The A Major Scale, Position by Position
Three sharps shape the A major scale: A, B, C#, D, E, F# and G#. The open A string is the root, and the 12th fret gives the octave.
On the low E string the root lies at the 5th fret, a position many guitarists use for their first box. F# minor shares these notes. If you want to know how the other six modes grow from the same notes, read how modes work on guitar.
Play the A major scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A major scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| B | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| C# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| F# | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
| G# | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
A major scale notes:
How the major scale is built:
The major scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which gives the step pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
It is also known as Ionian.
A Major Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the A major scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the major scale, starting from a different degree.
The major scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
