A Major Scale on Guitar
The A Major Scale is a 7-note scale (bright, happy, pop) built from the formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Its notes are A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯. Below you'll find the scale on the whole fretboard, the chords that belong to it and related scales — open it in the interactive fretboard for 3NPS, CAGED and pentatonic box patterns with playback.
Notes and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | root |
| 2 | B | Major 2nd |
| 3 | C♯ | Major 3rd |
| 4 | D | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | E | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | F♯ | Major 6th |
| 7 | G♯ | Major 7th |
Steps: W – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step)
A Major Scale on the fretboard (15 frets)
Standard tuning E A D G B E. Pink = root, purple = characteristic notes. 3NPS, CAGED and box patterns plus other tunings are in the interactive fretboard.
Chords in the scale
Modes with the same notes
Other scales from A
- Ionian (Major)
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- Mixolydian
- Aeolian (Minor)
- Locrian
- Major pentatonic
- Minor pentatonic
- Blues
- Major blues
- Harmonic minor
- Locrian ♮6
- Ionian ♯5
- Dorian ♯4
- Phrygian dominant
- Lydian ♯2
- Superlocrian 𝄫7
- Melodic minor
- Dorian ♭2
- Lydian augmented
- Lydian dominant
- Mixolydian ♭6
- Locrian ♮2
- Altered (Superlocrian)
- Whole tone
- Diminished (half-whole)
- Diminished (whole-half)
Ionian (Major) in other keys
FAQ
- What notes are in the A Major Scale?
- The A Major Scale has 7 notes: A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯. Its formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
- What intervals make up the A Major Scale?
- Step pattern: W – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole step, H = half step). Intervals from the root: 2 (Major 2nd), 3 (Major 3rd), 4 (Perfect 4th), 5 (Perfect 5th), 6 (Major 6th), 7 (Major 7th).
- What chords are in the A Major Scale?
- Triads: A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m, G♯°. Seventh chords: Amaj7, Bm7, C♯m7, Dmaj7, E7, F♯m7, G♯m7♭5.
- What is the relative minor of A major?
- F♯ minor — it uses the same notes as A major, starting from the 6th degree.