So, you want to know how to build the Major Scale on guitar? Congratulations, you have come to the right place!
No need to go anywhere else.
This post has got you covered with all the Major Scales for guitar in all 12 keys.
We’ll discuss the scale and its importance, why you need to know it, and how to build it in detail.
Before we get started with the scale, let’s talk about why you need to learn it and why doing so could be the most important thing you do as a guitarist.
(Tip: Before we start, consider learning the guitar notes in the first position if you don’t know them already.)
What is a scale? A scale is nothing more than a collection of consecutive pitches arranged in ascending or descending order. A scale usually forms a progression between a note and its octave.
In the last two hundred years or so the Major and Minor scales have been the most frequently
used in Western music by far.
In this article, we will focus on the Major scale.
The Major scale contains eight pitches that are represented by consecutive letter names. The eighth letter name is the same as the first, only it is an octave higher or lower.
For example, C Major spelled out in ascending order would look like this…C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Each pitch in the scale is referred to as a scale degree.
For a scale to be considered a major scale, the scale degrees must follow a particular pattern.
The Major Scale pattern
The major scale is formed by following a specific order of the Whole (W) and Half (H) steps. The pattern looks like this…WWHWWWH.
For example, the scale of C major is the only major scale that does not contain sharps or flats.
(Extra Tip: When you practice building the major scale consider the following practice tips.) The next major scale rule is useful for scale construction.
MAJOR SCALE RULE – In a major scale, half steps always fall between steps 3 and 4, and 7 and 8.
The space between all other scale degrees is a whole step.
Whole (W) and Half (H) Steps
On the guitar, a half step is represented by a distance of one fret. A whole step equals two half steps. Therefore, a whole step is the distance of two frets on a guitar.
The following is what the major scale would look like horizontally across the guitar on the B string (2nd string).
On the staff…
And in tab…
Now that we got the hang of C major, let’s move on to the other keys!
G major scale on guitar
G major has one sharp in its key signature. That is an F# on the leading tone (seventh scale degree).
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
D major
D major has two sharps in its key signature. There is an F# on the third scale degree (the mediant), and a C# on the leading tone (seventh scale degree).
Its major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
A major
A major has three sharps in its key signature. C# on the mediant, F# on the sixth scale degree, and G# on the leading tone.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
E major
E major has four sharps in its key signature. F# on the second scale degree, G# on the mediant, C# on the submediant, and a D# on the leading tone.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
B major
B major has five sharps in its key signature. C# on the supertonic, D# on the mediant, F# on the dominant, G# on the submediant, and A# on the leading tone.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
F# major
F sharp major has six sharps in its key signature. All scale steps are sharpened except for the subdominant and the leading tone.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
C# major
C sharp major has seven sharps in its key signature. All scale degrees have sharps except for the mediant and the leading tone.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
Ab major
A flat major has four flats in its key signature. Ab on the tonic, Bb on the supertonic, Db on the subtonic, and Eb on the dominant.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
Eb Major
E flat major has three flats in its key signature. Eb on the tonic, Ab on the subdominant, and Bb on the dominant. The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
Bb major
B flat major has two flats in its key signature. Bb on the tonic, and Eb on the subdominant.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
F major
F major scale on guitar has one flat in its key signature. Bb on the subdominant.
The major scale step pattern looks like this.
On the staff, it looks like this…
And in tab…
Conclusion
Reviewing the major scale on guitar
And those are the twelve major keys. The most important things to remember are:
- The major scale step pattern = W_W_H_W_W_W_H
- One fret on the guitar equals a half step
- Two frets on a guitar equal a whole step
The major scale for guitar gets much easier when you get used to the step pattern. The best way to do that is to build the scales.
Write them down as you work them out on the guitar! And don’t give up, you can learn this.
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