There are three ways to learn scales on the guitar: Notes, Intervals, and Patterns. Additionally, you can alternate them to obtain box patterns. You will notice that I have included a chord form name. What is the correct interval pattern (formula) for constructing a major scale? Whole Steps, Half Steps and the Major Scale Formula. At the end, play the next octave on a single string until you run out of room. The key of C is the simplest key to learn the scale because it contains no accidentals (no sharps or flats). Pay attention to the sound and the steps. I’m glad you like it. The Major Scale can be thought of as - whole step - whole step - half step - whole step - whole step - whole step - half step. A natural minor scale is taken from the major scale of the same name, but with the 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees lowered by one half step. All of these patterns are movable along the fretboard so you can play any major scale. Starting with C and moving along the pattern of whole and half steps, you get: W=whole step, H=half step: W-W-H-W-W-W-H Now put that pattern into a never-ending loop: WWHWWWHWWHWWWH... Where you start on that loop determines which scale … Below we build another major scale but this time starting on a D. We say this is the D major scale: The above exercises are designed to help you understand the concept of whole steps, half steps, and the major scale formula. This simplifies your effort in finding the scale. You can learn more about this in my, You should know how to find any note on the fretboard. Say the notes as you play them. Minor Pentatonic Scale Connections How to connect the common first pattern of the minor pentatonic scale to parts of the neighboring scale patterns for a wider range of notes to use in the scale. If you have questions or feedback, please contact me. A key has two components: a tonal center and some sort of scale, or set of pitches used for creating harmony and melody., a choice to use a pattern of seven notes forming a set called the major scale. Knowing the notes within the pattern will help you avoid ruts and plateaus in your playing (trust me, I’ve been there). Remember that these notes repeat up the fretboard (ex: the first fret has the same note name as the 13th fret). It is important that you never use the same letter twice. The major scale is an important scale. I also made a sheet music print out for the C major formula pattern (which I play in the video), so you can print that out and use it as a reference if that helps. Here it is starting on the note C. 1. Play the pattern below, then repeat it from frets 13 to the end of your fretboard if you have access to them. It is important to keep track of the musical terms you are learning. This rule applies to all patterns in standard tuning. Bb is the subdominant. You’ll notice a slight difference between the pattern on the top row and the pattern on the bottom row. Good luck with your playing! For example, play a C Major chord then play a C Major scale. Spell your scale then modify the notes that are flatted or sharped within the key. Diatonic means that the scale has five whole steps (whole tones) and two half steps (semitones) in the octave. Well constructed article and explained nicely one could understand. We can call this the major scale formula. C is the dominant. You can also play the scale on a string. It is important that you hear the sound of the scale. AP-013 What are your Favorite Exotic Chords? You can use this knowledge to find the chord tones within the scale. Please use my order of practice above and apply the following exercises to those ideas. Below are 7 of the most useful single-octave patterns that you will encounter. I want to show you how to form an F Major scale because it uses an accidental. The sequence of intervals between the notes of a major scale is: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. As we’ve said, whole steps and half steps are the building blocks of scales. (For in… The Major Scale pattern WWHWWWH Another way to think of the major scale notes is as numbers - the first note C=1 and the second note … Thank you for your kind words. This is called the chromatic scale. Use the major scale on a single string to connect them. It also fits nicely under your fingers. Many thanks. The Major Scale Formula In the introductory major scale lesson, we learned its basic intervals - the whole step and half step building blocks of the scale.This lesson will delve a bit deeper into how these intervals are formed. Simply move the pattern so the root note (black dot) is on the proper fret. Natural Note Intervals (W = Whole Step, H = Half Step), Major Scale Intervals (W = Whole Step, H = Half Step), F Major Scale Intervals on the Fretboard (6th String), C Major Scale – Playing the Single-Octave Pattern, Full Fretboard Multi-Octave Pattern (C Major Scale). Pitchwise, a half‐step is exactly 1/12 of an octave, or 1 semitone. Thank you for the kind words! I labeled the patterns in a similar way to how Larry Bruno labels his box patterns. Thank you for the kind words. There is a formula for forming this scale and any other major scale. Lets build one in G. A whole step from G is A. Starting on the 1st scale degree, this mode is the same as a major scale. Key Signature 3. You already learned the major scale in two ways, by notes and intervals. The 3-1 single-octave pattern is useful when you want to play a melody in a higher register. Thanks alot.. To maintain a half step, we must use accidentals. D is also two half steps up from C. You can find your single-octave patterns within the box patterns. Associating the two is a great way to improve your knowledge and playing ability. Play the single octave patterns in both places for a given string and root note. Now you have F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E, the F Major Scale. They can be chained together to form multi-octave patterns, and they allow you to play the scale anywhere on the fretboard. I provide all five because some are easier to play than others. This is good as it will solidify your musicianship down the road. W = Whole step H = Half step. Thank you for your kind words. That formula is W-W-H-W-W-W-H. In this case it is a flat. For example, the Key of F is known to have one flat, Bb. This convention is helpful when musicians communicate. Your email address will not be published. Very helpful. W - W - H - W - W - W - H. Using this formula, say we wanted to figure out the C major scale. There are two tetrachords in the major scale, each with the same order half- and whole-steps (W-W-H). Start by playing an octave higher (12 frets up). A whole step on the guitar is equal to two frets while a half step is equal to one fret. Your email address will not be published. Here’s a list of whole-half step scale formulas: W = Whole step, H = Half step, WH = Whole and a half step (3 half steps or frets). Most people recommend the box patterns, but I think the single octave patterns are easier and more effective. True. Major Scale Pattern of Steps. A half step up from A is Bb. In this case it is a flat. Major Scale Formula: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half. It is used in improvisation, chord construction, diatonic harmony, and much more. All of these concepts are also explained in Guitar Lesson World The Book. A whole step is exactly 1/6 of an octave, or 2 semitones. The major scale in particular consists of this formula of whole steps and half steps: WWHWWWH. A whole step up from Bb is C. A whole step up from C is D. A whole step up from D is E. A half step up from E is F. E to F is naturally a half step. C to C# is a half step up. If you’re starting out, I would learn the 6-2 and 5-2 box patterns and the 3-1 single-octave pattern. Memorize the following list of music terms covered in this lesson. Say the notes as you play them. The overall pattern of a major scale, therefore, is: W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Every major scale follows this same pattern and it is this specific pattern that gives the major scale its unique sound. Therefore, a tetrachord consisting of W-W-H can be the top tetrachord or the bottom tetrachord of a major scale. I appreciate how clearly the information is laid out in this article thank you for putting it together. Scales are always spelled in alphabetic note order. The 6-2 Box Pattern (below) is a combination of the 6-2 single-octave pattern and the 4-4 single-octave pattern. The formula for forming a harmonic minor scale is whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – half step – whole step and a 1/2 step – half step. For example, the key of C (major) corresponds to the C Major Scale. Thank you for an excellent web resource. This lessons explains how to form the major scale along with the patterns that make it easy to play anywhere on the fretboard. Pentatonic 5. Follow the interval formula for a major scale (W-W-H-W-W-W-H). Learn the single-octave patterns first. I think this is one of the best ways to learn the step-pattern. Practice alternate picking while playing the patterns. It has the same W W H W W W H (whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half) pattern. Play all 5 box patterns in two locations. Here is the scale ‘formula’ for the major scale: Major scale formula. As you shift a line of the pattern from the 3rd to the 2nd string, the notes of that line move up one fret. This section will teach you several major scale patterns. Look at the notes on a keyboard/piano like the one shown below. All Rights Reserved. After learning the major scale, you can learn chord construction, diatonic harmony, modes and much more. From E to F is a half step, 4. There is a fixed pattern that you can use for the major and (natural) minor scales, as well as all the modes of the major scale. So the F Major scale would be spelled as F-G-A-B-C-D-E. The notes, in order, are C – D – E – F – G – A -B – C – B -A -G -F – E – D – C. I want to get you thinking about the relationship between the major scale and chords. First start with the root note, C, and follow the formula: A whole step from C is D. A whole step from D is E. A half step from E is F. A whole step from F is G. A whole step from G is A. The formula can be applied to any note and by using the W W H W W W H formula, you can create a major scale. 1. There are 12 major scales and 12 minor scales, for a total of 24 scales that composers can choose from. This is arguably the most important scale you can learn. Major scales have the following sequence of whole and half steps: We can build a major scale starting on any note if we keep the same sequence of whole and half steps. Usually they overlap by 2 frets. To maintain a half step, we must use accidentals. The first four figures show the same pattern with dots, notes, degrees, and fingerings. Major scale = W-W-H-W-W-W-H (2-2-1-2-2-2-1) Natuaral Minor scale = W-H-W-W-H-W-W (2-1-2-2-1-2-2) Minor pentatonic scale = WH-W-W-WH-W (3-2-2-3-2) Blues scale = WH-W-H-H-WH-W (3-2-1-1-3-2) I am glad that I could help! From F to G is a whole step, 5. Start on C and go up pressing down every single black note and white note. Whole Step 5. Take any one of the twelve notes, for example, take C. Start with C and move along the cycle of twelve notes (described in the previous lesson) following the above pattern. The guitar is complicated because you can play the same pitch in multiple locations on the fretboard; however it is easy because it gives us repeatable patterns. Next, you’ll want to explore the box patterns. Also, notice that lower-case numerals indicate minor chords. I recommend the following ordered approach to practicing it. It helps you hear the scale. A half step up from E is F. E to F is naturally a half step. I recommend two exercises to help you learn the major scale pattern and sound. Learn how to play, form, and use the major scale effectively. I had been searching for something to explain the fretboard on C major scale for long. MAJOR SCALES are the building blocks for all of music. For example, C minor has the same key signature as E flat major, since E flat is a minor third higher than C. Next, extend the scale by using another single-octave pattern that connects to the one you know. E is the leading tone and F is the octave of the scale. 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