Major Scales: Your Gateway into The World of Music Theory

Regardless of what instrument you learn, the major scale is always one of the first things you are taught because of how important and useful it is. In this blog post, we’ll be delving into the theory behind major scales and taking a look at its significance in the world of music.

What Is a Major Scale?

A major scale is a seven-note sequence of pitches that follow a pattern of whole and half steps. Known for its bright and happy sound, it is a popular choice for creating melodies and harmonies across musical genres. It is important to note that ALL the different types of scales follow a pattern of whole steps and half steps, but the major scale has a specific formula that we will discuss next.

Major Scale Formula & Construction

Formula

To construct a major scale, you need to follow a specific pattern of intervals. The formula is as follows:

Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step OR Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone.

Most people abbreviate it to look like this:

[W W H W W W H] or [T T S T T T S]

Using this formula, we can build a major scale starting on any note!

Construction

Now that we have the formula, lets use it to construct a scale starting on C.

1. Start with the note C which is our tonic.
2. Move up a whole step from C to D.
3. Another whole step from D to E.
4. Now, a half step from E to F. (Note that there are no accidentals between E and F, making it a half step.)
5. Continue with a whole step from F to G.
6. Another whole step from G to A.
7. Finally, complete the scale with a whole step from A to B.

At the end of it all you should have the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

Major Scale Harmony

Now that we’ve constructed the scale, let us take a look at the harmonies that we can create from it.

If we play triads (a set of three notes stacked vertically in thirds) on each note of the C major scale we will get different types of chords.

Regardless of the key you’re in, the chords associated with the different scale degrees stay the same. A triad built on the tonic (1) , subdominant (4) and the dominant (5) (which are also known as primary chords) will ALWAYS be major chords. A triad built on the supertonic (2), mediant (3) and submediant (6) will ALWAYS be minor and any triad built the leading tone (7) will ALWAYS be diminished.

You can also add the 7th to each chord to create a richer harmonic texture, offering additional colour and tension. Note that the 5th degree changed from major to dominant and that the 7th degree changed from diminished to half-diminished.

Major scale 7th chords are fundamental in jazz, blues, and many other contemporary music styles, and adds sophistication to chord progressions.

Have you ever heard of a 2-5-1 chord progression? Or maybe a 1-4-5?

Guess what?

They all come from the chords derived from this scale!

But guess what again?

You can also apply the concept of musical modes to get insight on how to improvise over the different types of chords. You can find more information about this in this book.

Always remember that every chord has a scale/mode that it is derived from. They are one in the same!

Conclusion

Now that you know more about the major scale, it is time to make use of it in create your own chord progressions and melodies. Try something different and see what happens. Music is all about exploration and discovery.

Have fun!