The Major Scale

Aim of the exercise: Learn and practice different positions of the major scale.
Exercise type: Scales
Starting tempo: 60 beats per minute
Duration: 10 minutes

It's major alright!

The major scale is only the most important scale in Western music, so it's really important that you know it up and down, left and right, front and back, and all that!

To start you off in the world of the major scale we'll build five patterns of the C major scale on the neck by using the pentatonic patterns and adding the missing notes (in the case of C major pentatonic that's F and B), so that the scale is complete. The notes will go as follows: C D E F G A B C - which you probably already know. If you don't, remember it, it's really useful!

Have a gander at the five patterns (the root note C is colored in blue). Take a long look at them until you see the resemblance with the pentatonic patterns.

Pattern 1

E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G

Pattern 2

G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A

Pattern 3

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C

Pattern 4

B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D

Pattern 5

C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F

Once you learn all the patterns of the major scale it is very easy to transpose it to other keys. Just shift any pattern up or down the neck with the root note on the key you want.

Variations

Pattern 1, groups of 3 Pattern 2, groups of 3 Pattern 3, groups of 3 Pattern 4, groups of 3 Pattern 5, groups of 3 Pattern 1, groups of 4 Pattern 2, groups of 4 Pattern 3, groups of 4 Pattern 4, groups of 4 Pattern 5, groups of 4

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