The reference scale of Western music — bright, resolved, and the yardstick every other scale is described against.
| Notes | Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A |
|---|---|
| Steps | W – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole, H = half) |
| Also called | Ionian |
Root notes are red. The full map of the scale on the guitar neck; the common box patterns are groups of these notes.
The same scale on a ukulele in standard G–C–E–A tuning.
| Degree | Triad | 7th chord |
|---|---|---|
| I | B♭ | B♭maj7 |
| ii | Cm | Cm7 |
| iii | Dm | Dm7 |
| IV | E♭ | E♭maj7 |
| V | F | F7 |
| vi | Gm | Gm7 |
| vii° | Adim | Am7♭5 |
These are the chords built by stacking scale notes in thirds. Click through for each chord's own diagrams:
B♭ – F – Gm – E♭
B♭ – E♭ – F
Cm – F – B♭
Gm – E♭ – B♭ – F
Hear these and thousands of real songs that use them in the Song Chords Database and the progressions reference.
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.