SCALE REFERENCE

A Major

A – B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G♯1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The reference scale of Western music — bright, resolved, and the yardstick every other scale is described against.

Notes & degrees
A1B2C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7
NotesA, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#
StepsW – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledIonian
Piano
ABDEC♯F♯G♯
Guitar & ukulele — every position (frets 0–12)
357912eEF♯G♯ABC♯DEBBC♯DEF♯G♯ABGG♯ABC♯DEF♯DDEF♯G♯ABC♯DAABC♯DEF♯G♯AEEF♯G♯ABC♯DE

Root notes are red. The full map of the scale on the guitar neck; the common box patterns are groups of these notes.

357912AABC♯DEF♯G♯AEEF♯G♯ABC♯DECC♯DEF♯G♯ABGG♯ABC♯DEF♯

The same scale on a ukulele in standard G–C–E–A tuning.

Chords in the key
DegreeTriad7th chord
IAAmaj7
iiBmBm7
iiiC♯mC♯m7
IVDDmaj7
VEE7
viF♯mF♯m7
vii°G♯dimG♯m7♭5

These are the chords built by stacking scale notes in thirds. Click through for each chord's own diagrams:

IAiiBmiiiC♯mIVDVEviF♯mvii°G♯dim
Common progressions in A major

I – V – vi – IV

A – E – F♯m – D

I – IV – V

A – D – E

ii – V – I

Bm – E – A

vi – IV – I – V

F♯m – D – A – E

Hear these and thousands of real songs that use them in the Song Chords Database and the progressions reference.

Related keys
Relative minorF♯ minorParallel minorA minor
Other scales on A

Core scales & modes

A Natural MinorA Harmonic MinorA Melodic MinorA DorianA PhrygianA LydianA MixolydianA Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

A Major PentatonicA Minor PentatonicA BluesA Major Blues

Jazz & altered

A Harmonic MajorA Phrygian DominantA Lydian DominantA AlteredA Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

A Whole ToneA Diminished (Whole–Half)A Diminished (Half–Whole)A Augmented Scale

World & exotic

A Hungarian MinorA Double Harmonic MajorA Neapolitan Minor
Major on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭EFF♯G♭GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

See the diatonic chords with audio in the Scale & Chord Finder, find where a key sits among the others on the Circle of Fifths, or start the free Cloud Atelier music guides.