The Major Scale

A Scale is a string of consecutive notes, ending on the same note we started with, only an octave higher.

That’s true for the many different types of scales:

• Major Scales
• Minor Scales (Natural, Melodic, and Harmonic)
• Chromatic Scales
• Pentatonic Scales
• Octatonic Scales
• Whole-note Scales

The Major Scale follows a specific formula of tones and semitones.

Namely, two Major Tetrachords one after the other.

The Tetrachord

The Tetrachord is a sequence of four notes.

Although it has the name Chord in it, it is much more like a scale.

In fact, it is precisely half of a scale – a scale is made of two consecutive Tetrachords.

Tetrachords can be Major or Minor (lower minor, upper minor, harmonic).

The Major Tetrachord

The formula for a Major Tetrachord is Tone – Tone – Semitone.

Let’s start with C.

As you can see above:

• Tone – between C and D
• Tone – between D and E
• Semitone – between E and F

A Major Tetrachord from G also follows the Tone – Tone – Semitone formula:

• Tone – between G and A
• Tone – between A and B
• Semitone – between B and C

The Major Scale

In order to build a Major Scale, we connect the two Major Tetrachords with a tone.

Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone

Here it is on the piano:

The Major Scales

Let’s have a look at the Major Scales from C-B.

Each scale follows the T–T–S–T–T–T–S formula:

Example

Major scales can be found anywhere, especially in the Classical-era composers: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Mozart’s piano sonatas and concerti are full of scales.