharp
3	E	G sharp
4	F	A
5	G	B
6	A	C sharp
7	B	D sharp
1, an octave higher	C	E

For C major, C to D and D to E are tones; E to F is a semitone. Continue with tones from F to G, G to A and A to B, then a semitone from B to C.

In E major, E to F sharp and F sharp to G sharp are tones; G sharp to A is a semitone. The remaining steps lead through B, C sharp and D sharp to the next E.

Use each letter name once before repeating the tonic. Writing G sharp as A flat in this scale would repeat A and omit G, even though those two spellings share a pitch in equal temperament. Key signatures collect a key’s regular sharps or flats at the start of the staff.

For a guitar exercise, use the C major scale. To compare a different scale pattern, continue with the minor scale.

You can also use these scale notes to build the seven chords in a major key, then read and play their Roman-numeral progressions.

References: Robert Hutchinson’s The major scale and the Open University’s tones, semitones and C major.