SCALE REFERENCE

B Major

B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯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
B1C♯2D♯3E4F♯5G♯6A♯7
NotesB, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#
StepsW – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledIonian
Piano
BEC♯D♯F♯G♯A♯
Guitar & ukulele — every position (frets 0–12)
357912eEF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯EBBC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯BGG♯A♯BC♯D♯EF♯DD♯EF♯G♯A♯BC♯AA♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯EEF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯E

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

357912AA♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯EEF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯ECC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯BGG♯A♯BC♯D♯EF♯

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

Chords in the key
DegreeTriad7th chord
IBBmaj7
iiC♯mC♯m7
iiiD♯mD♯m7
IVEEmaj7
VF♯F♯7
viG♯mG♯m7
vii°A♯dimA♯m7♭5

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

IBiiC♯miiiD♯mIVEVF♯viG♯mvii°A♯dim
Common progressions in B major

I – V – vi – IV

B – F♯ – G♯m – E

I – IV – V

B – E – F♯

ii – V – I

C♯m – F♯ – B

vi – IV – I – V

G♯m – E – B – F♯

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

Related keys
Relative minorA♭ minorParallel minorB minor
Other scales on B

Core scales & modes

B Natural MinorB Harmonic MinorB Melodic MinorB DorianB PhrygianB LydianB MixolydianB Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

B Major PentatonicB Minor PentatonicB BluesB Major Blues

Jazz & altered

B Harmonic MajorB Phrygian DominantB Lydian DominantB AlteredB Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

B Whole ToneB Diminished (Whole–Half)B Diminished (Half–Whole)B Augmented Scale

World & exotic

B Hungarian MinorB Double Harmonic MajorB 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.