The major scale is undoubtedly the best-known scale.

In fact, everyone knows it (kind of). Just ask anyone with no particular harmony knowledge, and they will most certainly answer this: CDEFGABD. This is indeed the C major scale, on the piano it is composed of all the white keys. It is important to know how to play this scale since it is the foundation of modern Western music.

The major scale is also known has the Ionan mode, the first of the seven musical modes. Let’s see how it is built.

The intervals are 1-1-1/2-1-1-1/2 

Here are Major (Ionan) scale fingering patterns:

These patterns can be transposed in every tonality by sliding to the desired root note.

*(R) stands for Root or the first note of the scale.