The Major Scale

A major scale is eight notes from one note up to the same letter an octave higher, following one fixed pattern of steps: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone (whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half). C major uses only the white keys: C D E F G A B C.

By Dan Vrancic, music theory teacher · Reviewed October 2026

The major scale formula

Every major scale is built from two sizes of step:

Half step

Semitone (S)

ABCDEFGABC1
E to F: the very next key, one semitone.

Whole step

Tone (T)

ABCDEFGABC2
C to D: skip one key, two semitones.

From the first note up to the octave, a major scale always follows the same order of steps:

Major scale pattern

  1. TTone
  2. TTone
  3. SSemitone
  4. TTone
  5. TTone
  6. TTone
  7. SSemitone

In American terms that is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. The semitones always fall between notes 3–4 and 7–8.

C major: the white keys

C major is the one major scale with no sharps or flats. On a piano it is every white key from C to the next C, because the white keys already have semitones exactly where the pattern needs them: E–F and B–C.

C major: the semitones fall between E–F and B–C, notes 3–4 and 7–8.

How to build a major scale from any note

  1. Write the letters

    Start on your note and write the next seven letters in order, ending on the same letter: F G A B C D E F.

  2. Check each step

    Measure each step against the pattern: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.

  3. Fix with sharps or flats

    Where a step is the wrong size, raise or lower the note with a sharp or flat. Never change the letter.
F to F on the white keys: A–B is a tone where the pattern needs a semitone, and B–C a semitone where it needs a tone.
Lower B to B♭ and both steps are right. F major has one flat.
G major needs one sharp: F♯, so that the last step is a semitone.

The notes of every major scale

ScaleNotesSharps or flats
C majorC D E F G A B CNone
G majorG A B C D E F♯ G1: F♯
D majorD E F♯ G A B C♯ D2: F♯, C♯
A majorA B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A3: F♯, C♯, G♯
E majorE F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ E4: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯
B majorB C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B5: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯
F♯ majorF♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯6: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯
C♯ majorC♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯ C♯7: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, B♯
F majorF G A B♭ C D E F1: B♭
B♭ majorB♭ C D E♭ F G A B♭2: B♭, E♭
E♭ majorE♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭3: B♭, E♭, A♭
A♭ majorA♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭4: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭
D♭ majorD♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭5: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭
G♭ majorG♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G♭6: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭
C♭ majorC♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭7: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭

The sharps and flats of each scale, written once at the start of the staff, are its key signature.

Scale degrees

Each note of the scale has a number and a name. Musicians use them to talk about melodies and chords in any key.

DegreeNameIn C major
1TonicC
2SupertonicD
3MediantE
4SubdominantF
5DominantG
6SubmediantA
7Leading toneB

Try it: name the degree

Question 1 of 6

In E major, which degree is G♯?

See it step by step

The interactive explainer from Lesson 8, with sound. Step through it at your own pace.

See it take shape · Interactive story

One pattern, any starting note

Lay the major-scale pattern of tones and semitones over the piano keyboard. Start it on C, then slide it to new notes and watch the sharps and flats appear where it lands on black keys.

Step 1 of 11
BCDEFGABC
T = tone, two hops. S = semitone, one hop. Tap any key to hear it.

The pattern

A major scale is a pattern of steps

A major scale is a set pattern of tones and semitones: Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone. Seven steps climb from the starting note to the same letter an octave higher.

T T S T T T S: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

Use the arrow keys while a story control is focused.

Read the story as text

  1. A major scale is a pattern of steps

    A major scale is a set pattern of tones and semitones: Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone. Seven steps climb from the starting note to the same letter an octave higher.

  2. Start on C: all white keys

    Lay the pattern on C and every step lands on a white key. Its two semitones fall on E–F and B–C, the white keys with no black key between them.

  3. Move it to D: two sharps appear

    Slide the same pattern up to D. A tone above E lands on a black key, and so does the tone above B, so D major needs F♯ and C♯.

  4. Start on B♭: flats this time

    Start on B♭ and the pattern lands on one more black key, the semitone above D. It takes the next letter, E, so it is written E♭.

  5. One note on every line and space

    To build a scale on the staff, write one note on every line and space from the starting note, so each letter is used once. Then measure each step and add the sign the pattern needs.

  6. Build a major scale from any note

    Choose a starting note and the same pattern builds its major scale. The note you start on names the scale.

  7. Measure to find the mistakes

    This G major scale has two wrong accidentals. Measure every step against T T S T T T S: wherever a step is the wrong size, a sign is missing or doesn’t belong.

  8. Draw the scale on the piano

    Mark the scale with a dot on every key. G major uses every white key from G to G except F, which becomes F♯.

  9. Number the notes: scale degrees

    Each note of a scale is a scale degree, numbered from the starting note: 1 to 7, with the top note (1) again. Every major scale numbers its notes the same way.

  10. Each degree has a name

    The degrees also have traditional names, from the tonic up to the leading tone, which leads back up to the tonic a semitone above.

  11. Build it, then name it

    Build each scale on the keys from its starting note, one step of the pattern at a time, and give black keys the right name. Then name the scale degree of a note.

Practice on paper

Free printable worksheets on this topic, each with an answer key.

Major scale worksheets with answer keys

Questions about the major scale

What is the major scale formula?
Tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone. In American terms: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. Every major scale follows it from its first note.
What are the notes of the C major scale?
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. It is the only major scale with no sharps or flats.
How many major scales are there?
Fifteen are written: C, seven with sharps (G, D, A, E, B, F♯, C♯) and seven with flats (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭). Three pairs sound the same on a piano (B and C♭, F♯ and G♭, C♯ and D♭), so there are twelve different-sounding major scales.
What is the difference between a tone and a semitone?
A semitone (half step) is the distance from one key to the very next key, black or white. A tone (whole step) is two semitones: skip exactly one key.
Can a major scale have both sharps and flats?
No. Each letter is used once, in order, so a major scale uses only sharps or only flats, never a mix. That is why each key has a key signature of one kind.
What are the scale degree names?
From the first note: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant and leading tone, then the tonic again.

Learn it properly

The course teaches the major scale in a full video lesson with practice questions, graded quizzes and printable sheets.

See plans