Major scales - North Tyneside Brass in Schools

Major scales consist of 7 notes. Each scale starts on one of the 12 notes between A♭ and G.

From the first note of a major scale the other notes ascend in steps in a set pattern of tones and semi-tones as follows: tone, tone, semi-tone, tone, tone, tone, semi-tone.

A semi-tone is the interval between adjacent keys, white and black, on a piano keyboard, e.g. C to D♭, D# to E, or E to F; and a tone is 2 semi-tones e.g. A to B, or A♭ to B♭.

Here are all the major scales written on a music stave starting with A♭ major and then in ascending order. Note that the pattern of flats (♭) or sharps (#) at the start of each scale is called the “key signature“.

Wait a minute! If you were counting, you might have noticed there are 14 scales here, but we said each one started on one of the 12 notes between A♭ and G!

This is because B major and C♭ major are enharmonic, meaning that the notes sound the same, i.e. they are same pitch as each other.

On a keyboard, C♭ (the note a semi-tone lower than C) is just B. C# (the note a semi-tone higher than C) and D♭ (the note a semi-tone lower than D) are the same black note, etc.

We’ve shown both B major and C♭ major scales because you may come across both.

The same is true of F# major and G♭ major because F# and G♭ are also enharmonic. F# has 6 sharps and G♭ has 6 flats and you may come across both.

Why are there no other major scales starting on sharp notes such as C#?

This is because all the other sharp notes are also enharmonic to flat notes e.g. C# is the same pitch as D♭ but C# major requires 7 sharps while D♭ major requires 5 flats so is easier to read. G#, D#, A# and E# are even worse requiring double sharps! You really don’t want to have to cope with them, believe us!

An interesting feature of the key signatures of scales – the number and pattern of flats (♭) or sharps (#) shown at the start of the music – is that flats and sharps are always added to the key signature in a set order which is B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭ for flats and F#, C#, G#, D#, A# and E# for sharps.

For example:

F major has 1 flat: B♭;
B♭ major has 2 flats: B♭ and E♭;
E♭ major has 3 flats: B♭, E♭ and A♭;
A♭ major has 4 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭;
D♭ major has 5 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭;
G♭ major has 6 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭.

G major has 1 sharp: F#;
D major has 2 sharps: F# and C#;
A major has 3 sharps: F#, C# and G#;
E major has 4 sharps: F#, C#, G# and D#;
B major has 5 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D# and A#;
F# major has 6 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, A# and E#.

For scale practice exercises please see our Scale exercises on our google drive.