The Major Scale Formula for Guitar

Guitar Stew

- By Cookie G.

A major scale is a pattern of eight notes in order that produce the familiar sound:
Do - Re - Me - Fa - So - La - Ti - Do

The starting note (Do) is also called the Root note.
The Root note is the Key center, so the Root note of the Key of C is "C".

The C major scale contains these notes in the following order:
C D E F G A B C

Remember:
The distance of two frets is called a whole step.
The distance of one fret is called a half step.

W = Whole Step (there is one fret between the two)
H = Half Step (the frets are side by side)

Every Major Scale is composed of the following pattern of steps.

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

C Major Scale

Guitar Tab 

C Major Scale - Horizontal
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--1---3---5---6---8---10---12---13----------------------------------------| 
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|



C Major Scale - Vertical (Practice This)
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------0---1-------------------------------------------| 
G|------------------0---2---------------------------------------------------|
D|------0---2---3-----------------------------------------------------------| 
A|--3-----------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

G Major Scale

G Major
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------0-------------------------------------------| 
D|------------------0---2---4-----------------------------------------------|
A|------0---2---3-----------------------------------------------------------| 
E|--3-----------------------------------------------------------------------| 

More Major Guitar Scales for the Guitar

  E Major
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
D|--------------------------1---2-------------------------------------------|
A|--------------0---2---4---------------------------------------------------| 
E|--0---2---4---------------------------------------------------------------| 


  A Major 
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------1---2---------------------------------------------| 
D|--------------0--2--4-----------------------------------------------------|
A|--0---2---4---------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| 


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


  D Major
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------2---3-------------------------------------------|
G|--------------0---2---4---------------------------------------------------| 
D|--0---2---4---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|