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!
What is the formula for a major scale?
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
What are the notes in a C Major Scale?
C D E F G A B C
No sharps. No flats. No problem!
What are the notes in a C# Major Scale?
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 #.
What are the notes in a Db Major Scale?
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.
What are the notes in a D Major Scale?
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.
What are the notes in a D# Major Scale?
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#
What are the notes in an Eb Major Scale?
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…
What are the notes in an E Major Scale?
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…
What are the notes in an E# Major Scale?
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
What are the notes in an Fb Major Scale?
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
What are the notes of an F Major Scale?
F G A Bb C D E F
Remember, only one flat. When writing key signatures, Bb is always the first flat to appear.
What are the notes of an F# Major Scale?
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
Remember, only one natural. When writing key signatures, B is always the last sharp to appear.
What are the notes of a Gb Major Scale?
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
Remember, only one natural. When writing key signatures, Fb is always the last flat to appear.
What are the notes of a G Major Scale?
G A B C D E F# G
Remember, only one sharp. When writing key signatures, F# is always the first sharp to appear.
What are the notes in a G# Major Scale?
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#
