Now that you have the musical "alphabet" - the chromatic scale- under your belt, it's time to expand upon the single most important combination of notes in your musical development, the Major Scale. (Derived from the chromatic scale.)

Yes, its true that the chromatic scale is the basis for everything, just as the alphabet is the basis for all words in English- but you don't go around spouting the alphabet (if you are older than 4 and arguably sane) just as you don't constantly rock out on the chromatic scale. ("Chromaticism" is frequently used in many styles of music- but only used in appropriate circumstances like walking bass lines and soloing sections. You usually won't hear the entire scale played back and forth for no reason in a song.)

Just like how we select appropriate letters from the alphabet in English to create words that express what we want to say, we select appropriate notes from the chromatic scale to express what we want musically.

Lets take a look at the chromatic scale again:

C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - (C)

We are going to break down this scale into 8 notes, called the Major Scale, by using a mathematical formula comprised of whole steps and half steps. (Remember a half steps is the distance between each consecutive note and whole step is the distance between every other note.)

There are different major scales starting on each note of the chromatic scale, but each major scale uses one of every note name either with or without flats or sharps. In other words, whatever major scale you are working with, there will be some kind of C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. (The 8th note being a repeat of the first an octave higher.)

Starting on any note, the formula for breaking down a major scale from the chromatic scale is: Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step. (WWHWWWH.)

The note you start the scale on is called the tonic.

Lets start with C as our tonic note, thus making this the C Major Scale.

Again, lets look at the chromatic scale.

C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - (C)

Now lets apply the WWHWWWH formula to this scale.

The distance between C and D is a whole step, D and E is a whole step, E and F is a half step, F and G is a whole step, G and A is a whole step, A and B is a whole step, and B and C is a half step.

So our C Major Scale is now:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C.

Conveniently, this scale does not involve any sharps or flats, making it one of the most commonly used scales due its simplicity, location on instruments and sonic range.

To play a C major scale on a piano simply play all the white keys starting on C and ending on C. On a guitar, play the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, and 13th frets on your B string.

Take a look at the chart below to clear up any confusion.

Lets move away from C as the root and reorganize the chromatic scale to start with a different note.

Lets take for instance, the note A.

The A Chromatic Scale is:

A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - (A)

As you can see, these are the exact same note from the C Chromatic Scale just in a different order.

Using the major scale formula lets derive an A Major Scale:

A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - (A)

Major scale formula - WWHWWWH

The distance between A and B is a whole step, B and C# is a whole step, C# and D is a half step, D and E is a whole step, E and F# is a whole step, F# and G# is a whole step, and G# and A is a half step.

Therefore the A Major Scale is:

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

So in the "key of A" there are three sharps and they are F#, C#, and G#.

Vocab: Key - the number of sharps or flats associated with a certain note's respective major scale.

Remember there is one of every note name in a scale and ONLY one. This is why we choose C# and not Db even though they are the same note. If we had chosen Db then the combination of Db and D would be very confusing to a musician as well as now missing C note. The same goes for F#, Gb conflicts with the G#, and the G#, - Ab conflicts with A.

Lets try moving in the opposite direction and deriving a major scale from a "flat key," namely Bb:

A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb

Since we are calling this scale Bb and not A#, then we will drop the A# name from the chromatic scale even though they are the same note. (The key of A# uses the same notes as Bb but all of them are called different names and makes the scale much more complicated and confusing. It will be rare to see anything in the key of A# - Bb is much simpler and easier to "read.")

Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - Bb

Major scale formula - WWHWWWH

The distance between Bb and C is a whole step, C and D is a whole step, D and Eb is a half step, Eb and F is a whole step, F and G is a whole step, G and A is a whole step, and A and Bb is a half step.

Therefore the Bb Major Scale is:

Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb

So in the key of Bb there are two flats and they are Bb and Eb.

Check the diagram below to clear up any confusion.

Once you've got a solid understanding of how this formula works practice deriving more major scales.

Try to figure out the following scales and check them with the complete list of scales and keys below.

F Major: F - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - F

D Major: D - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - D

Eb Major: Eb - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - Eb

B Major: B - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - B

G Major: G - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - G

C Major: C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

C# Major: C# - D# - *E# - F# - G# - A# - *B# -C#

Db Major: Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb -C - Db

D Major: D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D

Ignore D# Major for now

Eb Major: Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - D - Eb

E Major: E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E

F Major: F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F

F# Major: F# - G# - A# - B - C# - D# - *E# -F#

Gb Major: Gb - Ab - Bb - *Cb - Db - Eb - F - Gb

G Major: G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G

Ignore G# Major for now

Ab Major: Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - G -Ab

A Major: A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A

Ignore A# Major for now

Bb Major: Bb - C - D -Eb - F - G - A - Bb

B Major: B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B

Cb Major: *Cb - Db - Eb - *Fb - Gb - Ab - Bb - *Cb*

*Important: The notes E#, B#, Fb, and Cb exist but are rarely used and more commonly known by their enharmonic names, F, C, E, and B, respectively. They are used in these contexts in oder to allow a major scale to have one of every note name, ie. some kind of A, B, C, D, E, F and G. More than one note of the same name would confuse a musician "reading" music.

Vocab: Enharmonic - Any note with two possible names, ie. F#/Gb, C#/Db, E#/F, Cb/B etc.

Let's take a look at the notes of the major scale on the staff, in multiple octaves, (repeating the scale from the root note.)

First we'll take a look at the C Major Scale- remember this has no sharps or flats so the scale will simply be the notes C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C moving up the staff, and then repeated an octave above.

Then we'll look at the A Major Scale, which has 3 Sharps - F#, C#, G#.

In the next chapter we will discuss why we use the major scale and how we can build on it to understand the basis of most styles of music.