The major scale is one of the fundamental scales in music and is a great place to start if you’re learning music theory. A major scale is a sequence of 8 notes (7 unique notes, with the 8th repeating the 1st an octave higher) that follow a specific pattern of whole and half steps. Steps are the distances between notes. The major scale follows this specific pattern: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half. I like to think of it like a phone number 221-2221. You can apply this pattern to any starting note, and it will create a major scale.
Major scales have a happy or bright sound. They’re common in all types of music and serve as the foundation for understanding other scales and chords.
Natural half steps are B and C and E and F, remember this: Big Cats Eat Fish.
Major intervals
2-2-1-2-2-2-1
Major Chords
M-m-m-M-M-m-d
or
I ii iii IV V vi viid
| Number | Degree | Interval | Distance | Name |
| 1 | Tonic | C to C | 0 | Unison |
| b2 | C to Db | 1 | Minor second | |
| 2 | Supertonic | C to D | 2 | Major second |
| b3 | C to Eb | 3 | Minor third | |
| 3 | Mediant | C to E | 4 | Major third |
| 4 | Sub-dominant | C to F | 5 | Perfect fourth |
| +4 | C to F# | 6 | Augmented fourth | |
| -5 | C to Gb | 6 | Diminished fifth | |
| 5 | Dominant | C to G | 7 | Perfect fifth |
| +5 | C to G# | 8 | Augmented fifth | |
| -6 | C to Ab | 8 | Minor sixth | |
| 6 | Sub-mediant | C to A | 9 | Major sixth |
| -7 | Sub-mediant | C to Bbb | 9 | Diminished seventh |
| b7 | C to Bb | 10 | Minor seventh | |
| 7 | Leading note | C to B | 11 | Major seventh |
| 8(1) | Tonic | C to C | 12 | Perfect octave |