Major Scales Flashcards

The Major Scale is the Center Of The Musical Universe! There are 15 actual major scales, along with 6 nonexistent theoretical scales that you might run across. Learn what's real & what isn't. Learn these, and the doorway to awesome musical nutty goodness will be opened!

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1
Q

What is the formula for a major scale?

A

W W H W W W H

What that means:

From the 1st to 2nd note: whole step

From 2 to 3: whole step

From 3 to 4: half step

From 4 to 5: whole

From 5 to 6: whole

From 6 to 7: whole

From 7 to 8: half

The Major Scale is our template for all other scales, so it will be represented as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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2
Q

What are the notes in a C Major Scale?

A

C D E F G A B C

No sharps. No flats. No problem!

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3
Q

What are the notes in a C# Major Scale?

A

C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

When you raise the first note of the C Major Scale by a1/2 step, you have to do the same thing to all the other notes in order to maintain the correct structure. So, everything gets a #.

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4
Q

What are the notes in a Db Major Scale?

A

Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db

D & Db Major are the scales with special attention given to the F’s & C’s. D has two sharps, Db two naturals.

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5
Q

What are the notes in a D Major Scale?

A

D E F# G A B C# D

D & Db Major are the scales with special attention given to the F’s & C’s. D has two sharps, Db two naturals.

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6
Q

What are the notes in a D# Major Scale?

A

The D# Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the Eb Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

D# E# Fx G# A# B# Cx D#D#

Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor does exist. It’s the relative minor of F# Major:

D# E# F# G# A# B C# D#

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7
Q

What are the notes in an Eb Major Scale?

A

Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

Koby Caplan calls Eb & E The Spock Scales. Start with the Vulcan Salute:

Eb (lower outside pointer finger knuckle)

F (pointer finger)

G (middle finger)

Ab & Bb (in the valley)

C (ring finger)

D (pinky)

Eb lower outside pinky knuckle)

No help? Take it up with Koby. Or watch more Star Trek…

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8
Q

What are the notes in an E Major Scale?

A

E F# G# A B C# D# E

Koby Caplan calls Eb & E The Spock Scales. Start with the Vulcan Salute:

E (lower outside pointer finger knuckle)

F# (pointer finger)

G# (middle finger)

A & B (in the valley)

C# (ring finger)

D# (pinky)

E lower outside pinky knuckle)

No help? Take it up with Koby. Or watch more Star Trek…

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9
Q

What are the notes in an E# Major Scale?

A

The E# Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the F Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

E# Fx Gx A# B# Cx Dx E#

E# Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor doesn’t exist either. It’s an enharmonic equivalent of F Pure Minor. If it did exist it would look like this:

E# Fx G# A# B# C# D# E#

Monty Python referenced “The Sonatina in E# by Antonio Vivaldi,” which doesn’t exist

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10
Q

What are the notes in an Fb Major Scale?

A

The Fb Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the E Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

Fb Gb Ab Bbb Cb Db Eb Fb

Fb Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor doesn’t exist either. It’s an enharmonic equivalent of E Pure Minor. If it did exist it would look like this:

Fb Gb Abb Bbb Cb Dbb Ebb Fb

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11
Q

What are the notes of an F Major Scale?

A

F G A Bb C D E F

Remember, only one flat. When writing key signatures, Bb is always the first flat to appear.

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12
Q

What are the notes of an F# Major Scale?

A

F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#

Remember, only one natural. When writing key signatures, B is always the last sharp to appear.

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13
Q

What are the notes of a Gb Major Scale?

A

Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb

Remember, only one natural. When writing key signatures, Fb is always the last flat to appear.

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14
Q

What are the notes of a G Major Scale?

A

G A B C D E F# G

Remember, only one sharp. When writing key signatures, F# is always the first sharp to appear.

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15
Q

What are the notes in a G# Major Scale?

A

The G# Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the Ab Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx G#

G# Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor does exist. It’s the relative minor of B Major:

G# A# B C# D# E F# G#

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16
Q

What are the notes of an Ab Major Scale?

A

Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab

Three naturals: C, F & G

17
Q

What are the notes in an A Major Scale?

A

A B C# D E F# G# A

Three sharps: C, F & G

18
Q

What are the notes in an A# Major Scale?

A

The A# Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the Bb Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

A# B# Cx D# E# Fx Gx A#

A# Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor does exist. It’s the relative minor of C# Major:

A# B# C# D# E# F# G# A#

19
Q

What are the notes in a Bb Major Scale?

A

Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Bb & B are the B&E scales

20
Q

What are the notes in a B Major Scale?

A

B C# D# E F# G# A# B

Bb & B are the B&E Scales

21
Q

What are the notes in a B# Major Scale?

A

The B# Major Scale doesn’t exist. It is an enharmonic equivalent of the C Major Scale. If it did exist it would look like this:

B# Cx Dx E# Fx Gx Ax B#

B# Pure (aka Natural or Relative) Minor doesn’t exist either. It’s an enharmonic equivalent of C Pure Minor. If it did exist it would look like this:

B# Cx D# E# Fx G# A# B#

22
Q

What are the notes in a Cb Major Scale?

A

Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb

When you lower the first note of the C Major Scale by a1/2 step, you have to do the same thing to all the other notes in order to maintain the correct structure. So, everything gets a b.