Make the seventh note (in this case F) a sharp (#).Assign numbers to this scale too (G = 1, A = 2 and so on).This is how we’re going to work out the G Major scale. Restart the scale starting from the 5th note – which in this case is G.Give a number to each note in the scale – let’s start with C Major (e.g.Alternatively, there is a method known as the “number” system. If this isn’t sitting right in your brain – no need to panic. So, if you were working out the scale of Bb Major, the same pattern still applies.īb (W) C (W) D (H) Eb (W) F (W) G (W) A (H) Bb An Alternative Method: Working Out Major Scales If it is to the right of the note, it is sharp. These are the black notes on a piano, if it’s to the left of the note, it is flat. If you look at the C major scale and count up on the image of the piano using the pattern below, you’ll see that it follows this pattern of steps:Ĭ (W) D (W) E (H) F (W) G (W) A (W) B (H) Cĭon’t forget also, that some keys include Flats (b) and Sharps (#). An example of a half step is from C – C# because I simply move up one key, from white to black. On a piano, it means moving up 1 key (including black notes). So, an example of a whole step is from C – D, because I move up one to C#, and then again to D.Ī half step is called a semitone. On a piano, it means moving up 2 keys or ‘half steps’ (including black notes). Major scales follow this pattern in regard to the leaps between the notes: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, HalfĪ whole step is called a tone. Now that we have established that the C Major scale has 7 notes starting from C and ending at B, let’s move ahead and understand how to work out any Major scale. You are on the right track, though! How To Work Out Any Major Scale Now, you must be thinking ‘what if I start the same scale from a different letter, like G? Would that make it a G Major scale?’ Great thinking – however, it’s not quite as simple as that. In this case, it was a major scale starting with C.

The note at the start of a musical scale usually determines the musical scales’ names. As we are starting from note C, this will be referred to as the C Major scale. This is a great way of playing your first of many music scales on the piano! So, if you played all the white keys from C to B, you’d hear a Major scale. If you’ve ever played the piano, you may notice that these are the same notes as the white keys. In order to do this, all you have to do is rewrite the same order of notes but start from C (C D E F G A B).

Let’s have a look at our first major scale, starting on the C note. The first step to working out a major scale is to write down the first 7 letters from the alphabet, starting from A (A B C D E F G). We’ll start with the most basic musical scale, which is known as the Major scale. For example, major and minor scales in music are the most common.

There are many different types of scales in music. Just like different languages have different alphabets or letters, each musical scale includes different notes or letters. This definition can be seen as a crude way of explaining this topic, however, it will set you on the right path for exploration.Ī more simple scale definition for music is that each musical scale’s notes can be seen as the alphabet of a language. If you’ve ever heard somebody doing a vocal warm-up, they are usually singing scales. Musical scales are groups of notes (12 notes per scale) which sound pleasant when played in or out of sequence, ascending or descending.

Musical a major key piano chart