Mini-Course Lesson 3: Understanding The Major Scale

Welcome back!

In this lesson we take a look at a really essential scale…the major scale. The major scale is probably the most important scale there is. All other scales can be derived from it. If you totally understand the major scale you will be able to understand every other scale there is! Let's take a close look at this very important scale…

You may have read in a book that the major scale has the following formula…

W  W  H  W  W  W  H

(W=Whole Step=2 fret distance)

(H=Half Step=1 fret distance)

So what does the above formula mean?

This formula tells you the distance between each note of the major scale. (Some geeky people like me call this the intervallic structure of the major scale).

As an example, here's the F major scale mapped out on the thick E-string…

Please spend a couple of minutes looking at this diagram. What do you notice about it?

Here are a few observations:

• The distance between notes 1 and 2 is two frets (W).
• The distance between notes 2 and 3 is two frets (W).
• The distance between notes 3 and 4 is one fret (H).
• The distance between notes 4 and 5 is two frets (W).
• The distance between notes 5 and 6 is two frets (W).
• The distance between notes 6 and 7 is two frets (W).
• The distance between the notes 7 and 1 is one fret (H).
  

All clear? Fantastic!

Because we all learn differently, here's the same F major scale shown in a table format—this time with the note names shown…

Now…here’s a question for you. Why have I called the fourth note in F major “Bb” and not “A#”?

This brings us to an important rule…

The major scale must contain EVERY letter of the musical alphabet. In the example above, if we had called the fourth note A# it would mean we wouldn’t have some kind of a B in the scale.

I’ve found through my experience with teaching that people learn best by doing, so here is a great exercise for you to do…

Below is a handout for you to download and fill out. You will need to work out the notes of all the major scales. Don’t be afraid of using your guitar to help you work out the notes. And don't panic if you get stuck. I'll be giving you the answers later…

Major Scale Exercise (PC Users: Right click and choose "Save Target As…")

Once you've filled out the handout, please continue reading.

So how did it go?

How did you go with filling out the table you downloaded earlier in the lesson? What did you learn? Were there any things that were a bit confusing?

Before we move on, here are the answers…

Major Scale Exercise Answers (PC Users: Right click and choose "SaveTarget As…")

The main area where people can get confused is with major scales thatcontain weird notes like Cb, B#, Fb and E#. A lot of students forexample ask me “why do we call it a Cb and not B”? I then have toremind them of the following rule…

The major scale must contain EVERY letter of the musical alphabet.

Let’s go through an example. Here is the Gb major scale…

Notice how the fourth note is a Cb. If we had called it a B, wewouldn’t be following the rule…

The major scale must contain EVERY letter of the musical alphabet.

Yes, I know I’m repeating myself—but it’s that important.

You'll notice that the "weird notes" Cb, B#, Fb and E# appear around the half-steps in the musical alphabet (E-F and B-C). Here are a couple of diagrams showing this…

I would highly recommend memorizing these diagrams. All you really need to understand is…

• Another name for B is Cb.
• Another name for C is B#.
• Another name for E is Fb.
• Another name for F is E#.
  

OK. Let's finish off this lesson by giving you one more handout to fill out. This handout will take seven days to fill out. Each day you will be working out the notes of all the major scales. By the end of seven days you should find working out the notes of any major scale really easy!

Please don't skip filling out this handout. It is really important!

Major Scale Handout (PC Users: Right click link and choose "SaveTarget As…")

Some Final Words…

Well, we've certainly covered a lot in this lesson! Don't panic, there is plenty of time to learn all this stuff. You definitely don't need to know it overnight.

If you would like some help mastering the major scale over the entire fretboard, then you may want to find out more about Guitar Scale Mastery. It's a membership website for guitar players wanting to gain a mastery over scales. It's definitely not for everyone, but it might be something that you're interested in.

Keep an eye out for the next lesson. I'll be sending it to you in the next couple of days. Until then, work hard at the major scale theory, and I'll see you next time.  :-)

All the best,

Craig Bassett.