Major scale for beginners: how it is built, what it is for and the 5 positions (C major)

The major scale is the first scale to know on guitar. Here is how it is built, what it is used for and how to learn it, with its 5 positions in C.

How is the major scale built?

A major scale is 7 notes separated by a fixed pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):

W - W - H - W - W - W - H

On guitar it is very simple: a half step = one fret, a whole step = two frets. Starting from C on the A string, 3rd fret, you get C major on a single string:

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|
A|-3--5--7--8--10-12-14-15-|
E|-------------------------|
   C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C
    T  T  ½  T  T  T  ½

(T = whole step, ½ = half step.) The notes of C major are C D E F G A B: only natural notes, no sharps or flats. The two half steps fall between E and F, and between B and C. The notes are numbered from 1 to 7: these are the degrees (1 = C, the tonic, 3 = E, 5 = G...).

The same formula works from any note: start on G, apply W-W-H-W-W-W-H, and you get G major.

What is the major scale used for?

• Melodies: a huge number of songs you know (nursery rhymes, pop songs) use only the notes of a major scale.
• Chords: the chords of a key are built from its notes. In C major: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim. The famous C - G - Am - F progression is one of them.
• Improvisation: over a song in C major, every note of the scale sounds right. It is the starting point for improvising.
• Everything else: minor scales, modes, arpeggios and pentatonics are all understood from the major scale.

How to learn it (beginners)

1. Start with one octave in open position (exercise below), saying the name of each note out loud.
2. One finger per fret: index for fret 1, middle finger for fret 2, ring finger for fret 3. Keep your fingers close to the strings.
3. Play with a metronome: 60 bpm, one note per beat, up then down. Move to two notes per beat when it feels smooth.
4. Alternate picking: down, up, down, up, right from the start.
5. Learn the positions one at a time: one position a week is enough. Always spot where the Cs are (in orange on the diagrams).
6. Make music with it: record the C - G - Am - F progression and improvise over it with the notes of the position you know, ending your phrases on a C.

Starting exercise: one octave of C major in open position

e|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-------------------0--1--|-1--0--------------------|
G|-------------0--2--------|-------2--0--------------|
D|----0--2--3--------------|-------------3--2--0-----|
A|-3-----------------------|----------------------3--|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|
   C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  | C  B  A  G  F  E  D  C

Then the whole of position 1, from the lowest note (open low E) to the highest (G, 3rd fret of the high E string), up then down:

e|-------------------------|-------------------0--1--3--|
B|-------------------------|----------0--1--3-----------|
G|-------------------------|----0--2--------------------|
D|-------------------0--2--|-3--------------------------|
A|----------0--2--3--------|----------------------------|
E|-0--1--3-----------------|----------------------------|

The 5 positions of C major

The diagrams below show the C major scale across the whole neck, as notes then as degrees, then split into 5 positions of 4 to 5 frets each. In orange: the Cs. To display and hear them, open them in the interactive fretboard (pick the position below the neck).

To train your ear on these notes too, try level 1 of Perfect Pitch: it uses exactly the notes of C major.