12 scales (including enharmonic equivalents)
C Major Scale
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
C# or Db Major Scale
C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C
D Major Scale
D – E – F# – G – A – B – C#
D# or Eb Major Scale
D# / Eb – F – G – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – D
E Major Scale
E – F# – G# – A – B – C# – D#
F Major Scale
F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E
F# or Gb Major Scale
F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – B / Cb – C# / Db – D# / Eb – F / E#
G Major Scale
G – A – B – C – D – E – F#
G# or Ab Major Scale
G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – G
A Major Scale
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G#
A# or Bb Major Scale
A# / Bb – C – D – D# / Eb – F – G – A
B Major Scale
B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A#
ANATOMY
Major Scale Formula
The 7 scale degrees that build every major scale — in any key.
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 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
Frequently Asked Questions
A major scale is a seven-note scale built using the interval pattern Whole–Whole–Half–Whole–Whole–Whole–Half (W W H W W W H). Starting from C, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B. It's the foundational scale of Western music — bright, resolved, and the source of the "do re mi" sound.
There are 12 major scales — one for each note in the chromatic scale: C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, and B major. Each contains the same interval pattern starting from a different root note.
Most guitarists start with C major (no sharps or flats) or G major (one sharp). G major is especially common because it sits comfortably in open position and uses chord shapes you already know.
The major scale formula is W–W–H–W–W–W–H (whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step). On guitar, a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret. Apply that pattern from any root note and you have a major scale.
A major scale is seven notes played in sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). A major chord is three notes from that scale played together (1, 3, 5). The chord is built from the scale.
CAGED breaks the fretboard into five overlapping shapes named after the open chords C, A, G, E, and D. Each position lets you play the same major scale at a different region of the neck. Linking the five positions gives you a complete map of the scale across all 22+ frets.
Each degree of a major scale produces a chord built from stacking thirds: I (major), ii (minor), iii (minor), IV (major), V (major or dominant 7), vi (minor), vii° (diminished). In C major that gives C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim.