The major scale is the scale that other guitar scales and guitar chords are built from and is a good starting point for learning music theory and understanding the relationship between scales and chords.
The Formula for the Major Scale is:
whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step.
The C Major Scale has no sharp or flat notes in its scale. A major scale contains all the notes needed to make the chords for that key. The 8th note is the octave note of the scale.
Below is a chart of the C major scale and how it's notes are numbered. The numbers are also referred to as scale degrees.
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C Major Scale starting on the low E or 6th string
e|---------------------------------------------7--8--|
B|---------------------------------------8--10-------|
G|-----------------------------7--9--10--------------|
D|-------------------7--9--10------------------------|
A|---------7--8--10----------------------------------|
E|--8--10--------------------------------------------|
e|--8--7---------------------------------------------|
B|--------10--8--------------------------------------|
G|--------------10--9--7-----------------------------|
D|------------------------10--9--7-------------------|
A|----------------------------------10--8--7---------|
E|--------------------------------------------10--8--|
C Major Scale starting on the A or 5th string
e|-----------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------2--4--5--4--2-----------------|
D|--------2--3--5-----------------5--3--2--------|
A|--3--5-----------------------------------5--3--|
E|-----------------------------------------------|
C Major Scale starting on the D or 4th string
e|------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------10--12--13--12--10---------------------|
G|----------9--10--12----------------------12--10--9----------|
D|--10--12--------------------------------------------12--10--|
A|------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------|
C Major Scale starting on the G or 3rd string
e|-----------------5--7--8--7--5-----------------|
B|--------5--6--8-----------------8--6--5--------|
G|--5--7-----------------------------------7--5--|
D|-----------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------|
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