Who this is for
Beginners who know the note names and the keyboard. If you can already spell every major scale, test out on Day 6.
Best done after: The Keyboard, Reading Music. It is advice, not a rule: every lesson has short "rusty on…?" boxes for anything you skipped.
Why learn this
The major scale is the reference point of Western music. Intervals, chords, keys and key signatures are all described by comparing notes with a major scale, so building it correctly in any key pays back everywhere.
The whole thing rests on one short pattern of whole and half steps and one spelling rule. Learn those and you can derive every major scale instead of memorising twelve.
What you will be able to do
- What half steps and whole steps are
- How to spell steps correctly (the next-letter rule)
- The major scale pattern: W W H W W W H
- How to spell any major scale, and why F♯ major has an E♯
- The names and numbers of the scale degrees
The 6-day plan
- Half steps and whole steps. Find a half step or a whole step from any white key.
- Steps from any note. Step up or down from any note, and spell the result correctly.
- The major scale pattern. Build a major scale from the step pattern.
- Major scales in every key. Spell any major scale correctly.
- Scale degrees. Name the notes of a scale by number and by function.
- Test day. Prove you can build any major scale.
How each session works
Every day follows the shape of a workout. It starts with a warm-up that reviews earlier days, then technique: a short, plain explanation with a small interactive tool to try it on. Then come the working sets, drills with instant feedback, and a finisher, a short test with a pass mark so you only build on things you can do. A cool-down recaps the day and previews the next.
Choose your split
The daily split is a session a day: done in a week. The easy split is a session every other day, with rest days between: two weeks, and a gentler pace. On your own pace there is no schedule. Nothing is ever locked, and you can change split at any time.
What comes next
Intervals: The 7-Day Program or Circle of Fifths: The 7-Day Program. See the whole training plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pattern of the major scale?
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Starting on C and following it gives C D E F G A B C.
Do I need to know the keyboard first?
It helps. If you are shaky on note names and the black keys, start with The Keyboard program, which takes five short days.
Why does every letter appear once in a scale?
It keeps the scale readable. A seven-note scale gets seven letters, so the sharps and flats are what fit the pattern, rather than repeated letters.
Do I need to memorise all twelve major scales?
No. If you know the pattern and the spelling rule you can build any of them. Most people end up knowing the common ones by heart anyway.