Major Scale on Guitar
The major scale is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, steps W W H W W W H (2 2 1 2 2 2 1 frets on one string). Pick any key: the shapes stay the same and only the note names change.
Showing G major: G A B C D E F♯
Scale on the fretboard
G major: G A B C D E F♯ · Pattern 1 · frets 3–8 · starts on the root (G) on the 6th string
Tap a dot to hear it. Drone holds the root. Brightest dot = root. High e on top. Swipe for higher frets.
Formula of the major scale, in G
| Degree | Interval | Frets above root | Note in G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | 0 | G |
| 2 | major 2nd | 2 | A |
| 3 | major 3rd | 4 | B |
| 4 | perfect 4th | 5 | C |
| 5 | perfect 5th | 7 | D |
| 6 | major 6th | 9 | E |
| 7 | major 7th | 11 | F♯ |
Use the major scale
- Major scale on the fretboard mapfrets 0 to 15, any key and tuning
How guitarists use the major scale
Every major key is built from this scale: the seven chords of the key use only its seven notes. Knowing where the scale sits on the neck tells you which notes fit over a song in that key, and where most major-key melodies live.
The fingerings are movable. Pattern 1 of G major starts on the 3rd fret of the 6th string; slide the same shape up to the 5th fret and you are playing A major. The degree numbers stay on the same dots, only the note names change, which is why the Degrees view is worth learning.
The 1, 3 and 5 of the scale are the notes of the major chord on the root, so phrases that end on them sound settled. The 7 sits one fret below the root and pulls back up to it.
The seven patterns, in G major
This major scale guitar diagram shows the scale as seven patterns. Each takes three notes on every string. Pattern 1 starts on the root on the 6th string and each one after it starts a scale note higher, so the numbers climb the neck.
| Pattern | Frets | Starts on (6th string) |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern 1 | 3–8 | G (1) at fret 3 |
| Pattern 2 | 5–10 | A (2) at fret 5 |
| Pattern 3 | 7–12 | B (3) at fret 7 |
| Pattern 4 | 8–14 | C (4) at fret 8 |
| Pattern 5 | 10–15 | D (5) at fret 10 |
| Pattern 6 | 12–17 | E (6) at fret 12 |
| Pattern 7 | 2–7 (shown an octave lower, same shape as frets 14–19) | F♯ (7) at fret 2 |
In G, pattern 1 (frets 3–8) has the same dots as pattern 3 of E natural minor, the relative minor; only the root markers differ.
Tap a number above the fretboard to show that pattern in any key. The CAGED system groups the same notes into five shapes around the open C, A, G, E and D chords: see CAGED system scales.
A practice order for the major scale patterns, in G major
Four steps with the tool above, in the key it shows by default.
- Pattern 1. Frets 3–8, starting on the root at 6th string fret 3. Press Play at 80 bpm and play along, then slow it down if you trail behind.
- Pattern 2. Frets 5–10. It shares 12 of its 18 notes with pattern 1, so play pattern 1 up and pattern 2 down to link them.
- Find the roots. Switch the labels to Degrees. Pattern 1 holds 3 roots (6th string fret 3, 4th string fret 5 and 2nd string fret 8); start and end phrases on them.
- Change key. Pick another key: the same shapes move along the neck and the degree numbers stay on the same dots.
Chords from the G major scale
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get its seven triads.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | G | G B D |
| ii | Am | A C E |
| iii | Bm | B D F♯ |
| IV | C | C E G |
| V | D | D F♯ A |
| vi | Em | E G B |
| vii° | F♯dim | F♯ A C |
The major scale in every key
Related scales
- Natural minor scalemelodies and chords of minor keys
- Pentatonic scalerock, blues and country solos; the easiest scale to improvise with
- ModesDorian, Mixolydian and the other five sounds of the major scale
Keep practising
- All guitar scalesevery scale in one fretboard tool
- Keyschords and progressions in every key
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along
FAQ: major scale
What is the formula of the major scale?
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. On one string that is 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2 and 1 frets. Starting on G it gives G A B C D E F♯ and back to G.
How many major scale patterns are there on guitar?
The notes are the same everywhere on the neck; a pattern system is only a way of grouping them. The three-notes-per-string system shown here has seven patterns, one starting on each degree. The CAGED system groups the same notes into five shapes based on the open C, A, G, E and D chords.
Is the major scale the same as the Ionian mode?
Yes. Ionian is the name the major scale takes when it is listed with the other six modes.